Oue house is damp.

[Clot]

Having read the replies to date and your additional comments, I think you would find that the addition of a dehumidifier would be of benefit.

We live in a 1980s detached house that has cavity wall insulation and is double glazed. When we moved in (new), we had condensation in the bathroom and on windows in N and E facing walls and some condensation on the N & E facing exterior walls upstairs. I bought a dehumidifier and used this on the landing to good effect for a couple of years. I then realised that it was not our use of the bathroom and us sleeping that was the principal source of moisture.

I moved the dehumidifier to the kitchen with improved results and less use of electricity. We now have no problems with condensation.

[Dave Liquorice]

No the condensation, a symptom of the air being to wet for the temperature is reduced. But the initial problem of the air being to wet in the first place is not tackled at all.

[whiskeyomega]

Having said everything I have I have looked at all my walls and realised its all dry and there is no condensation there today. Even the windows are clear.

It rained over night but its not raining now ( except for the odd sharp shower) But the bedroom walls which were sopping the other day are dry today. The corner in the spare room is covered in mould but its dry today too.

Its dried out very quickly considering. No rain and it stops being wet. I think the outside temperature might be higher today though. Problems seem to occur when its cold out and the heating is on low.

Putting the 3KW heater on in the living room has coincided with this drying out - but it couldn't be the cause could it? I did it without his permission. It will have to go off when he realises what I have done. But I was so cold last week.

[Dave Liquorice]

On top of the =A31600/year oil bill we also pay that for 'lectric, energy costs here are about =A32500/year.

=A31000/year for all energy costs is on the low side:

bed bungalow - =A3850

bed bungalow - =A3746

or =A31600 total energy bill... Of course if you don't have the money to afford to spend more on energy there is a problem.

You obviously don't need to to heat the little used rooms to full comfort temperature. Turn the heaters down as low as they will go in those rooms and that may well be enough to stop the condensation. No heat all is asking for trouble, as you have found out.

The winter will soon take care of that...

If you want to go that route it would be better to install a small stove rather than an open fire. Can you get trailer loads logs for a reasonable price where you are? Burning wood is greener than coal.

Personally I think your "eco warrior OH" is going a bit OTT and needs to pull his finger out over building maintenance, comfort levels and your (both of yours) health.

[gazz]

you've mentioned the guttering is leaking like a seive, theres your problem, it's pouring the rain water down the external walls of the house, soaking them and that's being wicked inside, causing the damp.

your OH says the gutters are fine and would cost too much to replace, but how much value is being knocked off the house by them leaking, not to mention your health that's suffering due to his penny pinching.

i personaly dont go in for any of this ecobollox, i keep my place at 22 degrees all night, and 20 during the day, stuff the costs or that rubbish about co2, i want to be warm and comfortable, so what if it costs a few hundered quid a year more to do that, it's only money, money is disposable, your health is not,

sounds like your a 'poor and happy' person, but your OH is a 'rich and miserable' person :)

[Peter Parry]

Condensing dryers (or washer/dryers) actually release a lot of moisture back into the room, typically a litre or more per load.

Do a Google Images search for "trickle vents" and you will see pictures of various types.

From what you have said the major problem appears to be a combination of poor ventilation, inadequate heating and a nincompoop for a partner.

The solution is -

1. Throw out the partner
2. Get a de-humidifier (they work particularly well in bungalows)
3. Turn up the heating
4. Next summer - arrange for better ventilation to be fitted.

[Owain]

Many Economy 7 tariffs charge a prohibitively high rate for peak-rate electricity so you'd be better off having the storage heaters running properly on off-peak electricity to keep the house warm (at least warm enough).

Storage heaters aren't usually used in bedrooms where a panel heater on at night keeps the bedroom warm - open the window and let the warm moist air out every morning.

If you have window recesses the wall below the windows may only be half a brick thick and uninsulated.

You could get a monthly payment account so you pay the same amount in winter as in summer and so spread the cost more evenly over the year. You might also be eligible for help with heating costs if you have health problems - maybe the local council or CAB can advise.

Owain

[whiskeyomega]

Personally I think your "eco warrior OH" is going a bit OTT and needs to pull his finger out over building maintenance, comfort levels and your (both of yours) health.

I think he has gone over the top too, but trying to tell him that is a problem.

Thanks for the comparisons for untility bills. Of course since we dont have alternative heating sources all our heating and cooking and everything is electric. I only have one power bill.

OH thinks its too high - dont know where he gets the figures.

I had a shock the other day when I found out my neighbour paid £246 a quarter for water. I dont pay that a year let alone a quarter. But OH thinks we pay too much water too.

If I could, I would get rid of him. Unfortunately I married him 30 years ago and he doesnt want to leave.

