In-situ measurements of wall moisture in a historic building in response to the installation of an impermeable floor
In-situ measurements of wall moisture in a historic building in response to the installation of an impermeable floor
When impermeable ground bearing slabs are installed in old buildings without a damp-proof course, it is a common belief of conservation practitioners that ground moisture will be ‘driven’ up adjacent walls by capillary action. However, there is limited evidence to test this hypothesis. An experiment was used to determine if the installation of a vapour-proof barrier above a flagstone floor in a historic building would increase moisture content levels in an adjacent stone rubble wall. This was achieved by undertaking measurements of wall, soil and atmospheric moisture content over a 3-year period. Measurements taken using timber dowels showed that the moisture content within the wall did not vary in response to wall evaporation rates and did not increase following the installation of a vapour-proof barrier above the floor. This indicates that the moisture levels in the rubble wall were not influenced by changes in the vapour-permeability of the floor.
Briggs, Kevin
8974f7ce-2757-4481-9dbc-07510b416de4
Ball, Richard
011fd812-8d30-4a10-9b86-744add3d06d4
McCaig, Iain
17ba1013-0ce5-4b5c-9779-ce77931984d5
8 November 2022
Briggs, Kevin
8974f7ce-2757-4481-9dbc-07510b416de4
Ball, Richard
011fd812-8d30-4a10-9b86-744add3d06d4
McCaig, Iain
17ba1013-0ce5-4b5c-9779-ce77931984d5
Briggs, Kevin, Ball, Richard and McCaig, Iain
(2022)
In-situ measurements of wall moisture in a historic building in response to the installation of an impermeable floor.
UCL Open Environment, 4, [22].
(doi:10.14324/111.444/ucloe.000046).
Abstract
When impermeable ground bearing slabs are installed in old buildings without a damp-proof course, it is a common belief of conservation practitioners that ground moisture will be ‘driven’ up adjacent walls by capillary action. However, there is limited evidence to test this hypothesis. An experiment was used to determine if the installation of a vapour-proof barrier above a flagstone floor in a historic building would increase moisture content levels in an adjacent stone rubble wall. This was achieved by undertaking measurements of wall, soil and atmospheric moisture content over a 3-year period. Measurements taken using timber dowels showed that the moisture content within the wall did not vary in response to wall evaporation rates and did not increase following the installation of a vapour-proof barrier above the floor. This indicates that the moisture levels in the rubble wall were not influenced by changes in the vapour-permeability of the floor.
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ucloe-1078-briggs
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Accepted/In Press date: 20 August 2022
Published date: 8 November 2022
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Local EPrints ID: 492193
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/492193
ISSN: 2632-0886
PURE UUID: 5a425a4c-689a-426f-9e48-14e2352ab169
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Date deposited: 19 Jul 2024 16:52
Last modified: 20 Jul 2024 01:43
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Author:
Kevin Briggs
Author:
Richard Ball
Author:
Iain McCaig
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