Damp bungalow solutions?

Reveuse90

Hi 🙂 

Since moving into my bungalow a few years ago I've noticed it can be prone to damp and consequently sometimes mould.

I purchased a dehumidifier and have had new windows put in with trickle vents, which are always open. These made a big difference as the previous windows were like waterfalls in the winter.

The bungalow is 1960s, concrete floors and we still have the warm air heating system. The cavity walls aren't insulated.

A few months ago I bought humidity monitor and can see that all rooms sit at around 80% humidity.

I feel like the  bungalow lacks ventilation, but I've also read vents can cause more harm than good?

The worst affected room is the bedroom where the corner of the room gets a damp patch on the ceiling and the carpet and underlay get damp. The external wall is very cold in the bedroom so I guess it draws the moisture to it.

What would you advise to help get rid of some of the moisture?
I've tried opening the windows more lately but it doesn't t seem to change the humidity much. Is that because if has been so rainy lately?

Thank you 🙂

TadleyBaggie

Duplicate thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6416049/overly-humid-bungalow#latest

Reveuse90

TadleyBaggie said:

Duplicate thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6416049/overly-humid-bungalow#latest

I hit post before I had finished typing. I have flagged it for deleting 👍

subjecttocontract

* Don't dry washing indoors, hang it outside or use a vented tumble drier instead.
* Keep the use of portable gas fires to a minimum....they produce a lot of water vapour.
* Ensure the property is adequately heated.
* Use an extractor fan when using bath or shower, open window after use to vent room.
* Use extractor fan when cooking on hob.

vic_sf49

I've no experience of a warm air heating system OP, but what temperature are you heating the rooms to?

Detached bungalow here, 90% cavity wall filling, no trickle vents, bathroom and kitchen have extractors, bathroom window open as much as possible.

I dry washing inside sometimes, don't have other windows open much, and humidity is currently between 52% (room with dehumidifier) to 59%.

Most rooms heated to 19 degrees or higher during the day. Some have the doors closed and lower settings on the TRVs. 

Neighbours have issues in one room, as they don't heat it much, but it's open to moist air flowing in from the kitchen = water running down the walls.

markin

Is the dehumidifier running 24../7 at 80% it should be collecting many LT per day?

Are all gutters clean and leak free?

Are the pipes in the floor?

ThisIsWeird

vic_sf49 said:

Neighbours have issues in one room, as they don't heat it much, but it's open to moist air flowing in from the kitchen = water running down the walls.

Would almost certainly be instantly resolved by opening a window or two to 'vent' and closing the room door. As simple as that.

vic_sf49

ThisIsWeird said:

vic_sf49 said:

Neighbours have issues in one room, as they don't heat it much, but it's open to moist air flowing in from the kitchen = water running down the walls.

Would almost certainly be instantly resolved by opening a window or two to 'vent' and closing the room door. As simple as that.

Definitely an easy fix, but after explaining many times why I don't have the same problem, I gave up because "but this is how we've always done it, and we won't ever listen to anyone, or change our ways" blah blah blah.

At least they're keeping a plasterer and decorator gainfully employed, when moisture wrecks that wall.

Joe9090

ThisIsWeird said:

vic_sf49 said:

Neighbours have issues in one room, as they don't heat it much, but it's open to moist air flowing in from the kitchen = water running down the walls.

Would almost certainly be instantly resolved by opening a window or two to 'vent' and closing the room door. As simple as that.

We are in a similar position to the OP and have tried what you say and it does not work in the main bedroom. If the RH outside is over 90%, as it has been for the last few days, the RH in the bedroom hardly goes below 90% if we open the windows. At night we leave the trickle vents open in the windows but we still wake up to 95% in weather like we are having at the moment. We have a dehumidifier on most days and it gets the RH down to around 80% but as soon as we switch it off the RH quickly goes up to over 90%.