[whiskeyomega]

Many Economy 7 tariffs charge a prohibitively high rate for peak-rate electricity so you'd be better off having the storage heaters running properly on off-peak electricity to keep the house warm (at least warm enough).

We dont have the facility to put any heating on during the day, even if I did want to pay the higher charge. I can only run the heating at night. It doesnt come on during the day at all. I meant I put the heater on a couple of nights ago and turned the small one off ( there are two heaters in the room - one is 3KW and the other a 1.4KW ). It makes a great deal of difference to the room though having the bigger heater running, rather than the small one.

[<me9]

We've had a dehumidifier on he landing for years, in fact thinking of replacing it (or heat recovery ventillation) It's quite effective in a well insulated and draughtproofed house. It definitely reduces the moisture in the air, and warms it. With electric heating it will cost little to run as it also heats partly with electricity and partly from the latent heat from the condensate.

Ours was bought after discovering mould in one of the north facing bedrooms. Cured it completely. It struggled to cope with 6 in the house, but now the offspring are starting to flee the nest it's adequate.

A dehumidifier is quite effective. The alternative is ventilation with warm air (and that means heating it one way or another).

[Dave Starling]

I agree with you here. I have seen several houses that have the downpipe dislodged so that any rain runs straight down the walls.

Not everyone is in the same financial situation and can afford to pay a fuel bill from a 24/7 system. What you've written in other posts suggests you don't need to turn off the system.

I'm not saying anything against yourself but do your benefits give you a fuel allowance or are all your energy bills paid for you. If someone else is paying the bills it means psychologically that you are less inclined to reduce your fuel consumption.

Another solution to the OP's situation is

1. move to a smaller better insulated modern house. but 1. might be a better option!

[whiskeyomega]

I think the real problem coming home to roost after so many years is my husband always wanted a council house but we were not entitled to one of those either.

He never wanted to own his own home ( let alone do any of it up) and was forced to buy because we would have been homeless otherwise - and he didn't want to rent privately because (a) the cost was prohibitive) and (b) the quality of housing was poor.

So we did the only thing we could. We bought a house. No, we don't have a mortgage. I paid that off a lot of years ago ( I worked hard to do that because he worried so about the mortgage and loosing his home - yet he still worries we cant afford to live in a house we own) Thats whats behind this I think. That and the doom and gloom BBC money programme he listens to with all its items about houses being repossessed and people being strapped for cash and having no money because of the economic downturn.

[<me9]

The condensation is normally worse after a change from damp weather to clear overnight skies. This makes it colder outside, but the inside air is still damp. After infiltration of the colder air the internal humidity will drop, resulting in less condensation after a day or two of colder dry weather.

[Dave Liquorice]

It wouldn't help but the OP has stated that the walls dry quickly (days) if they were wet through they'd take months to dry. That same message indicates fairly strongly that the damp is condensation, it appears to be worst in the right sort of places, external walls, corners, below windows Cold air flowing from the window cools that bit of wall also the cooled air won't be able to hold so much moisture).

Flipin heck that is hot, your choice of course. Stat here is set at

18.5 during the day and 20 for the evening. Might need to wear a jumper as well as a T shirt from now through to May.

[Fredxx]

I'm rather surprised about that. Most like mine use a sealed primary, where the moist warm air is cooled through a heat exchanger. The condensate from the primary side is then pumped to a storage container.

[Dave Liquorice]

That's partly why I quoted my costs and those web links. Something to show that =A31000/year total energy cost is low and that just a little bit of extra heat may well sort the damp problem.

Being "green" is all well and good but one still has to have a comfortable place in which to live. So the OH save a few hundred quid on power bill but what if you "forget" to keep airing and drying stuff and suddenly find that all your clothes, bed linen etc have gone mouldy and have to be chucked out and replaced? Not to mention the health aspects.

[Phil L]

If it was built in the 50's then there is no insulation in the walls, unless it has been done afterwards, which it doesn't sound like it has. There are grants available to have it done, and it can be done for free if you or your spouse recieve any benefits. once you've had the walls insulated, you'll need to remove the water by dehumidifier, but this should only take a few days for each room, so it may be worth trying to borrow one or failing that, hiring one from a hire shop.

[Peter Parry]

The problem with them all is that the process of condensing out the moisture isn't as efficient as they would like you to believe so the vented air is still quite moist.

[NT]

Yes, it is. The OP isnt producing any unreasonable sources of dampness within the house, the damp produced is normal. You cant sop people breathing, cooking and showering. The question is merely one of how to get rid of the normal amount of damp produced. There are other options, but a dh is the cheapest and surest.

NT

[NT]

Its probaly very much the cause of the drying. Warm air holds far more moisture than cold, and as warm water laden air swaps with drier outdoor air (even when its raining there is less water vapour in cold air), damp gets removed. Its how most houses handle the dampness produced within.

NT