A revolutionary solution to fix damp problems in buildings was unveiled at The Big 5 Show held in Dubai in September.

Manufactured by the French company BFL International, the device, called an IPE, is described as a breakthrough solution that deals with problems of humidity resulting from rising damp by capillarity (via the foundations or buried walls) at source, without the need for any building work.

“The IPE – which stands for Electromagnetic Polarity Inverter - is a solution that is both curative and preventive,” says a spokesman for the company.  “The system is based on the polarity of water molecules (positive/negative), a very simple electro-physical principle.”

Elaborating on the principle on which it functions, he says for water to rise in the walls, its molecules must be orientated with their negative pole pointing upward.

“To counter the phenomenon, the IPE reverses the polarity of the water by sending very low frequency electromagnetic waves into the wall, thus preventing water molecules from collecting and rising by capillarity, and causing them to move back downward into the ground.

“Unlike standard resin injection treatment in walls, IPE is non-invasive and very economical. It addresses humidity problems at source, without the need for any building work, and is noiseless and dust free. It is a lightweight, discreet and ergonomic solution that acts effectively as soon as the first signs appear and is not harmful to health (ICNIRP certified),” he adds.

The IPE simply attaches to a load-bearing wall and must be plugged in permanently. Its power consumption is very low (0.75W per year). One device is enough to treat the whole building.

BFL International offers a choice of six models depending on the surface area to be treated.