Humidity
Dampness in construction has many causes - e.g. Cyprus sand
Damp spots on walls should not be ignored under any circumstances, as mold destroys building components and can be hazardous to health. The causes are manifold and often not easy to localize.
Special feature in Cyprus
It can be assumed that sand with a higher nitrate content is processed during the plastering work. Salt extracts water from the air in the room and stores it in the wall!
Cyprus is formed by a plate shift that occurred under the sea. For this reason, the sand has a much higher nitrate content than the grave sand, which is obtained from the mainland.
Installation of windows and sliding doors
Unfortunately, I keep coming across installation errors with metal frame windows - and doors. At the contact points to the building structure or tiled floor, sealing material (silicone) is often spared.
Measurement method only the tendency is decisive!
Measurement methods to detect the moisture in building components.
The most commonly used methods are electrical and electromagnetic field measurements.
The results of both methods cannot be compared
1 to 1.
The differences between the individual measurement results of the same measurement method are decisive.
In this device (Fig.), an electric current is measured in the structure between two electrodes.
The moisture in the structure causes the conductivity to change and this can be indicated digitally as a percentage value.
Important:
Wood, concrete, masonry and other mineral building materials have a basic moisture content that should be used as a reference value.
How much water in a component is normal, at what point is it considered damp ?
Moisture content of mineral building materials
Equilibrium moisture contents of different mineral building materials at about 75% to 80% relative humidity:
Historic solid brick
Solid brick (gross density 1.900)
Porous vertically perforated brick
Lime plaster, lime mortar
Lime-cement plaster
Lime sandstone
Clayey sandstone
Carbonate sandstone
granite
Marble
2 - 3%
< 1%
0.75%
< 0.50
< 1.50%
1.30%
< 1.30%
< 0,80%
0,10%
0,01%
Wood moisture
Freshly cut wood has a moisture content of approx. 40% to 60%. For use in construction, the wood must be dried naturally or technically.
Parquet should be installed with a wood moisture content of 9%, visible beams with a wood moisture content of 15%. Building timber may have a moisture content of 20%, it must be able to dry unhindered.
According to DIN 1052-1, the following values apply:
Structures closed on all sides with heating
Structures closed on all sides without heating
Structures covered, open
Structures exposed to the weather on all sides
6% - 12%.
9% - 15%.
12% - 18%
12% - 24%.