Heat, Mould & Condensation

trinity_p

PS re drying clothes, I really dont have anywhere else to dry them, our garden doesnt get the sun in winter so I would have to leave clothes on the line outside for 3 days before they would be dry in his weather, what about sticking them in the garage to dry?? Not sure I would be totally happy doing this tho!

grahamc2003

trinity_p wrote: »

I do have a tumble dryer but its part of the washing machine so its ok but not great and leaves clothes slightly damp and due to cost I dont ue it a huge amount, I was also advised that this puts moisture in the air too? Wha would be best considering this? The airer or the dryer then the airer to finish off?

You're correct to be wary of washer/drier combinations, and I would avoid using the drier function if I had a choice.

The drier bit should be vented to the outside, so all the warm moist air doesn't get into the house. If it's not vented correctly (i.e. if you can't see a 4inchish diameter floppy tube going from the back of the machine through an outside wall), then you won't improve your damp situation even if you do use it (however, if it is vented corrctly, you will improve the damp situation compared to the way you currently dry your washing). (I'm assuming yours isn't a washer/condensing drier machine, if such things exist).

Edit - have you thought about taking the washing to a launderette to dry them? At least that's a last resort option.

Also, one thing I wanted to say before - whatever you do, don't expect the damp to dissappear overnight - it could take weeks. It's not only the air which holds water, but everything - furniture, walls, clothes, anythign wooden etc, and it takes a long time for those to release the water they hold once the air is drier.

rogerblack

grahamc2003 wrote: »

You're correct to be wary of washer/drier combinations, and I would avoid using the drier function if I had a choice.

The drier bit should be vented to the outside, so all the warm moist air doesn't get into the house.
(I'm assuming yours isn't a washer/condensing drier machine, if such things exist).

They do.
http://www.screwfixappliances.com/Product_Information.aspx?productid=8952&selectedimage=0

(hotpoint wdl540)

This does a good job of drying clothes, without putting any water into the air.
It gets more efficient when drying with cold input water, which is a nice bonus.
It does however use extra cold water, for which I'm not metered, as I live in the deserts of scotland.

I rarely use it to fully dry clothes, but taking a little off before putting out on the line means that clothes will dry in lots worse weathers.
http://www.the-si-lab.com/pdfs/2009%20Market%20Picture%20Testing%202008-2009%20WasherDriers%20Report.pdf

Is interesting - 8/24 washers actually met their energy label specs.

I should note that I would _strongly_ recommend against this model, unless you check and ensure that it actually comes with a removable filter for the pump.
Mine did not.
I've had to disassemble and clean the pump twice, which though easy, is clearly not a user serviceable part.

PollyOnAMission

I was having mould, damp and condensation problems like you describe, but militant use of a dehumidifier has made a HUGE difference. The amount of water that it collects, even with I have no washing drying inside etc, is staggering.

Are you sure you don't have room for one? Mine isn't very big and just sits on the floor in the corner of my kitchen. I have to push it to one side slightly when I want to open one of the cupboards but it's no trouble

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000BP81DW/?!!!!!hydra0b-21&hvadid=9550952949&ref=asc_df_B000BP81DW

I also have one on the landing outside the bathroom door, although that one is slightly bigger (unwanted item from family member).

trinity_p

Pollyonamission, thanks for your response, has it got rid of your mould and condensation? Im more bothered about the mould tho, a little condensation I can live with. I probably could fit one at the top of my stairs if I could find a way of getting electric to it, do you have it on all day and night? How often do you have to empty it? Im assuming it fills a tank of water and you empty it then? Its quite a cost so I really need to consider it carefully.

rogerblack, grahamc2003, thanks again for your help, we just recently paid out for a washer dryer, wish we had looked into the dryer side a bit more now but didnt think abou it at the time! No space for a washer and a dryer unfortunatley... we do have a pipe that feeds it outside though which is a good thing!

So I think from all the advice we will get the trickle vents, have the fascia's done, get a radiator cover for my sons room so we can turn it on and get some door catches so we can keep them open in the night without the cat jumping on my sons bed then perhaps look at a dehumidifier (i say wincing at the cost), oh and have also purchased a humidity reader contraption!

Anyone have any advice on whether to heat the house constantly or continue with just morning and evening?

Cardew

PollyOnAMission wrote: »

I was having mould, damp and condensation problems like you describe, but militant use of a dehumidifier has made a HUGE difference. The amount of water that it collects, even with I have no washing drying inside etc, is staggering.

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Totally agree about the dehumidifier.

A point many people don't appreciate is just how much water is absorbed into furniture, carpets curtains, walls etc(look up 'hydroscopic).

