Continued,

 

Mould and Health Problems

Condensation and moisture are primary cause for mould which can be harmful if the spores are breathed into the lungs. Mould can be treated but does tend to reappear if not treated correctly. The key to mould control is moisture removal.

 For further information please visit our mould page

 

Electrical Problems

Another problem that we have come across is water soaking in through the walls of the house (penetrating damp) and collecting within the electrical system. This will cause the metal back boxes to rust and become unsafe. The electrical outlets become damp and begin to conduct between terminals and cables, causing short circuits. This will lead to nuisance tripping of the earth leakage trip. In properties with aged, poor fusing or faulty circuit breakers this could cause electrical fires.

With the winter heavy rains people have experienced problems with water pouring down conduits which come from the roof and into electrical equipment, again causing problems.

The obvious answer is to seal these pipes with the correct cable entries and waterproof glands.

 On a recent job that I visited water had soaked through the roof garden floor tiles and found its way into the electrical systems conduit. The water then found its way into a 3 phase distribution board and shorted across all the phases. This resulted in the bus bar having to be renewed and caused a small fire in the distribution board.