Damp smell and mould in house

I'm just looking for some advice on behalf of my girlfriend, if anyone could be of help it would be much appreciated.

She moved into a small house about three months ago. The very first time I stepped foot into it, I got a really strong smell of damp - if I had noticed that on a viewing I never would have taken the place myself but she was under pressure to get something before she started a new job. Anyway, I got a disposable dehumidifier and noticed it filling up fairly quickly. There's no visible signs of mould on the walls; the house looks in pretty decent shape and is only about 10 years old. The front door leads directly into the kitchen area and this is where the smell is the strongest.

I told her to report it to the landlord, who got a plumber out, but didn't identify the cause. The thing I'm very worried about is that she's now noticing mould appearing on her personal items such as shoes, clothing and even her passport! This seems to suggest that it's airborne dampness to me. I'm also worried about if this could have a negative effect on her health.

Can anyone suggest where she should go next? Obviously she should get the landlord involved again but is there anyone she can turn to who might be able to identify the source?

mikeysmith

Have you got the heat on and plenty of ventilation?

There are vents in each room and from what I can see they're open. She was saying today that she's going to give the heating a good run. She normally doesn't leave it on too long because the house gets quite toasty even when it's on for a short time, but this is the next step alright.

weary1

Mould appears when there is condensation on walls and other surfaces.
Warm air comes into contact with cold walls - usually exterior walls - and condenses.

How long have you been using the dehumidifier ? If you clean off the exisiting mould it should stop any new mould.

Well as I say, there's no visible mould on the walls. Any visible mould has developed on her personal items and wasn't there before. But the damp smell has been there since she moved in.

The dehumidifier was one I bought not long after she moved in, but it's well used up so I'd have to replace it now.

loyatemu

disposable dehumidifier won't cut it for a damp house - they're designed to be put in wardrobes or other small spaces. You need to get proper electric dehumidifier.

LirW

If the house is around 10 years old it'd be interesting how it's built and insulated. There are certain wall types that can cause rising damp as well as certain wall types that shouldn't be dry lined. If the house gets toasty quick enough it can be an indicator that it's drylined and it's the wrong way of insulation for the actual building because for example block built houses can have serious dampness and mould issues with that type of insulation.

Anyway, get a proper dehumidifier, heat and air the place 3 times a day. If it's not getting better, it can be an issue with the building.

weary1

Well thats suprising that the walls don't show any mould, maybe they were cleaned and treated recently.
When there is mould it will often occur in the bottom of wardrobes located right beside walls.

the_syco

loyatemu wrote: »

disposable dehumidifier won't cut it for a damp house - they're designed to be put in wardrobes or other small spaces. You need to get proper electric dehumidifier.

Agreed. Father got one for the attic there once; we were emptying over 3L of water a day for the first week or so!

Harry Palmr

Is the house part of a terrace, a semi or detached?

Thanks for the suggestions so far. It's fully detached.

Harry Palmr

Was wondering if you had one side less damp than the other due to the house type.

listermint

Is she drying clothes in the house? Is there a dryer? Is it a condenser?

Blockages etc

There is a dryer in the house, I'm almost certain that it's not a condenser. I don't know where the vent goes though. She either uses the dryer or hangs clothes outside, she doesn't leave damp clothes lying about thankfully.

The smell has been there since she moved in, so I don't think it's anything she's doing.

Eric Cartman

Probably just been empty for a while, rent an industrial dehumidifier for a week and leave it on during the day with the doors all open. It should pull almost everything out after a few days, after tge week it should be sorted.

ruahead

Pull up carpets to check if there are any. Put newspapers under carpet to see if it comes from below, I had this experience. Very bad for health....

mattcullen

Run a proper electric dehumidifier continuously for a week or two.

Clean away any mold around windows, corners, cold spots with mold remover.

Don't dry clothes indoor. Either use a condenser dryer or vent the tumble dryer outside, through a window if needs be.

If there's no visible mold returning after a week or so, you could get away with changing the settings on the dehumidifier. Most can be adjusted to knock on and off depending on the relative humidity in the room.

Sounds like condensation. It's a nightmare but you can get on top of it if you keep the place warm, ventilated and use a dehumidifier.

TBi

Also recommend a proper dehumidifier. Our house isn't damp but it filled up our dehumidifier every day for almost two weeks. After that it filled up slower.

Make sure you get a dessicant dehumidifier, they work better in Ireland than the normal one. We run ours all the time set for 50% humidity. It only runs a few hours a day now and the house is a lot more comfortable. We use a meaco dd8l.

conormc1984

TBi wrote: »

Also recommend a proper dehumidifier. Our house isn't damp but it filled up our dehumidifier every day for almost two weeks. After that it filled up slower.

