Is our humidity level something to be concerned about?

ashe

I'm going to order some humidity sensors so I can monitor properly, but am concerned humidity levels in our home. 

House is a 1999 build 4 bed detached, we have cavity wall with no insulation (as I've drilled through for cables, then sealed etc)

we have loft insulation but it's poor and thin and just waiting for some electrical work to be done so we can top this up. 

We are in the process of changing our windows out a few at a time as they were double glazed but drafty, and I've put some foam tape on the two windows that still have issues - the rest are just old and being swapped out to match.

Our living room nest thermostat shows humidity of 72% usually, I suspect this is high as we have two kittens that currently live in here to keep them separate from an older cat while they integrate. The room is few degrees warmer than rest of house as doors usually closed because of this

Like most people we have been tight with the heating so suspect this is at play also. Thermostat currently set to 15c although feels warmer in that room

Girlfriend takes long baths but we have window cracked open and bathroom door open and run a manrose 100T loft fan that vents to a roof tile through insulated ducting 

she dries clothes indoors during winter but does it in the dressing room, with the door closed and a dehumidifier running overnight. 

Our bedroom door is open to the hallway, and bathroom door is open, and all 3 rooms have lots of condensation on the windows on mornings, but with heating off overnight I presume this is just water moisture from breathing etc condensing on the cold window surface?

hallway is showing 67% humidity on the dehumidifier right now although I'll need the sensors for more consistent readings 

Are these figures really high? Bedroom window has trickle vents which we leave open, we've tried having it open on the lock setting but you wake up freezing cold. 

I'm seriously considering a PIV system as don't want to end up getting damp , but hit sure if that wiki make the house even colder?

Slinky

Why does you girlfriend have the bathroom door open when in the bath. Surely you should keep it closed then leave it closed with the window wide open when she's finished so the damp air goes out the window.

ashe

Slinky said:

Why does you girlfriend have the bathroom door open when in the bath. Surely you should keep it closed then leave it closed with the window wide open when she's finished so the damp air goes out the window.

Just airflow. Unless you swing the window open wide even with the powerful fan the room still gets a lot of condensation, and with window wide open it's freezing. And obviously no privacy 

ashe

Deleted_User said:

I'd consider anything in the high 60's to be too damp. After a bath (in our ensuite) our bedroom might go up t o71% or so and it feels kind of damp to me. 

For a while we used a dehumidifier to get it down lower. But that's a bit expensive to run - we found it wasn't enough just to have it on for an hour or two after a bath.

Last year we installed a woodburner and our entire house hovers around 50% despite constantly boiling water on the fire and having washing hanging in front of it to dry. So if that's something that appeals for other reasons it doubles up as a great way to dry your house.

Another thing to consider - when it's warm and wet out your humidity levels will go up and that's normal. When it's cold humidity levels should be lower. So high humidity (due to temporary warm air) when it's cold outside is what I worry about most - not least because it will condense on cold surfaces and cause dampness.

I think my little sensors say 'fine' until it gets to something like 67%. So yours isn't really bad I don't think and if you're not seeing dampness etc you probably don't need to worry.

I think our 50% is possibly getting a little bit too dry.

Thanks for the info, no real space for the log burner to go and probably not a direction we would go in anyways. No signs of damp other than the condensation. 

FreeBear

ashe said: hallway is showing 67% humidity on the dehumidifier right now although I'll need the sensors for more consistent readings 

Are these figures really high? Bedroom window has trickle vents which we leave open, we've tried having it open on the lock setting but you wake up freezing cold.

Humidity here is currently ranging from 51% (hallway) up to 68% (bedroom) with a temperature of ~18°C. But my sensors have not been calibrated, so there is some degree of error in the readings (the same would apply to anything you can buy at a low cost). Typically, my humidity readings hover around 60-75% and only worry about it if the windows are streaming in condensation in the morning - Sometimes get a little bit at the bottom if it has been particularly cold overnight.

Apodemus

ashe said:

Our living room nest thermostat shows humidity of 72% usually, I suspect this is high as we have two kittens...

"It's the kittens wot done it!"  

Seriously, I wouldn't lose too much sleep over a 72% humidity in winter in UK.   It sounds like you understand the issues and are taking reasonable steps to keep the place aired.

ashe

FreeBear said:

ashe said: hallway is showing 67% humidity on the dehumidifier right now although I'll need the sensors for more consistent readings 

Are these figures really high? Bedroom window has trickle vents which we leave open, we've tried having it open on the lock setting but you wake up freezing cold.

Humidity here is currently ranging from 51% (hallway) up to 68% (bedroom) with a temperature of ~18°C. But my sensors have not been calibrated, so there is some degree of error in the readings (the same would apply to anything you can buy at a low cost). Typically, my humidity readings hover around 60-75% and only worry about it if the windows are streaming in condensation in the morning - Sometimes get a little bit at the bottom if it has been particularly cold overnight.

Yeah we only really get some on the bottom, maybe a little going up the sides. I suppose "lots" is a bit of an exageration, but the old windows had started to get a bit of mould so we are trying to keep on top of it by wiping this away when we see it. 

I'm tempted by a PIV system as seen a lot of positive comments about them getting rid of this issue. 

ashe

Apodemus said:

ashe said:

Our living room nest thermostat shows humidity of 72% usually, I suspect this is high as we have two kittens...

"It's the kittens wot done it!"  

Seriously, I wouldn't lose too much sleep over a 72% humidity in winter in UK.   It sounds like you understand the issues and are taking reasonable steps to keep the place aired.

Hah, I just mean because it means the doors are always closed to that room meanwhile two 7KG bengals are snoring out water vapour all day & night

_Sam_

ashe said:

 

I'm seriously considering a PIV system as don't want to end up getting damp , but hit sure if that wiki make the house even colder? 

It appears a PIV will require additional heating in winter as it introduces the cold air. 

Spies

Humidity does depend on where you live 60-70% is the norm around here indoors, as long as your windows aren't running with water in the morning it should be fine, you just need to watch for mould on the cold spots on your walls. 

Eldi_Dos

ashe said:

Slinky said:

Why does you girlfriend have the bathroom door open when in the bath. Surely you should keep it closed then leave it closed with the window wide open when she's finished so the damp air goes out the window.

Just airflow. Unless you swing the window open wide even with the powerful fan the room still gets a lot of condensation, and with window wide open it's freezing. And obviously no privacy 

Have you tried putting about a inch of cold water in the bath first before adding hot water, cuts down on the amount of steam/condensation.