8 Steps To Fixing Damp, Mould, Condensation & Humidity In Our Home
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- Опубликовано: 5 янв 2023
- We had massive damp, condensation and high humidity problems which caused mould and mildew to grow on cold surfaces in a few rooms in our 1930s bungalow. In this video I cover 8 different things we did to resolve the issues.
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Trickle Vents 500ml amzn.to/3ie3nFP (Amazon UK) geni.us/fnNB9p (Amazon Worldwide)
PIV (Positive Input Ventilation) amzn.to/3Im1mC5 (Amazon UK) geni.us/c6dSehz (Amazon Worldwide)
PIV with built in Hygrometer amzn.to/3WOJc0c (Amazon UK) geni.us/VyN1Oh (Amazon Worldwide)
Dehumidifier amzn.to/3GH6G1s (Amazon UK) geni.us/tTsW (Amazon Worldwide)
Bathroom extractor amzn.to/3iiieiu (Amazon UK) geni.us/SMelJ25 (Amazon Worldwide)
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Humidity sensors: 8 pack amzn.to/3VM6UZt (Amazon UK) geni.us/te0N (Amazon Worldwide)
Air Brick amzn.to/3ClxYIn (Amazon UK) geni.us/d2drN (Amazon Worldwide)
Hit & Miss Vent Small 9"x3" amzn.to/3jNgI8l (Amazon UK) geni.us/nlTL7W (Amazon Worldwide)
Hit & Miss Vent Large 9"x6" amzn.to/3idlVpy (Amazon UK) geni.us/oApzqa (Amazon Worldwide)
Mould & Mildew Cleaner amzn.to/3VOqB2T (Amazon UK) geni.us/foorjjZ (Amazon Worldwide)
Mould Damp Seal Paint 500ml amzn.to/3VLIpvB (Amazon UK) geni.us/Rr96X2 (Amazon Worldwide)
Anti Mould Paint 750ml amzn.to/3VJYSQV (Amazon UK) geni.us/TZeKpP (Amazon Worldwide)
Trickle Vents 500ml amzn.to/3ie3nFP (Amazon UK) geni.us/fnNB9p (Amazon Worldwide)
PIV (Positive Input Ventilation) amzn.to/3Im1mC5 (Amazon UK) geni.us/c6dSehz (Amazon Worldwide)
PIV with built in Hygrometer amzn.to/3WOJc0c (Amazon UK) geni.us/VyN1Oh (Amazon Worldwide)
Dehumidifier amzn.to/3GH6G1s (Amazon UK) geni.us/tTsW (Amazon Worldwide)
Bathroom extractor amzn.to/3iiieiu (Amazon UK) geni.us/SMelJ25 (Amazon Worldwide)
The ideal humidity range is NOT 30-60% RH - If you have 30% RH ( desert levels ) and you spend the majority of time in that environment you will have dehydration in a very short time, this level of dehydration will dry up your sinus membranes and leave you wide open to all sorts of infections in the nose throat and lungs. The ideal range is more like 45 - 60% RH. Short periods between 60- 70% are OK especially with moving air ventilation. You have done a great job of your house and showing people sensible ways too reduce excessive RH. Humidity sensors can be checked for accuracy, cheap ones can be wildly out. Do a search for calibrate hygrometer. It can be a difficult balancing act in the UK. Winter is NOT the cause of the higher humidity you experienced as cold air is much drier than warm air. It was the heating being on in a DAMP environment, warm air carries and allows a far higher moisture content than cold air. The extraction fans in kitchen and bathroom are by far the most important element of the work you are doing and MUST be used all the time in older less well insulated properties. The PIV is also useful in many situations in the cold winter the air coming in will have lowish RH and when that air is heated it will become even drier. Air MOVEMENT is key to many problems with even just a simple fan moving the air around can help a great deal and at far less cost than a dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers are EXCELLENT at dealing with high RH but as you say they are now becoming expensive to run because of our governments INSANE energy policies and the sheer greed of the corporations and their shareholders. You often see mould on the top of walls where they meet the ceiling as warm moist air can sit there where there is a cold bridge, this then condensates creating the mould. again this is where the simple movement of air with a fan can prevent this from happening. Also ALWAYS allow a descent gap between furniture and the walls including BEDS etc a descent gap is around 6 inches. Your cats are lovely too :-)
Should have made a video
I for real screenshot your comment. Thanks man.
