Is there a damp/humidity issue in my house??

Alphahedron

Bendy - got you, and no, they're 'old' sheets, so nothing to do with an unfamiliar texture.

Fair point as well about it not being cold enough yet for condensation. Although I am getting a lot on the outside of the windows right now.

Dehumidifier arrived and turned on since 3pm ish - seems to indicate the humidity is about 5% higher than my monitors are picking up.

Bendy_House

Cond on the outside is good - it suggests your windows are insulating well, and not letting heat out from the house.

markin

Is the kitchen actually vented, it could just be a filter fan.

Was it replasterd?

Do the new windows get condensate on the inside at the same humidity, it must be at a higher point right?

deano2099

We have something similar. Humidistats reading on the high (right on the edge of what's seen as problematic) but no visible signs, but certainly a musty smell in places. 3 bathrooms, not a single extractor between them, no window vents I can see or visible air blocks, just a recirculating hood in the kitchen, but no visible water or damp anywhere. 

Bought a dehumidifier and it also didn't report excessively high numbers (65-ish) but managed to fill its 3-litre tank after 12 hours in the fitted wardrobe. Similar in other rooms but after running in most rooms for a day or so the rate massively dropped. I'm assuming it's somehow a build up of moisture in the walls from the previous owners just not really ventilating anything. 

We also got extractor fans fitted, wasn't too expensive at all.

Leon_W

I wouldn't beat yourself up too much about it.

I've resigned myself to a bit of damp and high humidity.  This week has seen my humidity meter reading high 70's and low 80's all week really and there isn't much more that I can do about it.

We live in an old, detached, solid red brick cottage which has been rendered at the sides and rear and it's always been like this. When we first moved in we used to get black mold everywhere and condensation running down inside walls. Over the years I've internally insulated all the bedrooms which has certainly helped, replaced the old wooden windows with double glazed and generally done as much as I can. At this time of year we get condensation on the outside of our windows (good) but if the temperature dips we'll also get it on the inside.

It still suffers from high humidity even though our windows and vents are open pretty much all year round. 

This is also the "bad" time of year as we've had weeks of rain and low pressure systems dragging really moist damp hot air up from the Azores and as soon as it hits Britain it does just condense everywhere !  I usually find that as it does get colder into midwinter that the air dries up somewhat and seems less of a problem.

I sometimes run a desiccant dehumidifier upstairs which takes the edge off it but it quickly returns to the damp status quo !!

Alphahedron

Hi all - thanks for your replies.

As an update, I’ve been running my new 12 litre dehumidifier (low energy) for just over a week now - essentially constantly, and having moved around the house. This has generally made a good difference, generally bringing humidity down to the 50-60% range in the areas it’s being used and the air then feels more pleasant. I have been emptying the 2.5 litre tank about 1-1.5 times a day.

However, each of the rooms quickly return to the 60-70% mark in terms of humidity once I move it away, and as it’s only me and I’m not doing stuff like loads of cooking or drying, I suspect there is a damp issue. Looking back at my home buyers survey, it did not mention or discuss any issues on damp or humidity. I’m going to give the building a good check over to see if there’s any obvious areas or problems, but if not, there is part of me considering a specific damp survey.

Leon – appreciate the solidarity in living in a damp home! I have lived in a property with a serious damp problem before (mould on clothes, water streaming down walls etc), and this is not as severe. It’s currently manageable with the dehumidifier, but obviously not ideal and unpleasant with the damp bedsheets.

FreeBear

Alphahedron said: However, each of the rooms quickly return to the 60-70% mark in terms of humidity once I move it away, and as it’s only me and I’m not doing stuff like loads of cooking or drying, I suspect there is a damp issue. Looking back at my home buyers survey, it did not mention or discuss any issues on damp or humidity. I’m going to give the building a good check over to see if there’s any obvious areas or problems, but if not, there is part of me considering a specific damp survey.

A 1970s build, so you'll have cavity walls. Depending on any cavity wall insulation, penetrating damp shouldn't be an issue.

Upper floor maisonette, so elevated ground levels will not be a problem. Not that it would stop some of these PCA surveyors salesmen diagnosing rising damp...

Being at the bottom of a hill, you could be at the mercy of the local microclimate. Putting a humidity sensor on the outside of the building (in a sheltered spot) and recording the readings would give you more data to compare.

I log humidity both inside and externally. When it is damp outside, and a window is opened, I can see internal humidity increasing. Little point in ventilating when damp air is coming in to the building..

Novice_investor101

My 2 bed mid terrace, solid brick walls, always felt cold & uncomfortable downstairs, but upstairs felt fine. The only damp was a patch on an internal lounge wall & one on the internal kitchen wall. The low level kitchen cabinets smelt a but musty. Otherwise, it felt “dry”. I never had a problem with anything feeling damp or wet. 

After moving a hygrometer, I found out the downstairs was consistently over 70% humidity. Upstairs was in the 50% range. A dehumidifier fixed the problem in about a week of running consistently. I could smell the dampness coming out of the walls & felt the atmosphere become more comfortable. 

Upstairs was fine because the main bedroom & bathroom windows were locked open on vent 24/7 & the loft hatches (one in the landing, one in the spare room) kept air moving. Never had a problem since. 

Try running the dehumidifier in your bedroom, maybe with earplugs, & see if the bedding feels more comfortable. 

Also, if it’s really wet outside then it might be more humid out than in. 

Chloe_G

My house has similar problems and I noticed recently that pieces of paper in the house feel damp. I gave up running the dehumidifier as it's supposed to be quiet but it has an annoying humming noise that goes through the whole house and when it's switched off the humidity reading returns to high levels in about 15 minutes, so unless I leave it on all the time, it seems a bit pointless.