Make sure you get a dessicant dehumidifier, they work better in Ireland than the normal one. We run ours all the time set for 50% humidity. It only runs a few hours a day now and the house is a lot more comfortable. We use a meaco dd8l.

I second that model and it does a great job, even had a clothes drying setting and blows out hot air.

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beauf

Seems odd that you need to run a dehumidifier all the time.

TBi

beauf wrote: »

Seems odd that you need to run a dehumidifier all the time.

Ireland is a humid country. Outside humidity is very high. A humid house can feel colder in the winter. By reducing humidity the house will ‘feel’ warmer and thus more comfortable.

We don’t have to run it. We choose to.

beauf

When easing coughs they often use a humidifier.

There is a difference in improving your air quality and needing to run a dehumidifier for damp problems.

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beauf

I have the same issue with a internal en-suite. So that's a physical design issue. I have seen issues though where people just don't open windows. Just like de misting car windows the optimum way of doing it is AC with a little bit of fresh air to recycle, reload the air with the moisture, which is then removed from the car. The car AC is a dehumidifier. I've seen the same in houses were one tenant has no issues, the next tenant has loads of issues because they never open a window, and do all the cooking and drying with closed windows. I guess one solution to that is run a dehumidifier all the time.

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beauf

The idea is that opening the window brings in fresh air that loads up on water then is removed by the airflow. Since cold air holds more water than warm air.
Keeping a place too warm take the water out of the air, but it goes into everything else. Which is why keeping windows all the time and over heating causes mould.

it should translate for you

http://www.cosmiq.de/qa/show/652963/Wie-oft-sollte-man-taeglich-Lueften/ (
http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/gesundheit/umwelteinfluesse-auf-den-menschen/schimmel/richtig-lueften-schimmelbildung-vermeiden
https://www.klimagriff.de/schimmelratgeber/falsches-lueften/

Of course if you are mechanically removing it via a Humidifier thats an alternative.

TBi

beauf wrote: »

Since cold air holds more water than warm air.

Em. i think you are wrong there...

Jim 77

I once had a case of bad mould in a kitchen that was associated entirely with a particular tenant. He would make a stew which involved boiling the ingredients in a large open pot at max (no simmering) for several hours and topping up the water every so often. The kitchen would resemble a sauna and the walls were covered in condensation even if the fan was at full. After a while mould started developing on the external walls.

As a landlord I didn't think it was my place to tell him how or what to cook, and constantly treating the mould was going to be a PITA, so I got polystyrene lined (3mm) wallpaper and stuck it on all the external walls and painted it to resemble the rest of the kitchen. It cured the problem but the finish is not as good as paint on bare walls.
Used a similar approach on a mould prone bathroom and it also worked well.

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Roger Mellie Man on the Telly

^^^ Equilibrium moisture content will be reached either way. If you have a shower it's certainly worthwhile opening a window to allow purge ventilation. I don't have figures for air moisture content after a typical shower (and there will always be variables), but I'd be shocked to find increased moisture content in a shower room at certain times of year after opening a window.

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Alf Veedersane

Karsini wrote: »

Well as I say, there's no visible mould on the walls. Any visible mould has developed on her personal items and wasn't there before. But the damp smell has been there since she moved in.

Are the personal items in a wardrobe against an external wall?

beauf

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Sorry I had it backwards.

I never had a problem in a bathroom or house where it was well ventilated. Never needed a humidifier. Exception being internal bathrooms with no Windows.

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TBi

beauf wrote: »

Sorry I had it backwards.

I never had a problem in a bathroom or house where it was well ventilated. Never needed a humidifier. Exception being internal bathrooms with no Windows.

We don't have an issue with mould either, we ventilate the house properly. We just find the house more comfortable when the humidity is lower. You should try it, you'll be surprised.

(With a humidity controlling dehumidifer)

Roger Mellie Man on the Telly

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Therefeore EMC will be reached. I mean to say that if the inside air is more heavily loaded with moisture than outside air, it makes sense to purge ventilate. I'd like to see MC's for typical Irish air and a 'typical' room after say a 10 minute shower.

The best form of mechanical extract I believe are humidity sensitive units which will overrun for as long as necessary to reduce MC to the set level.

beauf

...it would be interesting to see some official data on it...

Someone must have done a study on it.

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beauf

Unless you live in the hallway I don't see the connection to your lifestyle?