@@SIC647 So did I😆.
Awesome info. As Woody1380 suggested, you should have made a video👌🏽.
I agree with the other guys.please make a video
Great book for a beginner . ruclips.net/user/postUgkxD-QRFQz730FJEh4f9BYSf-nkIMIC9hL_ this book really starts from the beginning, as in it explains what basic tools are and how to use them. But when it gets to the art of creating joints and how and when to use them this book really starts to teach you something. At least that was my experience.
If anyone has an old 'period' property, bear in mind that these house often become damp because owners/builders with little understanding about how older, and often natural/more eco building materials function, or rather cease to function when things like Gypsum and petro/plastic based finishes are introduced.
I live in a solid granite cottage built in 1870 in Cornwall where outside humidity is incredibly high all year around (it rains alot here and is by the sea). I've been correctly restoring it using lime mortar (and linseed based paints for external joinery) and the levels of humidity inside never go beyond 60% - much to the amazement of every tradesperson who has set foot in the building and comment about how dry it feels/is compared to many other properties they've entered down here. Essentially spaces, old or new, need to be able to 'breathe'.
Most general builders sadly have no understanding of older properties/materials, often writing-off the latter as simply outdated. Every building is different, but one thing is simple: Maintaining constant background heat, and extracting excessive moisture close to the source is key for a healthy building.
Good work Keith on sensibly tackling your problems given the specific fabric of your property :)
I am not very knowledgeable in this area but this is my kind of thinking (as I have been reading/researching on the subject): dealing with issues as close to the source as possible! Many thanks and regards.
We have a constant leak from upstairs neighbours that can’t be fixed because it’s an old ex council building. What would you say is a good thing to use apart from constant painting and dehumidifier
@@Tamara-xp9nx
Is the building freehold still owned by the council? They should be fixing that.
A leak needs to be fixed at source. No amount of painting or running of a dehumidifier, will help with a leak. @@Tamara-xp9nx
Who can afford to run constant background heat?!?! I’m in Shetland where apparently most of us are in fuel poverty.
The dehumidifier for the laundry is a game changer. It’s incredible how every house in the UK and Ireland hasn’t got one for general use and laundry.
Humidity management is something that requires a little self education for most of us. There is a mind change needed to understand that heating clothes just puts the moisture into the air. It’s not actually removed.
I’m very intrigued by your attic air recirculating system.
Thanks for the video.
We bought a Miele Heat pump tumble drier. It costs about 15p to do a load and takes ALL the moisture out of the clothes and puts it into a tank which can be easily removed like a soap drawer and we put the water back into the washing machine to do a dirty load , when doing towels we can pull about 2 liters of water from 4 bath towels and a couple of hand towels . It probably costs more to run the dehumidifiers for a few hours a day /several days a week .
Before that we had a sh*tty White Knight mini Tumble Drier that just turned one way and the clothes were always wet/damp in the middle and cost a WHOPPING 85p a load !! (this was reliably checked using our kill-a-watt meter)
The moisture from the white sh*te drier was unreal , all the walls and furniture felt wet and humidity was at 85% .
Yes. Id wouldn’t even think about drying clothes inside the house. Tumble dryer all the way !
If you need a dehumidifier to dry yout clothes it already means your home is too humid in the first place, better to use a dryer
@@gpo746I'd like a heat pump tumble dryer but we only have room in the garage, apparently they need 10 degrees to operate properly. Might have to get a condenser for now (they too require 3 degrees plus but have read many people have then in garages/sheds for years with no issues)
Superb comment. With a portfolio of 500 properties, calls start coming in from tenants like clockwork in October, as the temperature drops and people start sealing their homes up. We spend the next 6 months educating tenants on how to control moisture levels. Most the time it is in one ear and out the other; extremely frustrating. It's not even their fault; they are normal people, leading normal lives, doing normal things, in a normal home, they are just ignorant of the issues surrounding humidity. Part of me thinks all rented homes should have an air circulating system installed, or at least provide a dehumidifier for tenants to use.
