condensation damp in home opening windows isn't helping

System

I would be very wary of cvi in this situation, my mil's house had it and got serious damp because it should never have been installed - there are specialist companies that remove it these days... if you have a guarantee of the work it might be worth investigating that... there is a cavity for a reason!
installing some ventilation is a good idea, but then, putting ventilation holes in the walls defeats the purpose of having the walls insulated!

PollySouthend

Matt_Pug_106 wrote: »

Out of interest which model did you buy? I'm in the same sort of situation however it mainly seems to be the hall and bathroom that's the issue.

I got this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-DNC65-Compressor-Compact-Dehumidifier/dp/B000UVPOUA/ref=sr_1_14?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1382523579&sr=1-14&keywords=Dehumidifier#productDescription

It doesn't use a Compressor and has a minimum function. Only thing I dont like is that it doesn't have a display to state the current humidity level and it has never turned off even after running for 8 hours so i guess it never gets to the 55% humidity level :eek:

i'm emptying 2 liters a day and using 1.50 in energy :eek::eek:

PollySouthend

GwylimT wrote: »

I used to live on the Welsh coast, the air is more humid and so you are more likely to have damp/condensation issues compared to areas in land.

When you are drying clothes and cooking what sort of ventilation are you using?

You will suffer with more condensation if your house is cold, where do you live? Just wondering as it is yet to go below 15 in the day or at night yet, it has been horrid here.

I'm drying clothes outside still, by the garage is sheltered from the rain and gets windy. When I cook the kitchen door is shut and the window next to the cooker is opened.

PollySouthend

the_r_sole wrote: »

I would be very wary of cvi in this situation, my mil's house had it and got serious damp because it should never have been installed - there are specialist companies that remove it these days... if you have a guarantee of the work it might be worth investigating that... there is a cavity for a reason!
installing some ventilation is a good idea, but then, putting ventilation holes in the walls defeats the purpose of having the walls insulated!

Sadly I think you maybe right, I would never put it in myself but the previous person did, probably got it for free via the tax payers and dodgy government schemes.:mad:

how did your mil get it sorted?

i've got the guarantee and i'm in the process of getting it changed into my name and then getting an inspection done on it.

tempted to drill a big hole to have a look at the insulation and see if it is sodden.

Ben84

I would think twice about air vents - I'm pretty sure they can cause damp in some cases. You have to weigh the increased air flow's drying effects against the fact that mixing warm humid inside air with cold air makes the water in it condense out on the surroundings.

So, if your house is hard to heat, or it's allowed to drop to low temperatures regularly, that's a probable main cause to the condensation forming, and not something adding further cold air infiltration will help. Personally, I got rid of the air vents and open the windows for about 10 minutes all over the house each day. It seems to work very well, while the vents just made the heating struggle, which in turn was our actual problem.

PollySouthend

Ben84 wrote: »

I would think twice about air vents - I'm pretty sure they can cause damp in some cases. You have to weigh the increased air flow's drying effects against the fact that mixing warm humid inside air with cold air makes the water in it condense out on the surroundings.

So, if your house is hard to heat, or it's allowed to drop to low temperatures regularly, that's a probable main cause to the condensation forming, and not something adding further cold air infiltration will help. Personally, I got rid of the air vents and open the windows for about 10 minutes all over the house each day. It seems to work very well, while the vents just made the heating struggle, which in turn was our actual problem.

thanks, so much conflicting advice.

10 mins wont do anything for the condensation here.

Still trying to get the people out here that installed it to inspect it, they never call back despite promising to do so!

lisa701

We really struggle every year with really bad condensation and damp so much so we are unable to put anything against any of the outside walls because after a few weeks tops its left covered with black mould.

Tried leaving windows open 24/7 and all the air vents are clear. We did have a dehumidifier up to a few years ago but despite it being pretty big in size and it being on all day and night it did little to reduce the levels of condensation & damp in the colder months.

What Ben84 has said strikes a cord with me. We rarely put the CH on purely because of the cost, but last year I got so fed up with it being cold upstairs that I switched it on at its lowest setting and left it like that for a month - levels of condensation & damp reduced dramatically and that was even with me having washing drying around the house.

Just go to weigh up the cost of doing the same again this year. With prices as they are it will probably work out cheaper to redecorate than have the heating on!

happy35

we get condensation on my sons bedroom ceiling along the only outside wall. Thsi house is very insulated and I have had to start running a dehumidifier again.

I am unsure what to do to solve this, anyone got any suggestions?

nickcc

Hate to say but not much you can do. My Wife uses Flash on all the walls that show mould and cleans it off every few months. We just accept its part of our life living in a damp atmosphere and enjoy the other benefits.

happy35

nickcc wrote: »

Hate to say but not much you can do. My Wife uses Flash on all the walls that show mould and cleans it off every few months. We just accept its part of our life living in a damp atmosphere and enjoy the other benefits.

Hi does she use the flash spray with bleach or one of the other ones? I am looking for something to clean it off but didnt know what to use