Will using a dehumidifier make home cheaper to heat?

lstar337

applepad wrote: »

We live in a 1959 semi, it's made of concrete brick, it already had cavity wall insulation when we bought it 16 years ago, we redid the upvc double glazing 14 years ago. All guttering and fascia boards have been replaced.

So I don't know what more we can do? We do need to put more insulation in the loft.

It's been raining today and you can see the wet soaked into the bricks.

We have the window open when we shower and for a bit after, same for cooking.

There is condensation on the bottom of the windows in a morning.

Could you use a weather seal product on the bricks?

I don't know anything about these products or if they work, I just remember adverts that used to be on TV. They are like an external varnish I guess, and they stop water penetrating the brick layer.

A quick Google brought up this: http://www.thompsonsweatherproofing.co.uk/products/product.jsp?id=1

applepad

We don't have an extractor in the bathroom, we do have the cooker hood extractor in the kitchen but it's not to outside.
We have a tumble dryer in a spare bedroom with the hose out of the window.
I will have a look at the brick paint.

We have a weather station thing which shows the humidity in our lounge at 68%, no heating on at mo

lstar337

applepad wrote: »

We have a weather station thing which shows the humidity in our lounge at 68%, no heating on at mo

A UK household is best kept at 50-55% RH, but measuring devices vary a great deal. They range in price from £5 to £500 and sometimes they can be quite far out!

Owain_Moneysaver

applepad wrote: »

We don't have an extractor in the bathroom, we do have the cooker hood extractor in the kitchen but it's not to outside.

That's a large part of your problem and the first thing you should address.

sniggings

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

That's a large part of your problem and the first thing you should address.

agree, no point looking at other causes until you fix what's already wrong.

Extractor for the kitchen and a cooker hood and have them running even when just using the oven.

Extracting out side if possible.

Extractor on whilst showering and at least 15 mins after, making sure it's a suitable size for the room

I'm no expert but I would have thought, treating bricks would solve a damp problem rather than to much moisture being produced in the house, and not being removed, yes it would help but it wouldn't be my first step in trying to solve the problem.

sk240

You can save money using a dehumidifier (desiccant dehumidifiers are the way to go in the UK)
http://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p_dd122fw-simple_ecoair-dd122fwsimple-dehumidifier/version.asp?refsource=APadwords&cr!!!!!AP&gclid=CNbuxJiKrMECFdTLtAodjg0AVQ

I have one, and have almost completely sealed the top floor of my house, and just run the dehumidifier when the humidity goes up (I have a gauge)
As a result, the temperature is more stable and there are no draughts, also I save on the heating as no cold air can get in.

benson1980

We have a compressor dehumidifier- a decent one which cost us around £220, due to a condensation problem (we also don't have an extractor fan in our kitchen at the moment which is part of the issue). We have just started using it again, overnight, and we have little or no condensation.

When in use it constantly pumps out hot air so this certainly offsets part of the running costs. In this weather with it running we don't need to use our heating at all, and its definitely noticeable how much it heats the house as I've just been in one of our bedrooms which has had the door closed all night and its noticeably colder.

27col

applepad wrote: »

We live in a 1959 semi, it's made of concrete brick, it already had cavity wall insulation when we bought it 16 years ago, we redid the upvc double glazing 14 years ago. All guttering and fascia boards have been replaced.

So I don't know what more we can do? We do need to put more insulation in the loft.

It's been raining today and you can see the wet soaked into the bricks.

We have the window open when we shower and for a bit after, same for cooking.

There is condensation on the bottom of the windows in a morning.

I have had a water penetration problem on the exposed gable end of my house. It was actually coming right through the outer skin and dripping into the utility room.
It only occurred when the rain was being driven by a gale force wind.
I bought a product called Stormdry which seems to have worked very well. It was easy to apply with a roller and brush.
I won't go into the attributes of the product as they have a very informative web site which is well worth a visit.
It is not particularly cheap, but does cover a large area when applied.
This last week we have had the first of the winter storms and I have not seen any water penetration as yet. So I am quite optimistic that the problem is cured. I have another container of it and will apply that in addition when I can.
I might also add that I had previously applied one of the silicone type products and found them to be useless.

pd001

27col wrote: »

I have had a water penetration problem on the exposed gable end of my house. It was actually coming right through the outer skin and dripping into the utility room.
It only occurred when the rain was being driven by a gale force wind.
I bought a product called Stormdry which seems to have worked very well. It was easy to apply with a roller and brush.
I won't go into the attributes of the product as they have a very informative web site which is well worth a visit.
It is not particularly cheap, but does cover a large area when applied.
This last week we have had the first of the winter storms and I have not seen any water penetration as yet. So I am quite optimistic that the problem is cured. I have another container of it and will apply that in addition when I can.
I might also add that I had previously applied one of the silicone type products and found them to be useless.

Do you still have no issues with the wall that you treated?

27col

pd001 wrote: »

Do you still have no issues with the wall that you treated?

Non so far.
But it only occurred when there was a severe gale blowing heavy rain against the gable end.