EndaHonesty

Karsini wrote: »

I'm just looking for some advice on behalf of my girlfriend, if anyone could be of help it would be much appreciated.

She moved into a small house about three months ago. The very first time I stepped foot into it, I got a really strong smell of damp - if I had noticed that on a viewing I never would have taken the place myself but she was under pressure to get something before she started a new job. Anyway, I got a disposable dehumidifier and noticed it filling up fairly quickly. There's no visible signs of mould on the walls; the house looks in pretty decent shape and is only about 10 years old. The front door leads directly into the kitchen area and this is where the smell is the strongest.

I told her to report it to the landlord, who got a plumber out, but didn't identify the cause. The thing I'm very worried about is that she's now noticing mould appearing on her personal items such as shoes, clothing and even her passport! This seems to suggest that it's airborne dampness to me. I'm also worried about if this could have a negative effect on her health.

Can anyone suggest where she should go next? Obviously she should get the landlord involved again but is there anyone she can turn to who might be able to identify the source?

I would recommend getting a dehumidifier like this;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-DES12-Compact-Dehumidifier-Litre/dp/B0029NZW5E

I have one in an apartment which has a bit of damp and because of being on the ground floor we can't leave the windows open.

It's running pretty much all year round and it's a great machine.

It will cure the damp, make the house easier to heat in the winter and cooler in the summer.

It will make drying clothes/towels/etc. easier.

There's an upfront cost but the improved environment is well worth it.

We had a cheaper brand before this one but that died and this has been faultless for 4 years.

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mikeysmith

EndaHonesty wrote: »

I would recommend getting a dehumidifier like this;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-DES12-Compact-Dehumidifier-Litre/dp/B0029NZW5E

I have one in an apartment which has a bit of damp and because of being on the ground floor we can't leave the windows open.

It's running pretty much all year round and it's a great machine.

It will cure the damp, make the house easier to heat in the winter and cooler in the summer.

It will make drying clothes/towels/etc. easier.

There's an upfront cost but the improved environment is well worth it.

We had a cheaper brand before this one but that died and this has been faultless for 4 years.

Would you need one upstairs and one downstairs in an a 3 bed semi?

EndaHonesty

mikeysmith wrote: »

Would you need one upstairs and one downstairs in an a 3 bed semi?

No, leave it on the landing or hallway. It will draw damp from the whole house.

TBi

EndaHonesty wrote: »

I would recommend getting a dehumidifier like this;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-DES12-Compact-Dehumidifier-Litre/dp/B0029NZW5E

Compressor type ones don’t work as well in Ireland as desiccant style. Especially on colder days. The compressor ones ice up and stop dehumidifing until it melts.

Desiccant style will work even if the room is very cold. Plus they are lighter.

mikeysmith

TBi wrote: »

Compressor type ones don’t work as well in Ireland as desiccant style. Especially on colder days. The compressor ones ice up and stop dehumidifing until it melts.

Desiccant style will work even if the room is very cold. Plus they are lighter.

Assuming the house is warm for the winter but lots of moisture

Which one is best then?

beauf

Do they ice up inside a house?????

TBi

mikeysmith wrote: »

Assuming the house is warm for the winter but lots of moisture

Which one is best then?

I’d still recommend desiccant. They have same efficiency from 0c to 30c. Compressor style are most efficient at 20-25c and get worse as the temp gets lower.

dennyk

beauf wrote: »

Do they ice up inside a house?????

Definitely. They work by compressing a gas and then allowing it to expand inside of a coil, which makes the coil very cold, causing water to condense on the coil, where it then drips down into a collection container. The coils are well below freezing, so they will slowly develop a layer of ice even when it's quite warm inside. Normally a decent dehumidifier will run a defrosting cycle when too much ice builds up to warm the coils and clear the ice, but if the inside temperature is too low, the ice will develop more quickly and the dehumidifier will have to spend more time in the defrost cycle, making it less efficient.

EndaHonesty

TBi wrote: »

Compressor type ones don’t work as well in Ireland as desiccant style. Especially on colder days. The compressor ones ice up and stop dehumidifing until it melts.

Desiccant style will work even if the room is very cold. Plus they are lighter.

I had a Meaco dessicant machine before this one and it died after 2years.

After it happened I researched it and apparently the desicant machines can be unreliable.

Compressor machines last much longer so I chose this machine for reliability.

It has worked faultlessly for 4 years.

The machine also has an anti frost sensor to prevent it icing up.

TBi

Could have just been unlucky. Ours has been running solid. But you did your research and got what you thought was best. I’ll still buy a desiccant one though