Damp / Condensation (4 Viewers)

[Nick]

Getting condensation and a bit of mould in one of the bedrooms that has 2 external walls.

Have cleaned all the mould with mould remover, put a dehumidifier in there and putting some thermal curtains up later to help keep it warm.

I've replaced the rubber seals in the window so it's a tight fit and no breeze.

The walls are always pretty cold to touch. (I don't fancy having the heating on for days just to heat up walls)

What else can I do to help it? (Without paying thousands for external insulation).

 

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[Covkid1968#]

I’ve had a huge mould problem and room ventilation is the way it got resolved. Did end up costing loads as had new vents installed etc. but it’s an old house. One of the solutions I was looking at was a piece of kit that modifies the air of the whole house… but it was a few thousand so I quickly went off the idea.

 

[Nick]

Ouch!

Yeah I've replaced the wall vent (it's literally a hole in the wall with vents) and also keeping the doors open more.

Also had the windows open in the daytimes for a couple of hours.

Did you have to get extractor fans and stuff?

 

[chiefdave]

Wait until it gets really bad and then get your photo in the Telegraph looking sad and hope someone else fixes it

 

[Nick]

Wait until it gets really bad and then get your photo in the Telegraph looking sad and hope someone else fixes it

I wish somebody else would.

There's no mould as I make sure it's all cleaned down. It's more keeping the air nice.

 

[nicksar]

We have a problem in one bedroom i have used special Damp and Mould resistant paint which keeps it at bay for a decent time.

 

[Nick]

I've got geeky and calculated a dew point in the coldest part of the wall I need to heat it up more 🫣

 

[napolimp]

Forget about heating up the room, like @Covkid1968# said it's all about ventilation. If you can cope then keep the window open slightly when showering, or at least open it fully when you're done to get as much of the moisture out as possible (make sure you keep the bathroom door closed). Leave the window open for as long as possible. Wipe up as much moisture as possible, use a window vac for the shower to get rid of all water you can see, wipe down any other wet surfaces with a cloth and dry elsewhere. Any paintwork should be finished with those glossy anti-moult paints.

Make sure you have a good, fully working, extractor fan - and consider replacing whatever you have currently with something more heavy duty, such as this - Vents Turbo Tube Professional Inch Inline Extractor Fan TT100 PRO . Then you'll want to be running this constantly whilst you're using the bathroom, and for at least 10 minutes following.

 

[Nick]

My bathroom doesn't actually have an extractor which is a pain, the window is left open in the bathroom most of the time though.

I'd need to get in the loft to see if there's anything up there at the minute in terms of ducting I can use, if there is then I can whack something like that in the loft and duct it out somewhere up there.

If I start messing with roof tiles or having to drill massive holes for grills it's going to get expensive That fan does look good, I will just need to check if there's an easy way to get the air out once its in the loft.

What sort of trade does this class as? Plumber? Electrician.

 

[napolimp]

My bathroom doesn't actually have an extractor which is a pain, the window is left open in the bathroom most of the time though.

I'd need to get in the loft to see if there's anything up there at the minute in terms of ducting I can use, if there is then I can whack something like that in the loft and duct it out somewhere up there.

If I start messing with roof tiles or having to drill massive holes for grills it's going to get expensive That fan does look good, I will just need to check if there's an easy way to get the air out once its in the loft.

What sort of trade does this class as? Plumber? Electrician.

Definitely going to need an electrician for that, unless you're handy with electrics yourself. Extractor fans can make a huge difference, so worth a little investigation.

Highly recommend mopping up as much water as possible after using the bathroom as first step anyway, I basically wipe down all moisture from shower and sink after every use (sounds a pain) and makes a difference.

 

[eastwoodsdustman]

My bathroom doesn't actually have an extractor which is a pain, the window is left open in the bathroom most of the time though.

I'd need to get in the loft to see if there's anything up there at the minute in terms of ducting I can use, if there is then I can whack something like that in the loft and duct it out somewhere up there.

If I start messing with roof tiles or having to drill massive holes for grills it's going to get expensive That fan does look good, I will just need to check if there's an easy way to get the air out once its in the loft.

What sort of trade does this class as? Plumber? Electrician.

I got hold of a core drill and went straight out through the bathroom wall and fitted and extractor fan. Its very messy work but it did the trick.
Also had a mould problem in two of our other rooms (the house originally had warm air heating so no ventilation) so core drilled again and put air vents in.

