Condensation/Mould Problem and Humidity

jodaw

Hi All,

I currently have a condensation/mould problem in a newish build and i am researching how to solve this problem. It is such a pain that with all the new building regs that new homes suffering these problems.

In short i am getting condesation of windows which is leading to mould growth on the wooden frames. Also the ensuite which has a window but no extractor fan now has black mould on the plasterboard in the reveals. I need to stop this in is tracks.

Problems that are contributing:

1. Extractor fan in kitchen installed by builder is not great together with what seems to be vacuum leaks.
2. Clothes are being dried internally now in winter.
3. No vents in the walls only small vents in windows.

After some research i considering the following.

1. Upgrade extractor fan
2. Leave lids on pots as much as possible
3. Buy condenser dryer for clothes.
4. Buy dehumidifier for house. (desiccant type)

I am currently waiting on a RH meter to arrive to diagnose the problem better.

I am a bit upset that i am having to search for all these solution which should realistically be written into the regs on the design of homes in this day and age :mad:

My concerns are:

1. Cost and maintence of condenser dryer
2. Cost of running a dehumidifier all year. About 500-1000 per year although i would hope that would be lower.

I was thinking to use the dehumifier to also dry clothes and cut the tumble dryer.

Some questions i need anwsering are about humidity as i am reading conflicting info on this. My new Relative humidity will give me the RH reading inside at a set temp. Outside RH at the moment is 90%.

Some articles state that if RH outside is more than RH outside then you should not open windows since you are letting in air of higher RH. But then there is Absolute humidity so in reality in winter even through the outside RH is high the outside air is cold so the air should be holding less water so it would still benefit opening windows.

Is there any cost effective way to measure the absolute humdity to know when it is best to ventilate? I was thinking just to opening all windows for 10 mins twice a day. Would this be enough?

Finally if anyone can add something to what i should be doing to combat this problem i would appreciate it.

gctest50

jodaw wrote: »

I am a bit upset that i am having to search for all these solution which should realistically be written into the regs on the design of homes in this day and age :mad:

You just can't dry clothes indoors (more so in an airtight-ish house ) - the water has to go somewhere.

For less than a kilowatt-hour of electricity it's not worth ruining your health and your house

Cupboard Dry cycle, and retained just 7g of water ....... used 0.63kW of power.

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/tumble-dryer/1302007/panasonic-nh-p80s1

mcah

Hi Jodaw, is your house cold? Condensation and subsequently mould will be more prevalent in colder rooms. We've recently had our 1983 house filled with cavity wall insulation and doubled up on attic insulation. This has made a huge difference. It has helped get rid of musty smells from mildew on clothes in the wardrobe and also ceiling and wall mould growth in the bathroom. I had also put in adjustable air vents to all rooms prior to the insulation. Hope this helps.

jodaw

Thanks for that link gctest50 that is a very energy efficient machine. The best i could find and a relatively low price is a Beko A rated machine in powercity using just over 2 kwh per cycle.

mcah: house is well insulated with double layer fiberglass in the attic. I think that mould gowth in ensuite is down to inadequate ventinalation in bathroom. I just simply forget to open the window sometimes. I was thinking of installing and powerful inline fan with timer.

The windows all have small trickle vents which are always open.

The washing indoors is the first thing i need to tackle. I though maybe using a dehumifier could have a dual function in reducing humidity and drying clothes but i may go for a good energy efficient dryer similar to above

Edit: Is this the same machine in your link?
http://www.pixmania.co.uk/front-loading-tumble-dryers/panasonic-nh-p80s1wgb-condenser-dryer-with-heat-pump/21737362-a.html?ectrans=1#CodePromo=oui&srcid=6104


Code is slightly different.

gctest50

jodaw wrote: »

........ Code is slightly different.

Need to check that out a bit more - the divil is in the detail


Heat recovery bathroom vent :

http://www.fastlec.co.uk/ventaxia-locarbon-tempra-p-single-room-heat-recovery-unit-p-13384.html



.

jodaw

OK after looking a little more are that pansonic machine i cannot find it for sale anywhere in Ireland plus the irish price would be minimum 1,000. I have found a direct like for like performance comparison for the Pansonic versus the machine i was looking at



Based on the yearly and lifetime running costs plus the price and ease of access i would probably go with the beko 399 powercity and 499 currys

gctest50

Nice find

jodaw

This is the direct link to that page in case your interested

http://www.sust-it.net/energy-saving.php?id=41&start=0&sd=0&tariff=38

Thanks for the link on the heat recovery fan as i have not come across them before.

Another product i came across with mixed reviews for combatting condesation is the following

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NUAIRE-DRIMASTER-HEAT-CONDENSATION-CONTROL-VENTILATION-LOFT-UNIT-/181097610959?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a2a423ecf

It basically filters air from the attic and pushes it through the home from a vent on the landing replacing the stale air in the house.