Great tips, I have a problem cupboard and really need to look at putting an air brick in. A big thing for reducing the humidity in our house was addressing the small things that add up. Keeping lids on pans, squeegee the shower after use, keeping the bathroom door shut for a while after a shower. Also educating myself on how relative humidity works and airing the house out at the right times.
First of all, I carry out home renovations in my Compamy PJ Renovatins Ltd and understand the problem of humidity in the home. I live in a 1960s 5 bed bungalow in the St Andrews area of Scotland and was suffering the same humidity problems as yourself. A reduction in our heating programme has made our condensation problem worse. Like you, I monitored humidity levels throughout the house, which was around the 70 -80% level. Did some research on ways to combat the problem. I have done almost the same as yourself and now have humidity levels around 55 - 60%. By far, the biggest game changer was installing the Positive Inlet Ventilation. Although it has a heater, I'm a wee bit loath to use it as we are still trying to find a daily base level of energy usage. Once I have achieved that, I'll start adding on various electrical appliances, including the PIV heater. The other appliance that has had a huge influence has been the dehumidifier, which was on the scene before the PIV and is now being used to dry our washing in conjunction with a reduced usage of our fairly new tumble dryer. Finally, to conclude, the one action that I would recommend that has had the biggest effect has been the insallation of the PIV. Hope this feedback helps.
Brilliant video, many thanks for sharing your experiences and fixes.
As a few have mentioned it’s relative humidity so your room temp will have a bearing in this. I live in a brand new built house but after the first year wanted to paper a few rooms so bought these hygrometers to give me an idea of humidity in the rooms to be papered as I didn’t want the paper to start lifting especially in the main bedroom as the en suite had no openable window. What I noticed was that only during the summer it drops below 60 but in winter hangs around or above that mark. I think you’re doing very well just above the 60 mark for such an old house.
Given the recent death of the poor young wee lad, due to mould contamination, these hints and tips are a timely reminder of the importance of clean fresh air within family homes.
Let’s home hope now legislation can be passed into law to make landlords implement measures like into homes everywhere as, invariably, it’s usually the poor and needy who are most at risk from these dangers.
Hear hear! Thanks Paddy 👍
Just had the Nuaire Eco Heat fitted yesterday and already I have noticed the difference. Our little digital sensors were showing humidity levels of up to 90% on some days especially in the bedroom. It has managed to get it down to low 60s now..really happy with the results so far
Omg your channel is amazing im sooo glad i came across it!! This is exactly what i needed to learn!! You explain it sooo clearly :D Im a female with very minimal knowledge on all of this and have just had to deal with a load of mould - so this wonderful! Thank you :) Already ordered those sensors!! I'll let you know what I find :)
Great tips and advice.
Our home is a solid brick wall construction (with no cavity), and we constantly have issues with high humidity, which is never below 60% with the windows closed, and up to 95% in bathrooms. The best method to tackle this is to have good ventilation. We can drop this figure down to 40% if the windows are opened, letting in fresh air.
It may seem a waste of energy to open windows, losing all the heat in our homes, but it does work and is the easiest 'fix'.
The massive issue of high humidity, mould, damp and associated health issues are our own doing. As homes have become less draughty, with efficient heating and insulation we have created a massive problem.
Great comment.
The best advice I've seen, we have a large bungalow and all those issues are present. I'll work through the list. Thanks
Redoing my house in Arkansas, definitely will be taking your advice. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
This is very helpful. I have moved US to Greece and I am fed up with the humidity in our home. We have refinished walls, insulated the house, and we are still fining mould in cabinets and under beds, and on bathroom ceiling! Thank you for your recommendations! I’m glad to know I’m not the only one dealing with this!!
Great video thank you. Absolutely loved the cat featuring in the vid 😊
Great video. Thanks a lot 🍀
Great video thanks
Thank you for this video. I’m in a 50’s council house and the mould that starts when the seasons get cold is unreal… I’ve already made some of the changes you’ve suggested before watching this video and bought hygrometers (I have reptiles so I buy these in bulk anyway!) and will be putting them up today. It’s interesting that having the windows open for 20mins can make a difference. De moulding AGAIN today and thanks to you I have more things to try. Hoping that this will end the mould issue for me! 😊
Great video thanks Keith. We just moved into a new build property and humidity inside has been as low as 60% on a dry cold day and as high as 80% on wetter days. It depends on what the humidity outside is doing. We have had mould in several rooms on skirting boards and in kitchen cupboards. Not sure if this is a temporary issue due to the house being new, or whether this is what we can expect for years to come. Really helpful video.
