ASSESSMENT OF DAMPNESS IN WALLS OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS IN FOUR CLIMATIC ZONES IN GHANA

Abstract

This study sought to identify the most dominant type of dampness associated with walls of residential buildings in Ghana through a questionnaire survey of 5,800 residential buildings in the Dry Equatorial, South Western Equatorial, Tropical Continental and the Wet Semi Equatorial climatic zones. A mixed method of data analysis was used in which the symptoms associated with dampness were analyzed using severity indices and the most dominant types of dampness were analyzed using percentages. Majority of the houses surveyed were of lateritic materials and sandcrete block walls. The results showed that the most dominant symptoms in the walls of the residential buildings surveyed were hygroscopic salts decayed skirting, dampness below 1.5m and mold growth on walls up to 1m high. These symptoms point to the presence of rising dampness in the walls of these residential buildings. The results provide a platform for addressing the problem of rising dampness in buildings.