damp in cellar

dperez92

Hi, I purchased my first home in March this year and it has got a cellar! It doesn't have a lot headroom but I thought it would be perfect for storage as there is some timber on the ceiling which has been there for years and it's still looking good so I thought it was dry. It smells funny though and it's very cold (no heating) and then some stuff started going mouldy... (never had a cellar before) I then put stuff like paperwork etc in plastic boxes, and left other stuff out like the Christmas tree, and other stuff that would probably keep ok. I also tried to open the window when the weather is nice so that there was some ventilation. Yesterday I purchased a dehumidifier but I'm not sure whether it was the right thing to do. I have had it turned on for about 6 hours now and humidity has reduced from 86% to 70% and the 12 litre tank is just under half way full. There's a programme I can set it on that would keep the room between 50 and 60%, so it would only come on when humidity goes above this level (I'm not sure how often that would be or how much it would cost to run!!). What about when it's nice weather, would it then be worth opening the window?, there would then be ventilation but would humidity go up? so what's the point in having the dehumidifier on all the time to try and bring it down to like 55% for it to then go all the way back up? I've also read somewhere you shouldn't keep windows open while the dehumidifier is running... Please let me know your thoughts, thanks

Gra76

Keeping windows and doors open when running a dehumidifier is pointless, you need to keep the doors and windows shut so that you're only extracting the moisture from the room. Leaving doors and windows open just allows more moist air to enter so you're minimising the amount of moisture you're extracting from the cellar. You might as well stick the dehumidifier in the garden if you're going to leave the doors and windows open.

If you want to make proper use of the cellar you'd be better tanking it (which isn't cheap). Then you wouldn't have to run a dehumidifier at all.

Gloomendoom

We have a damp cellar. We have just adapted how we use it. That means no cardboard, paper etc. I also don't put any untreated timber down there either.

BTW using a dehumidifier is pointless (I've tried it too) unless you are prepared to run it day and night forever. As fast as you dry the room out, more water will be forced through the walls and floor to replace it. We just maximise the natural ventilation by keeping the door open.

alwaysonthego_2

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