In-situ measurements of wall moisture in a historic building in response to the installation of an impermeable floor

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).

Record type: Article

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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Accepted/In Press date: 20 August 2022

Published date: 8 November 2022

Additional Information: This paper was originally drafted under the title 'The influence of ground slab permeability on wall moisture in a historic building' which was changed before final publication.