How to stop condensation on internal walls?

shirlls

I get condensation on my internal walls, my house has cavity wall insulation. I always leave the downstairs windows open overnight and while I'm at work, and the upstairs windows are open during the day.

I've got a six drawer unit fitted to an internal wall in the kitchen which I now think has condensation behind it, when I open a drawer there's a fusty smell and the plinth has warped. I had the new kitchen fitted about two and a half years ago and I have the kitchen windows open all the time.

What can I do to stop/get rid of the condensation?

shaun_from_Africa

It's unusual to get condensation on internal walls as condensation will generally form on surfaces that are colder than the ambient air.
It might be a good idea to get your kitchen looked at just to make sure that there isn't a small water leak behind the unit.

A dehumidifier will get rid of an awful lot of the moisture in the air.
I have this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B000BP81DW/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
and it will easily collect 1 litre of water if left on all day.

shirlls

There isn't any water pipes to that unit, it's just drawers. I guess that because I have cavity wall insulation, the internal walls are now colder than the external walls and I don't know what I can do about it.

The kitchen isn't the only room with a problem, last year I had to move my oak bookcase because it was starting to go mouldy. I washed the mould off and luckily, it seems to be ok. The bookcase was in the alcove at the side of the fireplace (2 internal walls, 1 external wall).

I've also had problems in the fitted wardrobes in the bedrooms. I've now removed the wardrobes (they were horrid) and I regularly check my oak wardrobes for the telltale fusty smell.

I just want to get rid of the problem all together

jimbo_the_jetset

shirlls wrote: »

I just want to get rid of the problem all together

Difficult if not impossible to remove the problem altogether.

As there are so many variables (house type, building materials, aspect, living conditions etc) I would recommend getting an independent damp surveyor in to provide a report. Note, this is an independent surveyor who specialises in this area and will provide a report with their findings & recommendations. Unlike a Contrctor who may come out for free but will ultimately try to sell their services, possibly even if you don't need them.

See link here - http://www.property-care.org/PCSearch.asp

I have used such services in the past when purchasing properties.

shirlls

Thanks for the link Jimbo. Will these surveyors be like the surveyor I had when I purchased the house? I had a full structural survey (2008) and he found damp in the dining room, which is now part of the kitchen but nowhere near the problem wall. I had to have some of the floorboards and joists replaced by a specialist company recommended by the surveyor.

I did phone this company when I found the mould on my bookcase, as I thought it was damp, but they told me it was condensation and that I shouldn't put furniture right up against the walls and open windows.

If I get a dehumidifier, as suggested by Shaun, would I need one in every room?

sk240

Do you dry your clothes in the hose? do you run your central heating?
YOu do say you keep windows open, but the air outside can also be very wet depending on the weather.
If you are drying clothes inside i suggest you get a tumble dryer instead or destroying all of your furniture, clothing and actual house in time.
Dehumidifer wise, get a dessicant one. you can move it around targetting the worst areas.
somthing like this is your best bet, dont buy a compressor dehumidifier
http://ecoair.org/DD122FW.html

fluffymuffy

jimbo_the_jetset wrote: »

See link here - http://www.property-care.org/PCSearch.asp

I have used such services in the past when purchasing properties.

This is a trade association which does its own courses - mostly one and two day courses. See their course list on the left - http://www.property-care.org/Professionals.Training.Courses.asp Anyone can pay their money and attend a few days course and get the certificate.

Why do people give money to these "surveyors" who have completed a few days worth of course. I've read on here of people spending £1000s on the advice of these "Specialists".

For genuine professional advice see the opinion of a proper Chartered Building Surveyor. http://www.rics.org/uk/

fluffymuffy

I googled and found the following informative article....

http://www.heritage-house.org/pages/timber-and-damp-surveys.html

"The entire training course takes 3 days. At the end of it you have some pretty letters after your name. It takes 3 YEARS of study to get a Bachelors Degree, and about the same to become a Member of RICS. This is NOT a qualification - it is a joke. There is NO academic training - any monkey can get it and call themselves a 'Timber and Damp Surveyor'... Don't use anyone who has done a 3 day course and calls themselves a qualified surveyor - they are a fraud."

shirlls

sk240 wrote: »

Do you dry your clothes in the hose? do you run your central heating?
YOu do say you keep windows open, but the air outside can also be very wet depending on the weather.
If you are drying clothes inside i suggest you get a tumble dryer instead or destroying all of your furniture, clothing and actual house in time.
Dehumidifer wise, get a dessicant one. you can move it around targetting the worst areas.
somthing like this is your best bet, dont buy a compressor dehumidifier
http://ecoair.org/DD122FW.html

No, don't dry clothes in the house, I've been drying them outside since the summer.

I do have the heating on when I'm home, but not constantly, I tend to have the gas fire on in the living room in the evening.

I hoped that having the windows open was helping as it seems to have stopped the condensation which I used to get on the windows.

Thanks for the link for the desiccant dehumidifier, there's no prices, how much are they? What's the difference between a desiccant and compressor dehumidifier?

shirlls

fluffymuffy wrote: »

This is a trade association which does its own courses - mostly one and two day courses. See their course list on the left - http://www.property-care.org/Professionals.Training.Courses.asp Anyone can pay their money and attend a few days course and get the certificate.

Why do people give money to these "surveyors" who have completed a few days worth of course. I've read on here of people spending £1000s on the advice of these "Specialists".

For genuine professional advice see the opinion of a proper Chartered Building Surveyor. http://www.rics.org/uk/

Thanks for that fluffy, I'll steer clear. I had a Chartered Building Surveyor do my survey when I bought the house and he didn't mention anything about a condensation problem

jimbo_the_jetset

You need to research the surveyors if you go down that route. Both times I have used one to identify the reasons behind high damp meter readings from the bog standard house survey they were both very experienced, knowledgeable and extremely helpful.