Thanks for all the great information. I didn’t realize how inexpensive the sensor are. I ordered a twelve pack to place around the house simply to see where any temperature and humidity problems might be. Humidity is opposite where I live, high in the summer, low in the winter.
Thankyou these ideas are going to help with our pre fab council bungalow
😮i have exactly the same problem, i live in a bungalow,
this video helps so much.
Thank you!
much appreciated. 🙏
One of the best videos - many thanks!
Excellent fact based video and I think your conclusions about the target humidity range in homes is spot on. Interestingly do you know what the humidity of the incoming air is? I think healthy air from your system will help air quality immensley. Great tips on what to do, leaving air taps in older properties is key from experience.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO! Lots of mold in our house. Constant wiping of the windows, walls, etc. AND - yep, it is a 1 & 1/2 story bungalow built in the 50's!
Some brilliant ideas there
One thing I did read about a PIV unit, is that for it to be affective, you need around a 10mm gap under each door for the air to be pushed into the rooms, where as our current house is a modern three story build with building regulations firedoors, which are fitted with no gaps to stop smoke entering rooms in the event of a fire...
Great vid Keith, as always, and Yep, Yep, Yep - I also bought a detached bungalow and it took me a while to realise then figure out.
I also had a "back of the wardrobe" moment, so now keep all furniture 20mm away from walls, especially the north-facing walls, which is where most of my problems arose. I manage to keep the humidity just below 60 in the Nov-March period by moving the dehumidifier around as needed. Otherwise ventilation seems to be the key aspect.
Am sure you've seen it, but Charlie DIYte has a great vid on lifestyle habits, which together with all the measures you covered, make it possible to get to grips with humidity - the bane of British winter weather!
atb
i live in a single level hime built in 1950’s and we have had similar issues. humidity in Auckland is an issue all year round. we are slowly renovating, but so far we have changed the extractor in the kitchen, installed a HRV system similar to yours in the attic. we are planning to paint with mould resistant paint, and are installing a heat pump dryer soon as the existing dryer adds to the woes.
I'm in a 60s bungalow just a slightly smaller footprint to your place and also have a constant battle against humidity. We average around 70% and I have a bit of a mould problem in the kitchen, I tend to keep a window open a crack all the time in there, when it gets bad I have 2 open and that tends to clear it. Extractor in the kitchen but none in the bathroom, just a top opener for the bathroom. I found a window vac really helps after showers, found that out from Charlie DIYte's channel. I also use the window vac for window condensation in the kitchen and living room. In winter it's a constant struggle, we're just about to get the loft converted which has a huge 3m ceiling height at the roof ridge and around 50m^2 floor space, so hopefully that'll help with air circulation... very interested in something like your PIV system, but without a loft space what options are there?
Great video. I own 2 1930's bungalows which have the same issues. Ventilation is key as you point out. These properties used to have big open chimneys which eventually get bricked up so no ventilation. Air bricks are great. Will look into the positive fan. Thanks so much
I'm also in Norfolk, live in a 2 story, about 40 year old home and it's at about 42% at the moment (evening) but I do get some condensation and mould, if not frequently cleaned, at the windows in the mornings. I do like it warm (about 22C) during the day though, so that dries it out. The problem you may have is you are inviting outside air to come in, and outside air at this time of the year is quite moist, and cold. I'm glad your mould problem is sorted though.
I’m watching with interest as I’m moving to a bungalow on the outskirts of Norwich in a few weeks. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for humidity levels.
Our rooms average around 40-50 percent humidity pretty much regardless of outside weather. We live in a three-storey 1950s semi-detached house in one of the rainiest parts of Germany (other than the coastal areas). Outer walls are single-shell brick about 300mm thick, windows and doors are on low early 90s standard (my parents cheaped out when they renovated the house). No problems with mold at all which I am eternally grateful for.
Thankyoy for sharing this!! I had all the exact same issues wish I had seen this video sooner
I'm about to move into a 1900's mid-terrace, so this video will no doubt prove invaluable!
