Basement living

oxford1987 · 5 February 2012 at 3:32PM

Hi all, hope everyone's well and enjoying the snow.

I've just moved in to a tiny (but lovely) basement flat with my girlfriend.

It's got a toilet/shower room tucked away at the back, which is two rooms back from the front of the house (i.e. if you were to walk from the shower room to the road, you'd have to go through two doors). Obviously this throws up some ventilation issues, as the bathroom fills with condensation after even the quickest of showers, and I'm trying to figure out how to minimise this.

The shower room has what is presumably an extractor fan (very weak), and a fan heater, which I've been leaving off because the flat's not too cold and I hear that those things use loads of power.

However, it occurred to me that the fan heater might serve some purpose beyond keeping the room toasty: is it likely to improve the condensation/damp?

A few other questions:

- On other threads similar to this one, people have linked out to a Harfords article about dehumidifiers. Are these a good solution?

- Is it worth drying the shower off after using it?

- Very tenuously related to the above: my girlfriend went to the estate agent to ask what hooks we were allowed to fix to the wall to use as hangers, and the estate agent said that drilling into the wall was likely to penetrate a membrane that keeps the damp out, and that we should use "cement hooks" that fuse to the paint. I've asked around and no-one seems to have heard of them. Is he having me on?

Thanks - any advice is sincerely appreciated. In return, here's what I've learned so far: to get rid of black spots in the shower, tuck toilet roll into the corner and drench it in bleach. Leave it for 24 hours and remove the toilet paper - voila! Seen it in a few other posts and I can confirm that it works like a charm. Now I just need to figure out how to do the same to the black spots that aren't at floor level...

sooz · 5 February 2012 at 4:45PM

Yes, you should both heat & ventilate.
You don't need to leave the heater on for ages, just until the room is dry.
If the extractor is weak, try cleaning out the visible fluff. If you don't fancy taking it apart (electrics off!), hoover the outside of the grille at least.

Write to the agent, explaining the condensation and mould problems in the bathroom, & asking if the LL would consider installing a more powerful extractor. Atleast document the problems, & the things that you are doing to try to minimise the damage.

For mould not at floor level, use Dettol Mould & Mildew remover. Read the instructions carefully.

Yes, drying the shower and walls would help reduce the moisture levels. Don't then leave the sodden towel in the room. Hang it up outside.

Dehumidifiers are wonderful. See if the landlord is prepared to buy you one for the flat. If not, they are a worthwhile investment anyway, and can be used in the next property you move to. You'll be amazed at just how much water they will suck out of the air.

Hooks - yes, you don't want to pierce the damp proof membrane. Try looking for 3M command adhesive hooks. B&Q or homebase both sell them, amongst others.

CLAPTON · 5 February 2012 at 4:49PM

leave the extractor fan on all day; it doesn't use much electricity

oxford1987 · 5 February 2012 at 5:20PM

Thanks sooz - hadn't thought of documenting the problem (and correspondence) so will be sure to do so, and the idea of asking the landlord to chip in for a humidifier had occurred to me although I'm not optimistic! As for leaving towels outside, I'm on it already although persuading my girlfriend to do the same is another problem altogether... Very useful information though, so many thanks.

Clapton - thanks for your response. Unfortunately the extractor fan is linked to the lights (two recessed halogen jobs) so I'd imagine that that these would ramp up the bills. Should have mentioned that in my original post.

Thanks!

Phil3822 · 5 February 2012 at 5:38PM

Again, another one for the dehumidifier here. One would work wonders in a small flat. They are efficiant and due to less moisture in the air make the space feel warmer and more effective to warm. A sound investment as has already been said.