Electric electroosmosis - drainage on a scientific basis

Electro Drain solves problems with damp by combining established findings in chemistry and physics (electroosmosis) with modern, IT-based control technology.  With the help of electrical pulses, the transportation of water in the capillaries is counteracted, in concrete, stone or brick. Electrodes are mounted in the masonry and form a positive pole (anode). Earth spikes are mounted in the surrounding ground and form a negative pole (cathode). 

The wet wall contains both water and salt molecules, which makes the water conductive for electric current. By sending pulses of direct current through the porous material, the water molecules bind positive ions. Since positive ions are attracted to a negative pole (cathode) which is placed outside the building, you get a drying out around the positive pole (anode) in the wall. Just as with electromagnetism, plus to minus pulls. 

A scientific phenomenon

This phenomenon was discovered in the early 19th century by the German scientist Ferdinand Friedrich von Reuss. In experiments, he showed how water could be made to flow through the cavities of a porous material (such as clay or concrete) by applying an electric field. The smaller the cavities, the greater the flow. 

Initially, electrical electroosmosis was used mainly in chemical separations and it took until the middle of the 20th century before it began to be used for drying structures. Since the early 1980s, however, it has been a common technique for draining road banks, bridge foundations and sensitive buildings where traditional drainage for various reasons is not appropriate. The most famous example being the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In the early 1990s, the system began to be adapted to smaller constructions, which has resulted in today's efficient technology.