I have found a pretty good one in a clearance sale online (£90) and I think that it would help alot of the problems we have with condesation, mould, damp, and difficulty heating. I reckon the air is so heavy with moisture it would take forever to dry it out let alone heat the house and dry out the walls.
Do you think it is worth the money?
Will it help?
Will it reduse the risk of E developing Asthma? (everyone else in OHs family has it)
Any thoughts, musings or ideas would be most welcome. I want to be quick and catch this bargin while it is still available.
Thankyou
Ann Pan
"Some days you're the dog,
some days you're the lamp-post"
We have had the problems fixed, the lack of ventilation, lack of heating, and bloody great holes in the roof. Problem is for us that it is now too cold to throw the windows open and let the air sweep through... if it was June, we'd be fine.
We do plan on opening up our upstairs fireplace when funds allow, downstairs it has a fully functioning great big woodburner in it.
So the problems have been fixed but the walls are still wet, and we have severe condensation and mould growing in parts of the house (kitchen, bathroom and hall between the 2) ...yukky. We are instaling some insulation to try to keep the heat in and trying to keep the woodburner going for as long as possible. we have a few portable electric heaters too but I was hoping that a dehumidifier might reduse the need to use them as it is easier to heat a dry house.
I have read quite a few possitive reports on them but I wanted to know if anyone on here had any further thoughts
BTW I also read alot about the mould problems caused by underheating ... so heating one room and wearing jumpers might not be a good long term solution for those of us struggleing to stay warm... just sharing
Ann Pan
"Some days you're the dog,
some days you're the lamp-post"
i would go for it AP, we had one in an old damp stone cottage many years ago when we had mains leccy and it was cheaper and more efficient than other forms of heating. i know a few people that have them and they all speak highly of them. though you could just get an old fridge off freecycle and take the door off same principle but not so portable
cheers, paul
please bear in mind when reading this post that i'm a taurus so prone to talking bull.
I used to have a small dehumidifier in one of my houses and it did help with my hay fever/seasonal asthma a fair bit. But when I used in a static caravan to reduce the huge amounts of condensation that accumulated over winter it couldn't cope.
If you have a big damp problem as stoney said the cause needs to be sorted and it would also be far better to hirer and industrial dehumidifier for a week or two.
Winters are very humid and cold here in southern Italy and houses are not built for winter months. Many expats we know have serious problems with damp and mould as they shut all doors and windows and whack up the heating. We've never had any humidity problems as we copy our Italian neighbours and open the house up for a few hours most days to let the air circulate.
Every morning I also wipe any moisture off the windows and this seems to do the trick.
Well we ordered one last night. Now just awaiting it's arrival
At the moment I have no interest in throwing the doors open for a few hours.....brrrrrr. It is probably abit warmer in southern Italy than it is in central scotland . I would prefer the fresh air through the house and if it was spring or summer I would definaetly have all the windows and doors open most of the day, but it is too cold now.
Almost everyone who has had one seems to think it is worth it. General consensus is that although it doesn't recoup it's initial outlay (unless it prevents damp work being done) The money it saves on heating costs is about what you spend running it. Plus it will make our house much more comfortable.
We decided it would be money well spent, I'll let you know how we get on
Thanks for all the advice.
Ann Pan
"Some days you're the dog,
some days you're the lamp-post"
I'll be interested to see whether it works for you.
I have a massive problem in my house with mould; however, it's really quite atypical - different from anybody else's mould problem I've come across! It manifests itself in small grey spots on the ceilings (that's how it started, in the middle of summer, with windows open day and night). I now have the spots (and some larger areas) not only on the ceilings, but also on walls; below the windows, but also on inside walls. There's not much condensation on the windows (which I still mostly keep open during the days). The spare rooms, btw, are not affected; neither are bathroom (windowless!), or kitchen.
The area around the house gets regularly flooded whenever it rains; so this summer it was constantly wet outside (more than ankle deep at times). I reckon the dampness and mould on the walls has something to do with that. The farm manager (I live in a tied cottage) reckons it has nothing to do with the flooding and is just a lack of ventilation and heating. When I asked him what more I should do than keep windows open 24/7, and whether he expected me to keep the electric heating (that's all I have) going all summer, he didn't reply.
