Damp and mould surveys in Sussex, Surrey & London
Damp is a symptom, not a diagnosis, and the four things that cause it need four different remedies. Injecting a damp-proof course into a wall that is wet because of a leaking pipe is a common and entirely wasted expense.
We survey without selling you the remedial work, which means there is no incentive to find a problem that needs a treatment we happen to supply. Moisture profiling across the height of a wall, salts analysis of a plaster sample and thermal imaging of the cold spots together tell you which of the four you actually have.
Our approach
How we find damp and mould surveys leaks
These are the methods we would normally work through on this kind of job, in this order, stopping as soon as the evidence agrees on one point.
- 1
Moisture mapping and salts analysis
Damp on its own does not tell you where water came from. Rising ground moisture leaves nitrate and chloride salts behind; a burst pipe does not. Testing the salt content of a plaster sample separates a plumbing leak from rising damp or condensation, which is often the difference between a valid insurance claim and a rejected one.
- 2
Thermal imaging camera survey
Water moving where it should not changes the temperature of everything it touches. A thermal camera renders those differences as an image, so a leak under a solid floor shows up as a shape long before it shows up as a stain. It is completely passive: nothing is drilled, lifted or cut to take the reading.
- 3
Borescope inspection
When every non-invasive method points at the same spot, a borescope gives visual confirmation before anything is properly opened up. The access hole is small enough to fill and touch in with a dab of filler, which is why we always try it before lifting a floor or cutting a ceiling.
- 4
Tracer gas testing
Hydrogen is the smallest molecule there is, so it finds its way out of a crack far too small to see and rises straight up through concrete, screed and soil. We sweep the surface with a sensitive detector and the reading spikes directly over the breach. The gas mix is non-toxic, non-flammable at the concentration used, and leaves nothing behind.
What happens
Trace, access, repair, prove
The same four stages on every job, whether it is a weeping joint or a mains supply pipe under a driveway.
- 1
Trace
Non-invasive survey of the whole affected area. We rule systems out as well as in, because knowing what is not leaking is half the evidence.
- 2
Access
One opening, in the right place, as small as the job allows. Usually a borescope hole first, and a larger opening only if the repair needs it.
- 3
Repair
The fault fixed on the same visit wherever it can be, guaranteed for 12 months. Anything larger is quoted at a fixed price before we start.
- 4
Prove
The circuit re-pressurised and held, moisture readings taken again, and the whole job written up with dated photographs and calibrated readings.
Pricing
Published rates, no call-out fee
Charged by the half hour with a half an hour minimum, and no premium for an emergency. All prices exclude VAT at 20%.
- Weekdays7am – 6pm, Monday to Friday£54.00+ VAT
- Evenings & weekends6pm – 9pm weekdays, plus all day Saturday and Sunday£69.75+ VAT
- Late night9pm – 7am, every day£90.00+ VAT
Questions
Damp and mould surveys: your questions
How do I know if it is rising damp or a leak?
Rising damp is limited by capillary action to roughly the first metre of a wall, follows a fairly even horizontal tide mark, and leaves nitrate and chloride salts in the plaster. A leak does not respect that height limit and leaves clean water. A salts test on a drilled sample settles it in one visit.
Is black mould dangerous?
Persistent mould is a recognised health risk, particularly for asthma and for young children, and since the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act it is also a landlord's legal obligation to deal with. Treating the surface without removing the moisture source guarantees it returns.
Do you carry out the damp-proofing work as well?
We handle leak repairs, because that is a plumbing job. We deliberately do not sell chemical damp-proof courses or tanking, so our diagnosis is not steering you toward a product.
Related services
- Water leak detectionThe core survey: we find the exact source of any escape of water in your property without lifting floors or opening walls on a guess.
- Roof leak detectionPitched and flat roofs, balconies and terraces. Electronic membrane testing finds pinholes you cannot see.
- Trace and access reports for insurance claimsThe evidence pack your insurer needs: what leaked, where, how it was proved, and what it will cost to put right.
- Water damage restoration and dryingThe stage after the leak: drying the structure out properly, and putting right what the water damaged. Quoted separately once we know what we are dealing with.
Damp and mould surveys near you
We cover 74 towns, cities and boroughs across Sussex, Surrey and London.
Sussex
Need damp and mould surveys?
Call 01273 936 030 for free advice, or book a survey online. No call-out fee, and we will tell you honestly if you do not need us.