What sits under Rustington
The ground matters when you are tracking down damp. Arun District Council's Strategic Flood Risk Assessment, quoted in the 2013 State of the Parish report, describes the land at Rustington as generally higher and moderately sloping, with an area of lower ground towards the coast, and says the area lies on chalk overlain by sand. The village rises no more than about 7 metres above Ordnance Datum. The Rustington Neighbourhood Plan adds that surface water flooding has been a threat at various times following heavy rainfall, which is why its drainage policy asks new development to use permeable driveways, water storage and soakaways.
For a homeowner, that points to a few things to check. A front garden paved right up to the house, a path or patio built higher than the damp proof course, or a downpipe emptying against the wall can all put water where the base of the wall cannot cope with it. Blocked gullies and gutters that overflow in a downpour are worth checking at the same time.
Old cottages, modern repairs
The oldest houses in the parish, the 17th and 18th century flint and cobble cottages around The Street and Station Road, were built with solid walls and no modern damp proof course. They manage moisture by letting it evaporate. Problems often start when that is blocked, for example by cement render outside, gypsum or cement plaster inside, or impermeable paint. Before anyone injects a chemical damp course into a wall like that, it is worth checking whether a breathable finish and better drainage around the base would solve it. If the cottage is listed, Arun District Council should be consulted before work that changes its fabric.
Condensation in flats and bungalows
In much of the village the culprit is not water coming in at all. Flats make up around a quarter of Rustington's homes, and in flats and bungalows alike, black mould on window reveals, ceilings and the corners of outside walls is usually condensation: moisture from cooking, washing and drying clothes settling on the coldest surfaces. The fix is ventilation, such as extractor fans and trickle vents, along with warmer wall surfaces. Keeping a little background heat on through cold spells, and not drying washing on radiators, helps more than most people expect. We remove mould, improve ventilation and can line cold walls with insulated plasterboard.
How we deal with it
- Find the source first, checking outside walls, ground levels, gutters and render before blaming rising damp.
- Treat the cause: a damp course injection where a barrier has failed, repairs to cracked render or leaking gutters, or tanking with a waterproof render or cavity drain membrane on walls below ground.
- Remove salt-contaminated plaster so it cannot keep drawing moisture back.
- Put the wall back with a suitable plaster or render once the cause is fixed.
Where walls need taking back to the masonry, they are rebuilt with a backing coat as described on our float and set page for Rustington, and failing outside walls are covered by rendering in Rustington. See our main damp proofing and mould prevention service for more, or the Rustington page for everything we cover. Call 07824 165672 for free, no-obligation advice.
