dehumidifier vs central heating?

strawberrypud

Someone suggested to me on another thread that I get a dehumidifier to combat the damp and condensation that is occurring in our house at the moment. With the cost of the dehumidifier being around £80 plus the running costs I'd like to know if it is worth the investment or is it better to just put the heating on and open the windows?

Also, why do people buy humidifiers? Surely that makes a house wet??

Ken68

Yes Strawbery ,no doubt some houses are too dry so they need a humidifier though probably for air con users.
I place my dehumidifier in the bathroom after a shower, brilliant. Also when decorating I always clean down with bleach and use a PVA sealer, then undercoat and then top. Seems to work.
Also a dehumidifier is good for finishing off drying the clothes. Just a hour will do.

gadjah543

If people have pianos they often need to buy humidifiers to stop the wood drying out if they have central heating.

moonrakerz

Ken68 wrote: »

I place my dehumidifier in the bathroom after a shower, brilliant.

All the safety rules and regs to stop people using totally inappropriate (ie: dangerous !) equipment in a bathroom and someone puts a dehumidifier in there !!!!

Do you have a three bar electric fire by the bath to keep you warm as well - and a mains powered TV propped up on the taps ??

"Brilliant" IS NOT the word I would use ....................

st999

Do you have a three bar electric fire by the bath to keep you warm as well

I used to have a one bar electric fire on the bathroom wall above the bath and it could be switched off and on while in the bath and I am still here.

What did we do before the H & S nazis were let loose?

Ken68

AFTER a shower Moon, not during.

Ken68

If you do get a de-humidifier, Strawberry, the instruction book clearly shows saftey rules and limitations.
For example my Duracraft instruction books mentions use in a laundry room and distances from wet areas, washbasins, showers and baths. A distance is also recommended of 120cm from a water tap. It doesn't mention Moonrakers concerns of live electric near water, maybe taken as read that it shouldn't be used in such a manner.
It does however read "do not dip the appliance into water".

Windows and doors should be shut for best use.

Jon_Tiffany

strawberrypud wrote: »

Someone suggested to me on another thread that I get a dehumidifier to combat the damp and condensation that is occurring in our house at the moment. With the cost of the dehumidifier being around £80 plus the running costs I'd like to know if it is worth the investment or is it better to just put the heating on and open the windows?

Also, why do people buy humidifiers? Surely that makes a house wet??

I would go for a dehumidifer. Opening the windows will reduce the damp but will also let out the warm air as well, increasing your heating costs. The electricity used to run the dehumidifier will end up as heat in your house, so this offsets the running costs.

It will make your house much more comfortable and will reduce condensation on windows and mould. We have a small one that we leave running pretty much 24/7.

If you suffer from allergies it can also help reduce dust mite populations - I'm sure I read somewhere that less than 50% humidity kills the little critters.

Cardew

If you have a dampness problem, it is not solved by Central Heating, as it just masks the problem; warm air can hold more moisture.

Obviously you should firstly try to trace and cure the cause of the dampness, often this is simply lack of ventilation.

At least a dehumidifier will remove moisture.

Jon_Tiffany

Cardew wrote: »

If you have a dampness problem, it is not solved by Central Heating, as it just masks the problem; warm air can hold more moisture.

Obviously you should firstly try to trace and cure the cause of the dampness, often this is simply lack of ventilation.

At least a dehumidifier will remove moisture.

Lack of ventilation is a common problem these days - double glazed windows are great but many people close the trickle vents.

Things to check for are water leaks and broken gutters, but for most people its cooking, breathing and clothes drying that causes it.

Jon_Tiffany

If the house wiring is fairly up to date then with RCBs the risk of electrocution is low. I was told by an electrician when RCBs where first becoming mainstream that you could stand in a bath of water, put your fingers inthe light socket and be safe - please dont try this!!!! I have no idea if that electrician is still alive today...

I'll never forget the tragic story of a house where the fuse for the electric shower circuit kept on blowing. Rather than investigate why the fuses were blowing the father wedged a piece of metal into the fuse holder. Later that evening his daughter took a shower and was killed.