Question:

You have been given assignment by your hostel

warden to enquire why floor is leaking during rains.
“You need to give a detailed report.”
Ans:
Leaks are the common cause of damp within a property leading to issues
like penetrating damp and wet rot. The amount of rainfall we receive in
monsoon season, it is of no surprise to notice some damp issues on
occasion. A high portion of damp issues in a building are caused by
condensation, rain penetration, rising damp and leakage.

As I stay in Islamic university hostel, so I am enquiring why floor is

leaking during rains. To find out real cause, I made an investigation and
found localized damp patches, so I checked the following:

1. Examine downpipes and gutters within the affected area.

2. Look for damage, cracks, faulty joints or seals.
3. Ensure that your drains and downpipes are not blocked. Rain
water can very easily be backed up forcing itself out of a pipe
joint within the affected area.
4. If the damp is below a flat roof, or a roof channel, check that the
felt is sound.
 5. If the damp is below a window, check the window frame and
window sill. Badly fitted windows can also let damp penetrate
into a room
6. If the damp is localized around a chimney breast, check the
flashing and tiles
As a result of this investigation, I found out that main cause of damp
within hostel premises is condensation.

Condensation occurs when large quantity of water vapour from general

everyday living becomes trapped within a property. When the warm
moist damp air comes into contact with cooler air, or a surface which is
at a lower temperature, the result is condensation; this can prove ideal
for the germination of the commonly associated black mold.

The key to solving condensation is ventilation. By simply improving

the air ventilation within a property, we can generally have an impact
on the amount of condensation and mould issues that we are having
within hostel premises.