A video addressing the bane of my existence! Cheers K, some great advice. Love to the mogs!
Glad it was helpful!
We've an 1890's house that's draughty as hell. While we don't have a humidity issue, we do have a big issue with heating it. I invested in wireless radiator valves (Netatmo) and it's drastically improved how quickly we can heat the rooms we want to keep warm. They can be a pricey outlay but I think they've paid for themselves over the years. I've also set up a geofence so the heating automatically switches off if we leave home, cutting bills even more.
Thank you for your deep dive video.
This is a great video mr Keith! Keep up the good work.
Thank you kindly
Very interesting information. I live in Houston Texas and our humidity levels are always high...of course in the summer we have the intense heat.
Thanks for this information.
Thanks Keith...this might help me and my bungalow... just a couple of rooms for us... but winds the misus up big time. 👍👍
This was really useful. Thanks!
Excellent video, thank you, some good ideas and sound advice. We have exactly the same problem although our house is not modern construction (late 18th century Devon small farm workers cottage - cob & stone in-fill with a tiled roof), no amount of opening windows really helped. We've also removed mould and painted with resistant paint - working our way through the house, and we have a dehumidifier, which made a big difference. We can't get our levels below 62/3% and only on a really good day. However, like you we've found that heating the house is easier (no mains gas here). We haven't come across PIV but it looks like a good idea, one we will definitely investigate. I don't know if you know, but we were worried about installing trickle vents to the windows as we don't want to increase the noise levels in the house (neighbours' cockerel(s) which the double glazing muffles quite well at the moment!).
I got two areas in the house where its damp. One is a cupboard filled mostly with books but the pages are bit damp.
Other is near my door.
I still have an open fire, i dont use it all the time but when i do it really clears the air in the house but i definitely need to put more ventilation in places
I live in a very humid area in Wicklow, Ireland, often 90% humidity outside or more. Had lots of mould issues and what solved it was installing a MVHR system. Took a few weeks but the humidity now hovers around 50% - from what it used to be at 75% on average. Its a ventaxia system, bought all the pieces myself and not to bad to install if your handy
Hi Ryan- did you install single room units or a unit in the loft piped to different rooms(I’m in damp Ireland 🇮🇪 😂)
Enjoyed the video, thanks for posting this up, We live in Northern Ireland and own an older 3 story Georgian home, the property was previously a two story but the previous owners renovated the top of the home to add 2 additional rooms but seemingly didn’t stretch to adding any heating 🤦♂️ EPC rating on our property is F so plenty likely needing to be done and not a baldy notion where to start lol, some areas of the house can be between 68% - 80%, rising damp and a couple of areas of penetrating damp has been found so yeah…will be doing plenty of research on this to look at ways to fix it, the PIV unit was mentioned previously but I think we will maybe start from the less costly options first (when I figure them out)
Hi would love to know what make and model of fan did you install in your bathroom?
We are on fan number 2 but not sure it's any better than the one we used to have.
Some good tips there thanks👍
Living in a council house like ours (the wife and I) we do suffer with damp and mould but I tried a trusted solution by dulux which is a sealer paint and I have to say I was doubtful and reluctant to trying it as they can give off rather strong vapours but after about 2 hours it dispurses out of the window and two years on, it hasn't made any sign of coming back.
It wasn't cheap but it was thankfully effective lol.
Great video Keith 👍🏼👍🏼
Interesting video, thanks for the link to the cheap little humidity monitors! We had a home energy survey done and the biggest recommendation to tackle humidity. The two suggestions were interesting. One was Negative Pressure Ventilation with a unit in the attic connected to the kitchen and bathroom. The unit would increase power in response to higher humidity levels. A different take to the PIV method, but might be a way to reduce the chill you mentioned that was coming in with the PIV. The other suggestion was to use mechanical vents like your air brick, but ones that have a humidity-responsive valves. So when there's high humidity, the valve opens up - no power required, which is a cool concept!
Very helpful. Thanks
I'm in a flat and had a PIV fitted years ago. It helps a fair bit, but I still have to run 2 dehumidifiers and the humidity is 70-80 currently in all rooms. Also fitted air vents high up in each room. Not sure how to get it below 70, but I find the humidity is far higher in summer than winter here for some reason
I live in mid wales and the humidity outside is often well over 90%. We therefore do not open the windows - it may circulate the air but the air coming in is so wet that we find it counterproductive. We also delayed on purchasing a dehumidifier due to running costs but it was transformative I wish we had one sooner. Like you we rarely get the humidity under 60% but it does stop mold, mildew and condensation - which was the main aim. Good video with many tips.