 

[Nick]

I got hold of a core drill and went straight out through the bathroom wall and fitted and extractor fan. Its very messy work but it did the trick.
Also had a mould problem in two of our other rooms (the house originally had warm air heating so no ventilation) so core drilled again and put air vents in.

2 bedrooms have normal grills so I might if I can chuck silent extractor fans in them.

Then the bathroom I think I am going to try the one napolimp suggested, need to go up in the loft and see what it's like. In theory it should be easy enough to wire it up but might get an electrician to do that bit.

 

[wingy]

Interstitial condensation a bugger,get those boffins around you may be able to monetise it and get your electricity free.

 

[Marty]

Another vote for increasing ventilation, fit modern air bricks in the room affected, make sure you've got a gap between the carpet and the bottom of the door, so the air can circulate even with the door closed.

If you've got a few quid to spend, it might be worth looking at positive input ventilation. Essentially works the opposite to an extractor fan. Just constantly puts fresh air into the building.

 

[Nick]

Another vote for increasing ventilation, fit modern air bricks in the room affected, make sure you've got a gap between the carpet and the bottom of the door, so the air can circulate even with the door closed.

If you've got a few quid to spend, it might be worth looking at positive input ventilation. Essentially works the opposite to an extractor fan. Just constantly puts fresh air into the building.

There are already vents in the rooms but going to sort the bathroom and whack extractors in the existing vents in the rooms.

Not sure I could afford a big system.

 

[Marty]

There are already vents in the rooms but going to sort the bathroom and whack extractors in the existing vents in the rooms.

Not sure I could afford a big system.

If you have the old style air bricks, then I would suggest at upgrading them to the new type first and see if that clears it, they increases the air circulation massively. Cost you a couple of quid per brick and a bag of sand and cement. Its basic levels of DIY skill to do as well.

I assume you'll be getting decent extractors so the cost going to a PIV unit would probably only be double and it'll cover the whole of the house.

 

[Nick]

If you have the old style air bricks, then I would suggest at upgrading them to the new type first and see if that clears it, they increases the air circulation massively. Cost you a couple of quid per brick and a bag of sand and cement. Its basic levels of DIY skill to do as well.

I assume you'll be getting decent extractors so the cost going to a PIV unit would probably only be double and it'll cover the whole of the house.

What's the difference with air bricks?

 

[Marty]

What's the difference with air bricks?

Something like I've linked below allows a lot more air to circulate than the clay style air bricks.

9 x 3 Air Brick

• Ventilation area 8,000mm²• Suitable for commercial and domestic use• Very tough and robust • Integral clip together facility allows multiple air bricks to be stacked

www.toolstation.com

 

[Deleted member 5849]

put a dehumidifier in there

How much water does that draw out, out of interest?

(Mainly asking because have been running one myself in one bedroom for a while, and it's nowehere near as much water in it as my parents had... but their house did have condensation running down the walls at times!)

 

[Nick]

How much water does that draw out, out of interest?

(Mainly asking because have been running one myself in one bedroom for a while, and it's nowehere near as much water in it as my parents had... but their house did have condensation running down the walls at times!)

It wasn't a mega expensive one, it was about £60 off Amazon.

Pretty much have it on 24/7 and holds 1.5 litres, probably empty it once week.

 

[Nick]

Something like I've linked below allows a lot more air to circulate than the clay style air bricks.

9 x 3 Air Brick

• Ventilation area 8,000mm²• Suitable for commercial and domestic use• Very tough and robust • Integral clip together facility allows multiple air bricks to be stacked

www.toolstation.com

I've just got massive holes in the walls with vents on each side

 

[napolimp]

It wasn't a mega expensive one, it was about £60 off Amazon.

Pretty much have it on 24/7 and holds 1.5 litres, probably empty it once week.

Do you more or less know what the power cost is per 24 hours?

 

[Nick]

Do you more or less know what the power cost is per 24 hours?

I'm not too sure.

Ironically it stopped working last night, doing an Amazon return and invested in a bigger one which will hopefully sit in the hallway and do the 2 bedrooms and bathroom until I get an extractor fitted.

https://amzn.to/3SHL9fH

Need to go up in the loft and see what's up there to run one of those big extractor pumps from my bathroom.

 

[Nick]

Just replaced one of the bedroom vents with an extractor fan. Pretty easy to do just the wire with it was short. Whacked it on a smart plug and will see what that does.