If a house has been 'damp' for a while, even with a good dehumidifier it takes a long while(many weeks) to remove that moisture, but you gradually see the amount of water reducing.

At a cost of £100 or so it is money well spent, and don't forget the dehumidifier also produces heat. In the long run it will be a lot cheaper that heating the house 24/7.

PollyOnAMission

trinity_p wrote: »

Pollyonamission, thanks for your response, has it got rid of your mould and condensation? Im more bothered about the mould tho, a little condensation I can live with. I probably could fit one at the top of my stairs if I could find a way of getting electric to it, do you have it on all day and night? How often do you have to empty it? Im assuming it fills a tank of water and you empty it then? Its quite a cost so I really need to consider it carefully.

I used Dettol Mould and Mildew Remover spray to kill off any mould to start with (although I'm pretty sure it's just bleach so there could be a more MSE alternative) and periodically use it when cleaning just in case. I've seen a huge reduction in the growth of mould and in the amount of condensation on my windows and walls (my walls have no cavity so any outside walls were very prone to condensation). I've also seen a huge improvement in terms of the damp type smell.

The small dehumidifier in the kitchen tends to be running pretty much 24/7, because there's usually something causing condensation (cooking, kettle boiling, damp washing drying, damp tea towels on the radiator etc). My back door is open regularly (I have dogs) and I use the extractor fan every time I cook. If I have washing drying in the kitchen/living room I guess it gets emptied once a day or every other day. If no washing then it will go for a few days before it needs emptying. It has an automatic cut off so you don't need to worry about it getting full when you're not around, and you can set the humidity level so it will automatically cut on/restart when the humidity level in the air changes. Sometimes mine has got full and cut out over night and I can instantly tell when I enter the kitchen. Even with no washing etc (just the two dogs sleeping in the room) I can sense more dampness in the air and there will be condensation on the (double glazed) windows. It makes SUCH a difference; you really get used to it and notice the damp feeling in the air when it's not running! The de-mineralised water it collects is useful too; you can use it in your iron etc.

Whenever I use the shower I open the bathroom window and use the extractor fan. After showering in the morning I leave the bathroom door open (as obviously there are no power sockets in the bathroom) and turn on the dehumidifier on the landing. I tend to leave it going most of the day and switch it off in the evening, but would turn it on again if anyone used the shower. I'd say this one gets emptied every three days or so, but it's an older model than the one downstairs so may not be as efficient at collecting water.

I leave my bedroom window open on ventilate mode all the time, and leave the bedroom door open during the day so the room can also benefit from the dehumidifier on the landing. I make an effort to keep furniture away from outside walls and so far, touch wood, all this has really helped the growth of mould and the appearance of condensation (which of course can lead to further mould). I'm not sure if I'm doing it the best way (I'm tempted to try moving the dehumidifer into the bathroom during the day and shutting the door as far as possible, in case the steam from the bathroom is negating the impact of the dehumidifer reaching the bedroom) but it's certainly made an impact.

If you can find the £100 ish to invest in a dehumidifier it could really be money well spent Or perhaps you have a friend/family member with an unwanted one sitting around that you could borrow to test it out? I know some people buy them to dry out rooms when decorating etc then don't use them regularly. That's how I ended up with my second one

P.S. I also found that my washing dries much more quickly now I have a dehumidifier. Like you I rarely have an alternative to drying indoors during winter, and my tumble drier is a washer/drier. It used to take ages to dry because, of course, the air around the washing stayed damp. Now my clothes dry much more quickly and this keeps them fresher.

boysim34

The best thing we ever brought was a dehumidifier, they don't cost that much, the amount of water it takes out of the atmosphere is stupid. but it allows us to turn down our heating ( cause we don't have to open the windows to get rid of steam etc )

trinity_p

Thanks again for your responses, we have decided to invest in a de-humidifier, now to decide which one! Pollyonamission would you recommend the one you gave us the link to? It seems good on paper with the auto cut off switch and the fact you can set it to come on at a certain humidity level!

We also couldnt live without the mould and mildew remover at the moment, it seems very effective in cleaning the mould altho if only it didnt come back to quick! Hopefully the dehumidifier will stop this!

Boysim34, which dehumidifier have you got?

PollyOnAMission

I would definitely recommend the Deloghi DEM10, purely based on my own experience with it. It has worked faultlessly for years now and is quite a bit smaller (and cheaper) than some others. The only downside I would mention is that it is a little bit noisy, but I've no idea really how that compares to others. It doesn't seem any noisier than the one I have upstairs (not sure of the make and model of this one; I think it's much older and is certainly bigger). I hardly notice the noise of it humming away in the kitchen now, to be honest.