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damp/condensationWith all of us in one house, we seem to be getting the most amazing amount of condensation. Like puddle on the floor by the french windows sort of thing.
So we're looking at how to get rid of it. My father found an ad for some things you fit like airbricks that are supposed to condense the water within them and let it evaporate outside, but they insist on fitting them. H'es looking for something he can fit himself.
So does anyone have any experience of this sort of thing working? or another solution?
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mousjoos
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Over here we can buy damp-boxes; basically a plastic box with a large sachet of silica suspended in the top. The theory is the silica draws the damp out of the air & it ends up in the bottom of the box. Dont remember seeing them in UK but I've lived here almost 7 years so things may have changed. They are in no way a permanent solution but are handy to use in the short term
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Gervase
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If it's possible, have an open fire, or open a window or two just a small crack; that will shift the condensation. Failing that, consider an extractor fan - Screwfix sell quite cheap and unobtrusive ones.
If that's not an option, a dehumidifier might help.
Opening a window is the cheapest option though 
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Dee J
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Condensation happens. Anywhere you've got a temperature differential and some warm moist air it will happen.
Solutions:
1) Stop the temperature differential - don't heat the house above outdoor temperature.
2) Insulate all walls and windows to such an extent that they remain at room temterature (and maintain constant heating to keep them that way).
3) Lower humidity - either by heating & ventilating, heat-recovery ventilation, de-humidifiers, patent airbricks or boxes of dessicants (how do you dry the dessicants?).
Those airbrick things in effect cause a cold-spot which localises condensation and the provide an external wick/evaporation path. To fit enough of them requires some good tooling as the need narrow deep holes in the house structure - so not an easy diy path.
Me, I use de-humidifiers . Simple and very effective. OK thats an energy user - but all waste energy from them is released as heat into the room and ther're generally only running when heating is needed. So not a total loss.
Dee
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Ian33568
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We have high humidity here and airing the house daily seems to work - if not we do get condensation.
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stumbling goat
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a friend of mine has black lines of muck running along the base on the window sill of his double glazed units in a room and damp patches on the walls beside the windows. he runs a dehumidifier, but would like a better non "dehumid" solution. i have suggested ventilation, any other ideas?
6t
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Ian33568
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no drying clothes in the house, try and dry wet towels outside after showers/baths, extractor fan for cooking, wet coats and boots in a porch if possible.....
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vegplot
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It would be worthwhile buying a decent quality humidity meter and also if you're keen a low cost hand held infra red thermometer (~£60). With these you can pin point potential trouble spots within the building. Any activity which produce moisture (drying clothes, cooking, baths, room gas heaters) should be allowed for and adequate ventilation provided.
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| Dee J wrote: |
Those airbrick things in effect cause a cold-spot which localises condensation and the provide an external wick/evaporation path. To fit enough of them requires some good tooling as the need narrow deep holes in the house structure - so not an easy diy path.
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yeah, but are possibly the best long term solution.
anyone have any expereince of having them fitted? or fitting them, or a brand of them I can google for?
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| vegplot wrote: | | It would be worthwhile buying a decent quality humidity meter and also if you're keen a low cost hand held infra red thermometer (~£60). With these you can pin point potential trouble spots within the building. Any activity which produce moisture (drying clothes, cooking, baths, room gas heaters) should be allowed for and adequate ventilation provided. |
we're fairly certain where the problems are, 3 of the downstairs rooms have issues with mould on the walls
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vegplot
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| toggle wrote: |
we're fairly certain where the problems are, 3 of the downstairs rooms have issues with mould on the walls |
Are you able to or willing to paint those walls with limewash? It's caustic properties help prevent mould growth.
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| vegplot wrote: | | toggle wrote: |
we're fairly certain where the problems are, 3 of the downstairs rooms have issues with mould on the walls |
Are you able to or willing to paint those walls with limewash? It's caustic properties help prevent mould growth. |
I could mention it, but I'm 99.9% certain the answer would be no.
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nettie
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| Ian33568 wrote: | | no drying clothes in the house, try and dry wet towels outside after showers/baths, extractor fan for cooking, wet coats and boots in a porch if possible..... |
This is good advice, I lived in a downstairs flat once. The people upstairs had a new baby, were drying all the laundry indoors, and weren't opening their windows. I was getting mysterious black mould appearing at the top of the outside wall in the hall. It turned out that besides them not opening windows, the roof space had no ventilation either, the moist air was rising up, condensation was happening in the roof, and it was seeping down through the walls. It had made a terrible mess of their flat, there was black mould everywhere.
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we have normal airbricks, try to dry outside when we can, have fans over the stove and in the bathrooms, but we also have 6 people in the house atm.
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