We have the same problem, we moved into our bungalow in August last year, then in November the black walls started, the rain batters the wall where the damp is, was have bought a dehumidifier and I am about to fit trickle vents to see what that does. We have also naught the most recommended wall sealer to paint the walls with when they warm up and dry out.
Thanks for your Facebook help.
No experience in the UK, but I lived in Wisconsin on a lake, so similar cold, damp climate. I tucked moisture absorbers in all of the odd cupboard corners and closets. There are numerous brands of desiccant, but they are usually calcium chloride wrapped in a porous paper or fabric packet. Smaller sachets are only about a pound apiece and they las for months before needing to be changed out. It really helped with enclosed poorly ventilated spaces. Thanks for great content, Keith. Keep up the good work!
Thank you, great information
You could fit small 1inch circular vents to the lower internal doors (or rectangle air vents) so even when the room doors are shut you still get some airflow between the rooms ;)
I went the other approach. My house double brick from the 1890s. It'll be impossible to fully seal something like this, but we got a huge improvement with a few dozen cans of spray foam. We're planning on doing a lot more next year to get the R ratings up. Instead of letting unconditioned outside air in, we have a vent on the furnace/boiler with a heat exchanger, so we aren't sucking in damp air, and dumping out conditioned, heated air. And I'm running a dehumidifier in the basement. We have radiant heat, so no vents unfortunately to circulate much. But I have an ecobee zoned system with sensors in most rooms, and we're usually in the mid 30% and on rainy weeks in the 40s.
To clarify the air in his loft is unconditioned but it is not damp, relatively speaking, just cold. The ability for the air to hold moisture increases with temperature. So in the winter the outside air has a high relative humidity because cold air cannot hold a lot of moisture and feels damp but actually has a low absolute water content. The warm air in houses can and does usually contain more moisture which is why the general advice is to open windows for a bit in the winter to let cool dry air in.
Great video im in a 1970s bungalow with about 70 - 80 percent humidity
We’ve just bought a large bungalow in October 22 currently going through the same steps while juggling work and our young children. Timber windows being replaced end of Jan, hoping this will be a good start. Clear the previous owners did nothing to tackle the condensation problem in any room! We are running a Blyss 12 litre dehumidifier in the clothes drying room and it’s crazy how fast that fills. We haven’t had a summer in the new house yet of course to see the difference.
We live in a very similar house - 70s bungalow - which had all the same problems when we moved in. We had the cavity walls filled with insulation which helped but our old skool aluminium windows would still RUN with condensation in winter. Like you, a PIV fixed that overnight. They’re magic. We also knocked out all the built in cupboards that stank of mould no matter how much we cleaned them. Humidity still stubbornly sits in the 60-70% region like you. Bungalows just aren’t designed for good air circulation I feel. Still a great improvement and no further mould and mildew problems.
done everything identical piv unit was best thing ever seeing similar numbers since as well
Great video, concise and helpful summary of the issues! We’ve got damp, humidity issues in our home c. 40 years old detached suburban house. The attic had insane damp problems so we got a high quality extractor to remove the humid air and some vented tiles fitted to bring in fresh air. The fan is connected to a smart humidity meter so that it can be on when the humidity is where we’ve set it. It was a pretty cheap but effective smart device. We also invested in a dehumidifier which regularly takes out an incredible volume of water! Our windows have no trickle vents and I’ve been a bit reticent to drill through the uPVC and install my own. Worries i’m going to end up drilling through metal or the mechanical bits of the window.
Most UPVC windows are designed for trickle vents. You can specific them when new. It's the same frame. Do be careful but it should be possible.
In a very similar situation to yourself... thanks for the great tips, will certainly be implementing some of them. With our fitted wardrobes, they were that bad, they had to go.
Great video, very helpful as I've started to get water and mould as the weather has turned, also im drying clothes inside which dose not help, to help with drying once the wash is done I do a extra spin some times two to get most water out the clothes. I also have cheap dehydrators on the windows which fill up with water.