So really, I'm at my wit's end. If there really was so much humidity in the house, wouldn't it show first of all on the windows? Yes, some mornings I've had to wipe them down, but not very often, and it's only a thin layer of wetness. And anyway, I produce very little in the way of steam in the house; no long hot baths, use of kettle and cooking sparingly and always with open window or extractor on. I dry my washing outside when I can, and most of it (the large pieces) in a different building when it's wet outside. So what more can I do? Any ideas anybody?
Ina
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)
sounds to me like you damp proof membrane has been breached Ina. I would be asking your farm manager for an structural survey to be done. Or at the very least for the hirer cost of an industrial dehumidifier to dry out your place.
I have found dehumidifiers helpful in the past. They are good for drying out damp caused by plastering and decorating and for drying out a house once damp problems have been cured. It doesn't really matter if it's underpowered it'll just take longer to dry the house out.
Remember to switch it off when you open the windows. Bit of a waste to dry the countryside.
Once the house is finished you'll find it useful for drying washing or if you have lots of visitors and lots of showers.
Ina - I would say that condensation is causing your mould spots. It sounds the same as I problem I had in a fairly modern house a few years ago. The reason water usually condenses on windows is that they are usually the coldest area. If the windows are double glazed or covered by thick curtains then the water will condense somewhere else. Do your walls have a cavity and is it insulated? If no, then that might be why the water is condensing there. You could try renting a dehumidifier to see if it helps. The mould won't go away unless you bleach it away but you can see if it stops growing.
By the way, I agree about not shutting up rooms. If you do shut them up at night to save heat, then you should open them up again during the day otherwise you could end up with damp being trapped in the room.
baldowrie wrote:sounds to me like you damp proof membrane has been breached Ina. I would be asking your farm manager for an structural survey to be done. Or at the very least for the hirer cost of an industrial dehumidifier to dry out your place.
If it was a damp proof course problem then you would see the worst of the damp appearing to rise up the walls from the floor.
Also, if the damp proof course has been breached by a build up of soil outside then you should be able to see it easily.
Ina was flooded earlier this year in her integeral garage and was lucky it didn't go into the house, hence the reason why her damp proof memebrane may have been breached.
Ahh yes, I'd forgotten that. In which case it could well be residual damp from the flooding. Hopefully, it could still be dried out.
I was thinking that maybe the flooding could have washed some soil against one of the outside walls breaching the damp proof. Again, quite easy to solve.
Sometimes when you are living with damp you go crazy trying to figure out why and you do all in your powers to stop it. Sometimes it takes central heating and time for it all to dry out. Maybe there is something more serious though
I'll definatly keep you posted on our results, I am quite excited about the prospect of a dry(er) house Yes, I am sad, but if it works it'll be amazing.
Oh and E has come down with a nasty virus, I am starting to think that a warm and dry house at all costs is the smart option. She would have got the infection anyway but we would all be more comfortable and healthy if the house was warm and dry
Ann Pan
"Some days you're the dog,
some days you're the lamp-post"
We have a condensation problem in our house, although this has reduced considerably this year as since last winter we have replaced the old central heating system, lagged the loft, replaced two very old and large windows with better double glazing, filled the wall cavities and insulated the large flat roof.
So, you would have thought that having sealed the house up the condensation problem should be worse - it isn't. I am sure somebody can tell me why. It is probably the more effective heating system.
A plumber friend has now suggested that we get ventilation fans fitted into the walls of the bathroom and shower room to draw the moisture out before it hits the rest of the house.
We had a small cheap dehumidifier at one point, but it didn't seem to do anything at all.
I dunno if any of this is helpful. Just my experience.
... so heating one room and wearing jumpers might not be a good long term solution for those of us struggleing to stay warm... just sharing 
same principle but not so portable 
Yes, I am sad, but if it works it'll be amazing. 
I am starting to think that a warm and dry house at all costs is the smart option. She would have got the infection anyway but we would all be more comfortable and healthy if the house was warm and dry
