What Are Remedial Services?

What are “remedial” services?

by David Morton, Senior Surveyor, CSSW, CSRT

Firstly, is it remedial or remediation?

Remedial – meaning:

• A remedial action is intended to correct something that is wrong, or to improve a bad situation: to take urgent or immediate remedial action to put something right.

Remediation – meaning:

• This is the action of remedying something, or stopping damage occurring. It is to do with righting a wrong, fixing things that aren’t right, or correcting a fault.

So! In terms of the services we provide, while both options could be seen as being right, the most appropriate of the two words would seem to be REMEDIAL.

Some of the questions people may ask, when calling to arrange a property inspection, are:

• What are remedial services?
• What are the different types of remedial services we provide?
  • Damp
  • Mould
  • Timber treatment etc.
• What do I do if I need these services?

When talking about the services a company such as Preservation Treatments provide, then “remedial services” means the repair, modification, replacement, or re-performance where there is a failure of the existing conditions within a property. This may mean removal and reinstallation of defective materials or replacement services, and any other corrective measures required.

With regards to the different types of remedial services we provide, the remediation of the damage – in respect of the three services mentioned above – may include, but are not limited to:

Damp

Damp related problems can result from rising damp from the ground, penetrating damp from (below) ground level or, from rainwater through the wall fabric, leaking gutters, down-pipes, hoppers, drain gulleys and other builder defects.  Here, we will think about remedial services, which may be needed in relation to rising damp.

• Installation of a chemical Damp Proof Course (DPC) where the existing DPC has failed, which could be throughout a property, or in parts of the property only. Generally
• Removal of existing render and plaster which has become affected by damp, along with hygroscopic salt contamination. Hygroscopic salts are chlorides and nitrates which tend to come from the ground, as a direct result of rising dampness (from the ground) and remain absorbent.  It is generally the effects of salt contamination (from hygroscopic salts) which results in the appearance of damp staining, blistering of the plaster and decorative finishes and “tide marks” on the surface of the plaster.
• Removal of plaster affected by salt efflorescence, which is different to hygroscopic salts. Salt efflorescence is caused by sulphates, which tend to appear as white deposits on the surface.  These salts are not absorbent in the way in which hygroscopic salts are.  They are an indication that dampness has been present but has since evaporated.  They can cause damage which means that the plaster needs to be removed and the wall re-plastered using a salt inhibiting render, or a lime based, damp resistant plaster.  However, the remedial course of action, where such salts appear on the surface of newly plastered walls may simply be brushing the deposits off as they appear.  Sometimes there is a need to apply a proprietary salt neutraliser to the surface, although, this is rare.  The possible appearance of salt efflorescence on newly applied plaster is why we advise that decoration of the newly plastered walls should be delayed for at least 4-6 weeks after plastering has been finished.

Mould

The presence of mould growth in properties, or specific areas within properties is generally an indication of condensation issues.  Overcoming condensation related problems usually comes down to getting the balance between heating and ventilation right, which is not as easy or straightforward as it sounds.  There are so many environmental factors that result in condensation and the subsequent problems with mould growth.

These can include; the layout of the property, especially where one house has been converted into two or three flats, for instance.  The number of people living in a property.  The type of heating within a property.  Drying of washed clothing etc. in unventilated areas.  Fluctuating temperatures throughout the property.  Production of water vapour from cooking, bathing, showering etc. where the areas are not ventilated.

Condensation and the eradication of subsequent mould growth is a particularly complex matter and remedial services to help overcome this could include:

• The cleaning of existing mould growths using a mouldicide solution to help kill and prevent the germination of mould spores.
• Painting walls with a condensation / mould inhibiting paint.
• Ensuring windows in the property can be and are being opened to help provide a throughflow and crossflow of natural ventilation, wherever possible.
• Ensuring heating systems within the property are adequate in order to ensure rooms and areas within rooms are heated to a suitable level, so that the temperatures stay above the “dew point”, which is when moisture will form as condensation on cold surfaces.
• The supply and installation of suitable extract ventilation units, or, if necessary and where possible, Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) units to improve ventilation, air circulation and air quality within a property and to help lower the Relative Humidity (RH) within a property. Relative Humidity of the air is expressed as a percentage of the amount of water that is present in the air, compared to the greatest amount it would be possible for the air to hold at that temperature.  The higher the RH percentage, means the more likely that condensation and mould will appear and remedial services will be required.

Timber

Timber defects could relate to insect infestation from wood-boring insects, such as Common Furniture Beetle, Death Watch Beetle, House Longhorn Beetle.  It could also relate to defects caused by fungal decay in timber from either wet rot attack or dry rot attack.  In all instances, remedial services needed are very different.  They can include:

• Spray treatments of timber affected by wood-boring insects using insecticide solutions, where the timber does not need to be removed and replaced.
• Cutting out heavily infested timbers and replacing with new pre-treated timbers, where they are beyond saving by spray treatments.
• Cutting out timbers affected by wet rot, addressing the cause of the wet rot attacks and replacing the timbers with new, pre-treated timbers.
• Cutting out timbers affected by dry rot, tracing the extent of the dry rot outbreak, which will often result in the need to remove plaster from walls. This type of fungus has the ability to grow behind and over wall plaster, through mortar joints in walls, within floor voids etc. and can spread significantly, in all directions from where it started.  The affected areas would usually be treated with a fungicide, to kill and prevent the germination of fungal spores.  New timbers used would be pre-treated with preservatives, with all cut ends being treated on site.
• It is so important that the remedial services undertaken address the reason for the origination of fungal decay, so that it does not re-infect other, adjoining areas.

What do I do if I need remedial services?

If you believe your property, or prospective property may be affected by rising or penetrating damp problems, condensation and mould related issues, timber infestation or decay from either wood-boring insects or fungal decay, or any of the other remedial services we provide – please refer to our website, or would like to speak to one of our experienced Surveyors in the first instance, please do contact us using the details below.