Damp problems with fitted wardrobe

[Bear]

Any advice on how to sort this? I have a built in wardrobe on an external wall - the clothes in which naturally hang only a few inches from said external wall. Despite having two large external air vents in the wall on one side of the wardrobe, I'm suffering from damp problems (mould on the wall, and damp wet feeling transferring from the wall to the clothes). Obvious answer is to rebuild the wardrobe on an internal wall which is possible but requires significant work. The house is kept at a relative 14=B0C minimum when we're out and nearer

18=B0C when in. And windows are opened daily to reduce any moisture in the atmosphere. Help please....! I've tried lightening the load in the wardrobe but this has made some, although little difference. The problem still exists.

[Peter Parry]

Line the wardrobe with polystyrene ceiling tiles. Put ventilation in the doors so the wardrobes are at room temperature. If the external vents you mention vent into the wardrobe that will be a major factor in causing the damp and they should be blocked. If needed for other reasons (such as open gas fires) reinstate them somewhere else.

[John Rumm]

It sounds like you have a condensation problem caused by lack of insulation and airflow. Warm wet air is getting into the wardrobe from the house and condensing on the cold wall. The lack of airflow and heat is preventing this from being evaporated away in the normal way.

If the vents are external (i.e. outside) then these do not want to vent into the wardrobe space.

A layer of insulation in the wardrobe, stuck to the the outside wall will prevent the moisture condensing on the cold surface.

[John]

In article , Peter Parry writes

I used the foil lined polystyrene sheets designed to go behind radiators

- that seems to have worked well.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Bear laid this down on his screen :

Which is the cause of your problem.

Warm air in the house is getting into the cold wardrobe and condensing. The wardrobe needs the vents diverted to either vent directly into the room, or blocked off, but either way the wardrobe need more ventilation from the warmth of the room to bring it to the same temperature.

Another way would be to add some form of heating in there - maybe a loop of pipe from the heating system passing through it would be enough.

[Bear]

Many thanks for the responses. Yes the vents do conduct cold air directly from outside into the wardrobe space. I've been told that I need these left open for air flow - although am I right in thinking that the air flow must be warm, not cold? Why would someone have been so stupid as to vent cold air directly into the wardrobe?

The wardrobe is a built-in type with sliding doors. Would I be best to fit polystyrene ceiling tiles to the insides of the doors or the wall?

Thanks

[Peter Parry]

You need airflow at room temperature, otherwise warm air (which can hold more moisture than cold air) enters through gaps in the doors or when you open the doors and the moisture in the warm air condenses onto the cold clothes and wall.

They were probably already there when the wardrobe was built and whoever was building it didn't close them off. Did the room originally have a fireplace or gas fire in it?

The wall. The wall will be the coldest part even after blocking the air vents so to minimise condensation you need to insulate it so the surface temperature of the wardrobe side of the insulation layer is at room temperature. You don't want any insulation on the doors as you want heat from the room to get in.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Bear wrote on 23/02/2010 :

It the days when houses lacked central heating and had open fires, yes they were needed. Now with central heating and proper controlled ventilation, cooker hoods etc. they are not needed so much. We had four in one wall (four rooms) and a fifth in another wall. All were blocked up about 25 years ago during a major refurb.

Who would be so stupid as to build a wardrobe over the vents?

[NT]

just insulate the external wall. No point insualting anything else

NT

[Chris J Dixon]

Might it be a good idea, if practical, to provide some ventilation between the wardrobe and the room?

Chris

[JTM]

When I saw this thread I immediately thought of 'young man had too much to drink, gets up in middle of night to relieve himself ...

:-) John

[Dave]

OK, hands up. How many have not done that?

Dave

[Tim Watts]

Dave wibbled on Wednesday 24 February 2010 17:24

I have always had basic awareness, even when absolutely blatted. Though I did know someone who claimed he did the above to his brother's wardrobe.

If you can walk (even barely) I've always wondered how you could confuse shiny porcelain with a pile of socks!

[<me9]

A co-habitee of digs I was in had the only en suite in the house. His partner was very displeased when he missed the bog door and ended up in (her) wardrobe after a night out.

When my oldest son could barely walk (about 18 months I think), he got up in the night when my DIY had disturbed him, snd mistook the washbasin for the bog. At the time I was working on the plumbing for the kitchen sink (immediately below the basin) moving it into the extension, and with the ceiling not yet in place, the torrent from above only just missed my right ear.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like:

Just as well he didn't take a dump.

[John Rumm]

I found the danger comes after you get back from the bathroom - knelt on the bed and put my hand out to steady myself against the wall. Problem was I was using light from the wrong window to get my bearings, so the wall was not there!