Hi,
My flat suffers from a very minor case of damp. I get severe condensation on all windows (double glazed) and there's a slight claminess to the walls and bedding. Also, powdered products (ie: salt, sugar etc) in the kitchen cupboards go hard after a while. I've noticed the problem seems worse at this time of year. anything shut in storage cupboards can suffer from mould. Would a dehumidifier help or is there another way, such as silica gel in the cupboards?
Thanks,
Marky P.
Condensation occurs when the relative hunidity becomes too high for the air to sustain. Water will preciptatefirst onto surfaces that are cold . Although you've stated that the windows are double-glazed , and other symptoms, you haven't mentioned what the air temperatures is nor what sources of moisture are in the flat. So you dry washing on a line/maiden within the flat? Are vapour producing cooking methods being used; kettles boijing on hobs; baths being filled .... ?
Only with more information can one make a suggestion. Condensation on double glazing (inner pane) could be an indication that the room temperature is too low.
Ventilation and more ventilation!
Seriously that is the only way. Possibly a dehumidifier might help but it will only help and not cure problem. Forget silica gel - it would soon become saturated and then be useless.
Steve
Sounds more like a bad case of zero ventilation.
Its VERY hard to get condensation on the inside of a DG unit unless you have very high internal humidity levels.
Maybe you are simply using a gas cooker with the place sealed shut?
Although I have no thermometer, the temperature is comfotable (around
70 degrees F). The windows have IMO been badly fitted. In windy weather, there is a noticeable draft coming through the rubber seals, so ventilation isn't a problem :-). I don't own the flat though, it is housing association. I do dry clothes in the bathroom, but the door is kept closed when possible & I keep a window open.Marky P.
As I mentioned above, I don't think ventilation is the problem, as there is a slight draft coming through the rubber seals of the windows. The worst case of condensation is on the bedroom windows in the morning, even if a window is left open overnight.
Marky P.
No gas, electric supply only. I've often wondered whether I should mention it to the housing authority, but sometimes it's not noticeable at all.
Marky P.
Well, you can regnerate it by heating - but that would release the absorbed water into the air ...
Mary
You could hang it out on the line! :)
You need to get the windows open and exchange the air inside the house. Don't do it if you're going out though as most burglaries are done through windows and doors left open.
If the effected areas are all on outside walls, it may be due to poor thermal insulation. This could be made worse by poor (uneven) heating. What type of heating do you have?
If you have separate trickle vents in the window frames, make sure they're open.
Marky P expressed precisely :
Damp (high humidity) is caused either by cold walls (poor insulation), poor ventilation, or a combination of the two.
Silica gel only works for a while, then the moisture has to be driven out of it by heat (oven). A dehumidifier just needs to be emptied or the output taken to a drain. They do work very well to keep humidity levels down, but only in an enclosed space.
Some forced ventilation (extract fan) might help, perhaps controlled by a humidistat. We have one such in the bathroom and use a cooker hood.
It can also be caused by water ingress or pinprick holes/leaks in buried pipes. But in this case I suspect poor ventilation.
Condensation on inside of dg at 70F means youve got very high RH. You need to find the source of that water.
Ventilation reduces RH but is expensive compared to a dehumidifier, which doesnt throw your heat outside.
NT
Difficult to be certain, but the condensation overnight could be as a result of you breathing! Or, if the window is say north facing and has the greatest exposure in the building, moisture generated elsewhere could be the source.
At present, the building could be "saturated" with moisture. If it is as a result of your lifestyle - cooking/ washing, etc., then using a humidifier for a while should result in an improvement in a few weeks with the amount of water condensed reducing over time - if not, then there is a serious source of moisture in the building.
We used to suffer from condensation on north facing windows in our house - particularly upstairs. House 4 bed detached double glazed with cavity insulation with 4 inhabitants. Initially, I put a dehumidifier on our landing which dramatically reduced the problem but not completely resolved. I wondered if the kitchen was the principal source - not just from cooking and despite using a (outside) vented clothes dryer, some clothes were frequently ( and still are) left on a "towel rail" on the kitchen radiator. I moved the dehumidifier into the kitchen and within days - bingo! Plus, it removed the dehumidifier noise from the upstairs.
HTH
I should imagine the problem stems from the walls being plastered in hard render. As a result they can not breathe and take up variations in the mosture in the air. I remember this was a recurrent problem 30 years ago when builders would render everything that moved. Only solution is to rip off all the render and replace with a lighterweight plaster.
Maris
It's on all walls (just a slight claminess) and all heating is storage heaters.
Marky P.
Hmmm, that could be possible. Thing is it's only a slight problem, not noticeable in everyday living. Just occasionally, I dig something out from a corner of a room or cupboard, and it's covered in mould.
Marky P.
It could possibly be down to that.
Are you out all day with windows closed?
If you are I imagine that the warm air in the morning has taken up water vapour that will condense on the cold walls and other places as the storage heaters lose their heat during the day.
If that is the case, you will need to provide extra ventilation and, possibly some background heating during the day.
Steve
That more or less nails it then. We used to have mould low down in the corners of an extension that had been rendered internally. It had 3 external walls and, which included 2 external corners. These would have had the lowest temperatures in the room. We got rid of the problem by selling up and moviing on!!
Maris
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