Does it take time for a house to dry out?

rosie383

We moved into our new house two months ago. There is a definite problem with dampness in the house, but it is more of a high humidity rather than mould. I have been opening windows and ventilating the place every day, wiping condensation from the inside of windows every morning and avoiding drying washing indoors as much as possible.
I suspect that the previous owners didn't ventilate much. All of the window silicone had mould. I have cleaned all of this off.
The house still feels damp though, even with daily ventilation. While I was waiting to get a washing line up, I dried a few loads of clothes indoors and it took three days for one load to dry even though it was hung properly.

So my question is...will the house dry out with just ventilation? We don't want to have to buy or run a dehimidifier if it isn't necessary.

Should we be concerned if there is no sign of recent mould? Oh, and will the slightly damp smell ever go? We think it is in the carpets, but we are planning quite a bit of work in the house so will keep the carpets until each area is done.

NeverInDebt

My advice would be to get a dehumidifier at this time of year its difficult to dry inside even with windows/doors open as the humidity outside is quite high. Even if you got one it could take time depends on your humidity inside

pendragon_arther

And you'll be surprised at how much water you'll empty out of the dehumidifier too.

DRP

Spend a hundred quid on a decent humidifier, so you can help idenitify if its just a tmeporary problem.

High humidity ma be due to leaking pipe, dampness and poor ventilation under the floor etc.

rosie383

There is a DPC and apparently there has been some type of chemical injection in the past according to the surveyor but the surveyor did say that there was no evidence of a current damp problem.
It doesn't help that we have just had plastering done in three rooms so there is a lot more moisture to get rid of.

TheCyclingProgrammer

If you've had plastering then that would be the prime candidate for why you have so much humidity. Combined with lower temperatures outside meaning you can't ventilate without letting lots of cold air in, the plaster will be releasing lots of moisture as it dries.

We've been refurbishing our bedroom and monitoring humidity levels (the relative humidity levels in the house are fairly normal - between 45-55% at 21C) and after we had the room plastered the levels went as high as 90% at about 19C (no radiator in there). That humidity will migrate all around the house too.

I agree with the others, a dehumidifier should help remove excess moisture and then see if it goes back up again.

Smiley_Dan

Who built this home?

rosie383

I'm not sure that I understand the relevance in a house which is 80+ years old.

Ant555

Does the house have central heating?

martinsurrey

TheCyclingProgrammer wrote: »

If you've had plastering then that would be the prime candidate for why you have so much humidity. Combined with lower temperatures outside meaning you can't ventilate without letting lots of cold air in, the plaster will be releasing lots of moisture as it dries.

We've been refurbishing our bedroom and monitoring humidity levels (the relative humidity levels in the house are fairly normal - between 45-55% at 21C) and after we had the room plastered the levels went as high as 90% at about 19C (no radiator in there). That humidity will migrate all around the house too.

I agree with the others, a dehumidifier should help remove excess moisture and then see if it goes back up again.

This.

a full re plaster of a room can use over 100L of water, which is a huge amount.

once that dries out test again.

savemoney

If you so concerned about this as you sound like you are. I personnel borrow or buy a dehumidifier they always useful to have to help dry clothes in Winter assuming you get one suitable for that task. I was going to advise maybe renting one but Hss and Jewson are going up to £80 a week may as well buy one for that