How to insulate a damp wall?
Rising damp, saltpetre, dry rot, mold… How to insulate a damp wall?
Optimizing insulation is essential to ensure the thermal comfort of your home while reducing heating costs. However, when moisture seeps in, especially in the walls, the task becomes complex. Poorly executed insulation can trap moisture, leading to structural damage. To ensure effective and durable insulation, it is crucial to first address the sources of moisture. Discover how to detect these causes and treat them before proceeding with the insulation of a damp wall, thus ensuring a healthy and dry environment in the long term.
Insulating a damp wall to preserve health
Apart from their unattractive and uncomfortable appearance, damp walls can have harmful consequences for health. Indeed, respiratory problems, joint conditions, and allergies can directly result from the moisture present in your home. For example, according to the National Agency for Health Security (Anses), mold, as it develops, produces volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of fungal origin, which can cause irritations and inflammations of the mucous membranes, such as the eyes, nose, and throat. Additionally, they release mycotoxins that are particularly harmful to the respiratory system, especially in the most vulnerable individuals, such as infants, the elderly, or the sick. These symptoms are often accompanied by itching, headaches, and even, in some cases, neurological disorders in young children.
Insulating a damp wall to prevent building degradation
The presence of moisture in liquid or gaseous form within a building’s envelope has a direct impact on its structure, being one of the main causes of housing degradation. Over the long term, moisture can lead to profound deterioration of building materials, with potentially disastrous consequences. For example, in a stone wall, water can gradually cause demineralization and crumbling, thus reducing its structural support capacity. Similarly, a crack, even a minimal one, if left untreated, can quickly widen, especially during the winter months due to freeze-thaw cycles.
Optimize thermal comfort and save energy by insulating a damp wall
A damp wall has a negative impact on your well-being: it promotes feelings of cold in winter (despite heating usage) and feelings of heat in summer. Additionally, it creates an environment conducive to the formation of thermal bridges. These thermal bridges lead to heat loss, resulting in unnecessary energy expenses. Insulating a damp wall improves the thermal comfort of your home and allows for long-term heating savings.
In summary, insulating a damp wall not only improves the thermal comfort of your home but also plays a crucial role in reducing energy expenses and preserving the very structure of your dwelling. By eliminating thermal bridges and reducing heat loss, you create a more pleasant indoor environment while achieving significant long-term savings. By investing in the insulation of your damp walls, you contribute not only to your well-being but also to the sustainability of your home and the protection of the environment.
