any experience of dehumidifier for allergy sufferer?

VCE_in_Fornax

Hi everyone,
I'm allergic to moulds and suffering a lot at the moment in our old Victorian house, lots of condensation in the morning, humidity monitor says 67% as I write, usually goes up to 74% at night and the alert wakes us up!
We have a well not far from the kitchen, a stream underground somewhere in the garden. We ventilate as much as possible, place small crystals dehumidifier/containers in the worst affected rooms (musty smell) and keep the place clean.
Has anyone with a similar allergy found that an electric dehumidifier helped greatly? Can you recommend a brand? Do they use up a lot of electricity? How long did it take for the humidity levels to return to normal? Do you find that if you stop using it, the humidity goes up again?
Many thanks for your help
VCEiF

Poppycat

Hi I suffer from asthma and I did suffer from bronchitis many years ago because of a mouldy flat. I did find a dehumidifier helped absorb access moisture and even warmed the house up a little, I had no ill effects. I do find CT makes me suffer more if its too hot.

Your best bet though as to find out the cause of the problems, either more air ventilation or insulation and of course heat. A warm room can absorb more moisture than a cold room.

They not too expensive to run I think mine runs at 300w but it doesnt come on 24/7 it depends on how bad the house is, they run similar to a fridge same principle

VCE_in_Fornax

Thanks very much for that Poppycat.
It's good to know your worse symptoms disappeared thanks to the humidifier. There's hope for me then!
I find the house is especially bad in spring and autumn, but winter is usually better because the heating is on for longer. But the early summer was so wet, and the rest of the summer not that warm, and I think that's why the house feels so much damper this year...
I didn't know really how dehumidifiers work , so if it only comes on when it's actually needed, that's ok.
Cheers!
VCEiF

Poppycat

dehumidifier comes off/on much like a fridge same principle. They have a control on them so you can change when they come on/off, they can be noisy so best out them in a room where the wont disturb you, preferable in the room that is the worst.

Here's some info on dehumifiers


A dehumidifier removes moisture from the air, thus lowering the humidity. It does this by condensing water onto a cold surface. This is a principle that we have all experienced. When you have an ice cold drink on a hot day, you notice water collecting on the outside of the glass.

This is exactly how dehumidifiers work, with a fewer minor differences to improve the effectiveness. A fan is used to speed up the process. It blows warm air onto cold metal coils, and the resulting water drips into a bucket. The resulting cold air is then passed over warm coils to bring it back to room temperature. Air conditioners work in the same way, but they do not reheat the air before returning it to the room.

http://www.easyaircon.co.uk/info_learn_dehum.shtml


http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/7-14-2006-102326.asp

Dehumidifiers are becoming quite common in the home and workplace. They remove moisture from the air, which is important because too much can lead to an increased dust mite population which is bad for allergy sufferers, and the growth of mold and fungus which can have terrible effects on our health.

VCE_in_Fornax

Thank you so much for your help, Poppycat, I appreciate it very much!
I can see a light at the end of the tunnel now, or less mist on the windows!!!!:j
Cheerio
VCEiF