Solutions to damp

[sweetheart]

I know I have asked about this before and had loads of advice - much of which has been followed. But its that time of year again ( was the summer much better - not?)

My damp problems are flaring up. With them my chest infections. Most is condensation. The house is insulated to the rafters, double glazed and I know not what. I was reading the Scottish government site where there was advice to householders on damp and how to cure it. Now I don't live in Scotland but the weather here is similar Basically they say a) don't cook b) dont wash c) don't have a bath d) open the windows e) turn up the heat. f) don't use modern paints, wallpapers or any other similar covering as it traps the water and paint the walls with fungicidal paints to get rid of mould. g) Get rid of furniture and don't have a lot in the house because it stops air circulation.

and you will cut the condensation and mould.

Not exactly eco friendly is it? Or is it me?

Screw fix also seem to be offering the same advice/ So basically, is that it? Thats what you have to do? Be dirty, unhygienic, smelly and have an un decorated house with little or no furniture in it beyond a bed and a wardrobe ( are you allowed a telly?) - and eat sandwiches or go down a cafe?

[Chris Hogg]

Get a dehumidifier! They do actually work really well. We have two, both ancient and rackety. One is a bit past it, but the other will extract about 4 litres in an 8 hour day. And the little bit of electricity they use contributes to the warmth of the house.

[NT]

I'm sure on every subject you can find fool's advice online.

NT

[sweetheart]

Got one but OH wont let me use it as he says it costs money to run. So I am only allowed it when the damp gets really bad.

[dennis]

Buy a taser and taser him when he disagrees with what this group tells you to do.

[polygonum]

Get a weather station. One of those fairly cheap devices which lets you have one sensor outside. And make sure it can read indoor and outdoor humidity. Even a cheap one should be accurate enough.

Then make sure you keep an eye on it and open up lots of windows when it is less humid outdoors - especially when it is not too cool out there. Being able to see when that is can help to make the right decisions.

[sweetheart]

I have thought about that. I often wish he would be ill and stuck in bed ( God forbid) instead of him just constantly saying it ( he has high blood pressure. According to him though he dying of heart disease) and I would be able to do as I liked. I would order new patio doors and get them fitted before he had chance to get better. (Not really. I wouldn't wish anyone ill)

[Chris Hogg]

IME it's always more humid outdoors, especially at this time of year.

[Chris Hogg]

Tell him that with a drier atmosphere in the house, the CH needn't be turned up so high, and that the money saved will pay for running the dehumidifier.

[sweetheart]

That might work. Thanks

[MuddyMike]

I second that, and add that they are great for drying clothes. Do you currently leave clothes to dry in the house? that adds a lot of moisture to the air.

Mike

[MuddyMike]

They are a lot cheaper to run than the tumble drier.

Mike

[Rob]

They cost about 4p/hour to run.

Rob

[polygonum]

But maybe not the case in Sweetheart's house? :-)

[The Natural Philosopher]

No: this is the time of year with no heating on and humid weter outside, that its most humid inside as well.

Once the outside temp drops and heating comes on internal humidity drops as well.

The mouldiest place I have ever slept in was in PieterMaritzburg in full sub tropical summer.

[<me9]

Humididty isusually higher outdoors, but the dew point is lower, a more relavent indicator of moisture total in the air.

I'm currently trying to dry out kitchen after a ;ong term flood from dishwasher. It's not exactly suitable drying weather at the moment, Kitchen

77% humidity with good ventilation. I normally reckon on 50-60% The high humidity is mainly due to moisture in the air from outdoors.

I suppose it'll take till spring to re-season the floorboards. Is that a reasonable estimate as SWMBO wants it done yesterday!

[<me9]

Heat recovery ventilation is worth a look. Take care when viewing the cost of installing, but it will save on not needing to heat ventilation air.

If I win the pools I'll get it fitted.

[Chris Bartram]

Considered a new OH? ;-)

Otherwise, work out how much the dehumidifer costs to run. I won't be that much, and definitely better than poor health. As others have said, you can either reduce the moisture created, or increase temperature and/or ventilation in the house, or use the dehumidifier.

[Phil L]

You need 3 things to eradicate damp; heat, insulation and ventilation, if you have all three then your house can't be damp, unless it's raining in somewhere, penetrating from outside or you have a leak

[sweetheart]

I would say both heat and ventilation are thin on the ground in my home. There are few vents - not we do not have trickle vents on the windows. They are double glazed so I don't know why.

I don't open doors or windows unless I have to because its cold.

OH will not allow heating ( he says it costs too much and it isn't winter yet).

I don't exactly do very much more than breathe in and out but still we have condensation.