Condensation and mold, stopping it?

gary38uk

we have a dehumidifier, from argos, under £100.
yes it works. (also provides water for steam iorn)
when you see the tank with 2 liters of water in it you relise why the mold appears, that water has to end up somewhere.

ventilation is the answer, but it seems a waste heating the house then letting the air out!
a dehumidifier will also make the house warmer as it takes more energy to heat damp air than dry.

Austin_Allegro_2

I live in a victorian flat with no proper DPC and single-ply walls. I used to get a lot of problems with condensation, but blitzed it with the following:

Use polystyrene sheet wallpaper insulation for the really cold/damp walls

Keep bathroom/kitchen doors shut and their windows open whenever steam is being produced

Keep bedroom windows open just a crack, or if it's too cold/noisy then open the window in another room and keep the bedroom door open

Keep a gap of a few inches between furniture and walls to prevent air pockets. If you have time, pull your sofa/bed etc away from the wall every day before you go out to work to let air circulate.

Keep all doors and fitted cupboards open when you're out (not the front door, obviously!)

Get a dehumidifier and use as much as possible, but especially while drying clothes or cooking/washing or in damp weather.

Use a microwave steamer to boil vegetables instead of the hob - this drastically cuts down on moisture in the air.

Keep everything scrupulously clean - the more you vacuum/dust the less chance of fungus/mildew building up.

tricky_3

Other than reading the very good advice in this thread, i can only suggest hiring (at considerable expense) a building surveyor.

Malestrom

thanks,
however the problem is its not drying out
would a dehumidifier help??????????

It sounds more like a damp problem rather than condensation to me, going on how bad you say it is, assuming you are taking all possible precautions to prevent moisture buildup in the atmosphere?

It could be leaking/missing guttering or damaged roof tiles (if an upstairs room), it could be a weeping pipe in the wall or upstairs (if a downstairs room). It could be a badly fitted window. If the adjoining room is a bathroom, it could be a leaking shower. In fact, there are so many things that could be causing a damp problem that you should really get someone in to look at it. If you ventilate the room for a couple of days and the wall is still wet then its probably not condensation.  Yes a dehumidifier will help but if its a damp problem then thats not the solution.



Just a general note to everyone, everyone has talked about loft insulation but cavity wall insulation can also help and I think grants may be available.

Oh, and a second note, if you have condensation problems and run a Calor Gas portable heater or heaters (the type with the blue bottle inside), that will be contributing to your problem. We had a serious condensation/mould problem some years ago and the expert that the council sent round said that they release an incredible amount of moisture into the air. We binned the Calor heaters and used electric oil-filled rads (lower output but constant DRY heat) and the problem went away.

rabialioness

after contacting various damp-proofing services (who refused to come out and investigate saying they only deal with rising damp which will be on ground floors).
my problem is upstairs.
i finally managed to get somone from sentinel who said it was condensation and suggested installing ----
passive dehumidifiers

---

.
however these are very expensive
3 required --one in each bedroom--
installation cost 428.00 plus vat
does anyone have a cheaper alternative or any experience of these passive dehumidifiers.
the guy recommended that they are better than ordinary dehumidifiers as there are no running or maintenance costs and they ared installed into the wall.

one consolation is that i see that other people have simailar problems. i thought it was only me and that i was doing something wrong.

tricky_3

Have a look at one of my posts above regarding Greenwood Airvac systems.

Im not sure exactly how much they cost but they work, and dont just transfer the problem to another room

misty

Don't know if this is of any use to anyone but there is a scheme warmFront to help people decrease their fuel bills and increase insulation etc in their homes. A friend of mine has recently had cavity wall insulation put in by them for free. There are conditions see below. There is also an over 60's scheme too.

http://www.eaga.co.uk/Grants/warm_front.htm
Warm Front Grant - England

The Warm Front grant and the Warm Front Plus grant were introduced in June 2000. Eaga Partnership manages the scheme in 3 out of 4 regions (London & South East, North East & North West and South West & West Midlands.)

The Warm Front grant provides a package, up to the value of £1500, of energy efficiency and heating measures specifically tailored to the needs of your property. Energy efficiency advice, tailored to each household, is provided by Eaga Partnership's Home Visits team in accordance with the Energy Savings Trust's Code of Practice. This grant is subject to funding availability, however our staff will advise you about this.

The following may be able to claim a grant of up to £1500 under Warm Front:

Householders who 1) have a child under 16 or 2) are pregnant and have been given a maternity certificate MAT B1, and are also in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:

Income Support
Housing Benefit
Council Tax Benefit
Income Based Job Seekers Allowance


Householders who are in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:
Working Tax Credit
(which must include a disability premium and with an income of less than £14,600).

Child Tax Credit
(with income less than £14,600)
Income Support
(which must include a disability premium).
Housing Benefit
(which must include a disability premium).
Council Tax Benefit
(which must include a disability premium).
Attendance Allowance
Disability Living Allowance
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
(which must include Constant Attendance Allowance).
War Disablement Pension
(which must include the mobility supplement or Constant Attendance Allowance).


If you think you could be eligible for assistance under the Warm Front Scheme, please feel free to apply on-line and your application will be processed.

Also, you can find out more about the Warm Front Scheme by filling out our Information Request Form and one of our staff will contact you for further details. Alternatively, check the Warm Front Grant Leaflet for further details.

There appears to be similar schemes operating in Scotland, Ireland and Wales

http://www.eaga.co.uk/Grants/central_gov-grants.htm