Damp Specialists in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire

Weather Wise Solutions Limited is a damp, mould and condensation specialist in Cheshire, and we survey homes in Ellesmere Port and the neighbourhoods around it. The survey is free. Our surveyors tell you what is causing the problem in plain English before anything is recommended. Our staff have over 40 years' combined experience, and we hold more than 1,400 Google reviews across the areas we cover.

What Do Ellesmere Port Homes Have In Common?

Ellesmere Port grew up around the canals and the Mersey estuary, and the housing shows it. Close to the centre and the old docks you find Victorian and Edwardian terraces. Further out are the interwar and post-war estates, with a lot of semi-detached houses and some blocks of flats, and newer developments fill the gaps between them. The ground is low and flat, and the weather comes off the water.

That mix points to different problems in different streets. Older terraces have solid brick walls that soak up rain on the exposed side and dry slowly, and many have a damp proof course that has failed or been bridged by a raised path or yard. Post-war houses often have cavity walls, where a blocked cavity, a cracked render or a poorly sealed window can let water in. Newer and recently insulated homes are warmer and tighter, so the usual trouble there is condensation and mould rather than water coming through the wall.

What Damp Problems Do We See In Homes Like These?

Rising damp

Ground moisture climbing a wall leaves a tide mark low down, with salts and flaking paint above it. It is rarer than people expect, so we confirm it with readings before suggesting treatment. Where it is the cause, a damp proof course can be installed, and every one we install comes with a 20-year insurance-backed guarantee. Our rising damp page lists the signs.

Penetrating damp

Rain gets through worn pointing, cracked render, a blocked gutter, a leaking downpipe or a failed lintel. On a wet, windy stretch of coast and estuary, exposed gable walls take the worst of it. The patch tends to look worse after rain and can sit some way from the fault itself. Read more on our penetrating damp page.

Condensation and mould

Most of the black mould we are asked about is condensation. Warm, damp air from cooking, showers, drying washing and sleeping settles on cold walls, window reveals and the corners behind wardrobes. We look at how the home is heated and ventilated, then explain what will help. Our condensation page covers the options.

If the mould keeps coming back to the same corner, the room is not clearing its moisture, and cleaning alone will not hold it. We would rather work out why than sell you a treatment you may not need.

Timber decay

Wet rot and dry rot start where timber stays damp: floor joists, skirting boards, window sills and door frames. We find out why the wood got wet, then assess the timber. See our wood rot and woodworm page.

Cellars and below-ground walls

Where a wall sits below ground level, tanking may be the answer. We are a fully approved Remmers installer, and our tanking is covered by a Remmers manufacturer guarantee.

What Happens At A Survey?

A surveyor comes to the house and asks what you have noticed and when it started. They check the affected room and the outside of the building, take moisture readings and look at gutters, pointing, ground levels and ventilation. Then they tell you what they found and what to do first. Sometimes that is a job for a builder or a roofer, and we say so. Our diagnosing damp page explains how we tell one cause from another.

Our surveying team includes professionals holding the Certified Surveyor of Timber & Dampness in Buildings (CSTDB) qualification alongside the Level 3 Award in Damp, Mould and Condensation in Buildings (L3 Award DMCB) and the City & Guilds-recognised Federation of Damp Certified Surveyor (FODCS) qualification. You can meet them on our qualified surveyors page. We are members of the Damp Proofing Association, the Federation of Damp and Trust a Trader, and we're CHAS accredited and Google Guaranteed.

Which Nearby Areas Do We Cover?

Ellesmere Port is one of many places we visit across Cheshire and the Wirral. If you live nearby, these pages may help:

• Chester
• Neston
• Bromborough
• Eastham
• Runcorn
• Heswall

Questions People In Ellesmere Port Ask

Is the survey really free?

Yes. Our surveys are free and there is no obligation to book any work afterwards.

Is the mould on my wall damp or condensation?

Look at the pattern and the timing. Mould from condensation is worst in cold weather, on cold surfaces and in rooms with little airflow. Damp from outside usually stays on one wall and follows the rain. A meter reading and a look at the outside of the wall settle it.

Can I just paint over a damp patch?

It will hide the stain for a while, but the moisture is still there and the patch usually comes back through the paint. Find the cause first.

Does living near the canal or the estuary make damp more likely?

It can, where the ground stays wet against the walls, ground levels are high or a wall takes a lot of driving rain. It is one of the things a surveyor checks outside, along with drains, gutters and pointing.

Do you guarantee your damp proofing?

Every damp proof course we install comes with a 20-year insurance-backed guarantee. Tanking is covered by a Remmers manufacturer guarantee.

Book Your Free Survey In Ellesmere Port

If you have noticed a stain, a musty smell, peeling paint or black mould in your Ellesmere Port home, call us on 01782 901101 or use our contact page to book a free survey with Weather Wise Solutions Limited.