DIY and Shop

Do it Yourself for approximately $28 per metre! Just drill a 12mm hole and insert the rod!

Do it yourself with DRYROD the revolutionary new treatment for eradicating Rising (Salt) Damp. No liquids, no bottles, no mess, no smell. DRYROD damp-proofing rods are patented 12mm diameter grooved rods that carry a powerful water repellent material. They are simply inserted into 12mm holes in the mortar lines of a building. Once they are inserted, the rods will start to dry out the wall, the carrier rods will slowly diffuse water repellent deep into the damp masonry, curing to form a powerful barrier to further damp ingress. Tests have shown that DRYROD has much better diffusion characteristics than any conventional damp-proofing product.

Installing DRYROD is extremely quick and easy. The step-by-step guide on this page outlines how to use DRYROD to damp-proof a standard brick wall. The same principles apply with thicker stone walls with random mortar courses simply by drilling in the lowest possible mortar course above ground level.

Equipment

Required: Hammer Drill, 12mm Masonry Drill Bit, Tape Measure, Disposable Rubber Gloves

Other useful tools: Garden Secateurs

Preparation

Mark your drill bit to finish 10mm from the width of the wall you wish to treat. A good quality 12mm Masonry Drill Bit is recommended for enhanced debris removal. Set your drill to rotary hammer mode and attach the suitably marked drill bit.

Identify the lowest horizontal mortar course that is accessible and continuous. Drill holes to the full recommended depth, at regular 120mm spacing along the wall. As the drill bit approaches the final 40mm of the intended hole depth, make sure to reduce the pressure you are putting on the drill. Excessive drilling pressure on the rotary hammer setting can result in damage to the far side of the wall.

Where the mortar is fully saturated, it may have begun to degrade, meaning that drilling dust can clump together and not clear the hole properly.

If this debris obstructs the insertion of the damp-proofing rods, re-drill the holes twice to remove any excess material.

Recommended Drilling Patterns

Stretcher Bond

In stretcher bond construction the mortar joints fall at approximately 12cm intervals and can be used to quickly locate your drilling points.

Flemish Bond

In flemish bond construction the vertical mortar joints either side of the smaller bricks and the mid point of the larger bricks lie at approximately 12cm intervals and can be used to locate your drilling points.

Irregular Stone

In irregular stone construction drilling points must be measured and care must be taken to make sure the line of the rods follow an unbroken line through the mortar at 12 cm intervals.

Damp-Proofing Rod Insertion – Wearing suitable gloves, remove the rods one by one from the packet and fully insert them into each hole. Ensure the rods are recessed approximately 5mm from the brick face, taking care not to compress the rod.

When installing internally, the performance of the rod will not be affected if the rods protrude slightly from the mortar, as a result of it being eroded at the surface. As long as the rod is inserted to the correct depth at the far side of the wall, full treatment will be accomplished and any protruding rods will be covered during redecoration.

Cutting & Combining for Walls Thicker or Thinner than 220mm

A standard DRYROD® Damp-Proofing Rod is 180mm in length, and will treat a double brick wall. See tables below for other wall thicknesses.

If the wall is thinner than 220mm then cut the rods down until they are 10mm shorter than the length of the hole

If the wall is thicker than 220mm, cut a second rod down till its length is 10mm less than the excess left after inserting one whole rod.

NB: For walls over 300mm please call 0498 044 467 for advice.

What is your investment?

One Packet of 10 rods costs $70 including GST. One packet will treat 2.5 meters of single brick which equates to less than $28 per metre, a saving of over $60 per metre compared to $90 per metre on average for professional application and a saving of over $10 per metre approximately compared to other DIY systems. Huge savings with little effort on your part. They are easy, clean and accurate to apply with no wastage. The only skill required is to be able to drill holes into a mortar course.

Buy now and Save!

As the latest development in the treatment of rising damp, there are numerous advantages to using DRYROD® Damp-Proofing Rods. They are:

  • The most effective form of rising damp treatment available

Studies performed by our laboratory at Safeguard Europe Ltd show that walls treated with DRYROD® Damp-Proofing Rods absorb 4 times less water than the next best treatment method. Independent testing by the British Board of Agrément (BBA) confirmed our findings.

  • Extremely quick and simple to install

Simply drill holes into a continuous mortar course, at the recommended depth and spacing, and then insert the damp-proofing rods into the holes. No fuss, no mess, no stress.

  • Permanent eradication of rising damp

The active water-repellent ingredient contained within the rods spreads through, and bonds with, the mortar in a wall, providing a permanent solution to rising damp.

  • No specialist equipment required

There are no pumps or proprietary mastic guns required to install DRYROD® Damp-Proofing Rods. Any normal hammer drill will be appropriate to drill the holes.

  • No mess to clean up

As the active ingredient is contained within the damp-proofing rods, there is no chance of spillage. All rods come sealed in foil packs of 10, for clean storage.

  • Delivers the correct dose every time

The patented DRYROD® delivery system ensures that each rod is dosed with the exact amount of water repellent material required to treat the appropriate thickness of wall.

  • Proven to work on highly-saturated walls (even up to 95% saturation)

Tests show that DRYROD® Damp-Proofing Rods can even stop rising damp in walls with 95% water saturation. Cheaper damp-proofing creams fail to stop rising damp in these circumstances.

  • Low-hazard

DRYROD®Damp-Proofing Rods are solvent free and non-caustic.