There has been much ‘debate’ in recent years over the existence of rising damp in buildings. Indeed, there has even been a book written on the subject, “The Rising Damp Myth” in which the author claims exactly that – rising damp is a myth.
By definition a ‘myth’ is 1. Any fictitious story, or unscientific theory, belief, etc, and 2. Person or thing whose existence is fictional or unproven account.
As part of the introduction the author of ‘The Rising Damp Myth’ also states:
“For the fact is that rising damp is a mythical building defect, which only came to widespread prominence in the 1960s —-” and “The rising damp myth has become so powerful, and so deeply ingrained in the psyche of the construction professions, that to question it is to invite denial and even ridicule.”
So what about the truth?
Does it or does it not exist?
And do the claims made in the book ‘The Rising Damp Myth’ stand up to scrutiny or is the author simply just making it up?
To find out the truth read the independent review of “The Rising Damp Myth” and draw your own conclusions.
my opinion is that it does exist but is not nearly as prevalent as people think.
Why do Dutch buildings not have damp courses? Given their topography, they more than us should need them.