On arrival at the property in Aldershot, we could see that the floor was lifting off the concrete surface under the sofa in the lounge. The only potential plumbing under the floor is the incoming water mains supply which runs to the kitchen at the back of the property.
Firstly, we performed a thermal imaging test, and we found no abnormalities detected within the area of the lifting floorboards. After the thermal imaging test, we then performed a moisture damp test, a larger area of the lounge detected for high levels of moisture on the floorboards, at a reading of 999.
We performed a pressure test on the incoming water supply. The pressure test was done over 1 hour at 5 bar and there was no pressure loss recorded, indicating that the incoming water supply was tight and had no leak. We also inserted tracer gas into the mains and there was no detection of gas being released.
Conclusion:
The flooring which was damaged was removed to create a pilot hole into the concrete to view what’s happening below. We can see soil directly under the concrete with no damp membrane, due to there being no damp membrane this is creating dampness to rise from the soil into the concrete and the to the floorboards.
We left the pilot hole exposed and advised the customer to get a damp specialist to inspect the affected area. The sofa fits over the exposed area, making it safe to leave open.
Water specialists and are fully qualified and accredited by WIAPS and TAPS 5. This basically means we can sign off your new water supply without inspection by the water board for most water companies especially Thames Water (TAPS 5), South east water and Affinity Water (WIAPS).