Does damp make it harder to heat?

Millsey123

Hi. I have just moved into a flat and it has a damp problem. Is this the reason why i am having issues heating the room to a decent temp? The thermostat on the electric heaters say 22 but i can still feel the cold.
My landlord is getting me a dehumidifier in an attempt to fix the damp issue and tells me this will make it easier to heat.

EachPenny

Millsey123 wrote: »

Hi. I have just moved into a flat and it has a damp problem. Is this the reason why i am having issues heating the room to a decent temp? The thermostat on the electric heaters say 22 but i can still feel the cold.
My landlord is getting me a dehumidifier in an attempt to fix the damp issue and tells me this will make it easier to heat.

In theory yes. If there is damp in the fabric and contents of the building then some of the energy you put into the room through the heating system will be used to evaporate water as you try to increase the temperature of the room.

If you are interested in the science behind it then google the term 'latent heat' as a starting point. You might want to make a coffee first though

badmemory

I bought myself a dehumidifier late last year. I was concerned that I may have been throwing money away. One of my best buys. I only use it in the bathroom, it is cheaper to use & so much more efficient than my extractor fan. The humidity in the whole house has dropped significantly. Being a little anal I have more than one humidity meter which is why I know this.

To clarify, I found that the extractor fan reduced the humidity but once you turned it off the humidity crept up again. Once I stopped using the extractor fan & used only the dehumidifier the humidity was reduced, it didn't go back up, job done. Whilst the dehumidifier may have cost a little more than the extractor fan to buy, it costs less to run & actually needs to run for a shorter time.

Now for the really personal bit, air conditioning, extractor fans & even car windscreen blasters hurt my ears as I have "issues" but dehumidifiers do not hurt my ears, so yet another win for them. Enjoy!!

Damp will make you feel cold even if the temp is not as it "soaks" into your bones. You may need to empty your dehumidifier very regularly at first, at least daily.

Please come back and let us know how you get on.

Josh_Milner

Yes it will make it harder to heat the room but me personally wouldn’t be happy with a dehumidifier to solve a damp problem.. damp problems could be caused by badly pointed joints, air circulation, small leaks and more.

Prolonged exposure to damp can cause health problems and it should be dealt with properly I know my dad with a property he rents out had some specialist out to do a survey and they advised of a constant trickle fan in the bathroom and re pointing of the property, since this work has been carried out he’s not had any more complaints from the estate agents.

It might be worth seeing how you get on with the problem and maybe advising your landlord to have it checked out by a specialist should it be reoccurring.

macman

What sort of 'damp'? Rising damp, penetrating damp, or condensation due to inadequate ventilation? A dehumidifier is only treating the symptoms, not the cause.

Millsey123

Thanks for your replys.
I'm not sure what kind of damp it is. This is all new to me. It's on an outside facing walling.

I know this is just a quick fix but I just want to be warm in my own house atm the weather is bad and im dreading the electric bill. If this helps then I'll take it for now.

My landlord is bringing it round tomorrow.

badmemory

Do you have a humidity meter? If not they have them on Amazon for a little over a fiver. That should help identify if you have a damp problem or if you are not getting rid of, for example, normal bathroom damp.

Sarastro

Don't let the landlord off the hook...he should fix the damp problem. You need to tackle the cause of the damp, not the symptoms.

footyguy

Millsey123 wrote: »

....
I know this is just a quick fix but I just want to be warm in my own house atm the weather is bad and im dreading the electric bill. If this helps then I'll take it for now....

If you are looking for a quick fix to being warm, I would have thought a supplementary source of heat would be the obvious solution.

Not sure if you can get the landlord to provide you a supplementary heater, (he's presumably more interested in protecting his property than keeping you warm) but if not you can buy one of your own from as little as £10

Millsey123

I don't believe he has any Iinterest in keeping me warm as he claims that the heaters are fine to heat the house.
I bought a oil filled heater but tbh that didn't make any difference to the temp and I was sat right next to it.
I'm hoping the dehumidifier will help. As 18degrees (What it currently is) at work feels so much warmer than 18degrees at home.

footyguy

Millsey123 wrote: »

...
I bought a oil filled heater but tbh that didn't make any difference to the temp and I was sat right next to it.
....

I think I may have identified your error

Millsey123 wrote: »

... The thermostat on the electric heaters say 22 but i can still feel the cold.
....

If you want to feel warmer, you need to adjust the thermostats