Great video and tips!👍🏻 I bought a condenser dryer for all the washing and it's made a big difference through this winter. I set it to "cupboard dry". It condenses all the moisture into a container then I pour it down the sink. It also blows out warm air which helps to heat the house too. They are a bit power hungry but save so much hassle and I no longer air cloths at all so very convenient. Never had one before but now I couldn't be without one.
@@garysmith5025 I never thought of that thanks that sounds like a good idea 👍🏻
when it is no longer viable look at a heat pump all the same advantages but a lot less power hungry
Hi - I also live in a bungalow and humidity is a constant battle. I agree 70% being the "red line" value - sustained RH over that and problems will occur. I use a dessicant dehumidifier in winter and a compressor one in summer for better efficiency. They are in the hallway and just about manage to keep humidity throughout at around 60% - which is fine. Setting it for less than that makes them run too hard, almost constantly running. I don't have a bathroom extractor, that should probably be my next step.
Thank you for the fantastic video very informative. Gorgeous cats btw haha 😊
I installed a MVHR in my 60s bungalow, complete game changer, bungalow sits around 40% humidity in the winter. I can keep the whole bungalow at 18 to 19° with only the wood burner, the system moves fresh, warm air into bedrooms that used to have condensation on the walls!
I think MVHR is the gold standard. Bet it was expensive though. Perhaps PIV could be a decent second place that’s more affordable.
Do you have the wood burner on many hours a day?
It’s very reassuring to find it’s not just us struggling with bungalow life. We’ve lived in a 1970 bungalow for seven years and this year we’ve tried to reduce using central heating resulting in condensation and mould. We’ve bought a dehumidifier. And are planning on new windows. But I feel like it’s a battle zone 😏
We have moved into a 1930s bungalow this year, we have solved rising damp with an external trench with extra air bricks and a PIV system, so much better. Still a bit of condensation in a north facing bedroom, but we’re thinking about an extra extractor for that. Good luck! ❤️
This will most likely lead to further mould. You need to find a balance between venting and heating, and keep the ambient temperature as stable as possible. Large fluctuations in temperature is bad.
Great advice. I've done most of these things in my victorian terrace with good results but not the PIV yet. I too use a dehumidifier to dry clothes together with a heated drying rack. One thing I highly recommend is a window vac which I use in the bathroom (I also don't have a window in mine.) Half a minute round the tiles and mirror and the room is dry. I used to think they were a gimmick but they're we'll worth it.
Piv are well worth it, and surprisingly good value and can be fitted in half a day at most, by any decent handy man.
Great video. We also have a similar 1920’s bungalow with several extension. We had awful condensation & mould problems for years until we got a PIV fitted much like the one in the video, we have the newer model that has a heater. The difference was noticeable almost over night. The house felt much fresher and dryer. I would definitely recommend to anyone with similar issues.
How much was it?
Is your bungalow solid walls no insulation?
@@dawnlee6742 yes it was solid brick with no insulation when we got the PIV fitted. We’ve since had external wall insulation fitted but still have & use the PIV.
@@jeffcobb8151 £400-500, fitted it myself, it’s a pretty easy job if your competent
@@neilheslop5786could i please ask was it nuaire or vent axia you went for and was this home based in uk?
Thanks! I've just used your link to buy humidity sensors. I do have a damp issue at the moment (90%) in the main living room. We have rising damp due to a problem with the ground outside covering the damp-proof course (which has now been lowered) but I think there are other reasons for the damp around the chimney. I'm trying to dry out the walls with a dehumidifier to see where any structural, damp-causing problems may be remaining. The dehumidifier is great, but once I've switched it off overnight, the damp level is back up to 90% in the morning. I think I may need to use it for weeks to get the walls dried out.
Wowww loved this informative video. We have lived in this barn conversion since 2001.. and in the dining room the outside/inside walls are black.. they wont come clean.. so we are going to have the quarry stone rendered over like the living room side and are going to have the plaster hacked off and redone... we have dehumidifiers also, one upstairs the other downstairs.. its surprising how much water they manage to draw in. I have never seen those PIV units, Im wondering if one of those would be worth investing in here... I noticed we also have black mold coming back again in the corner ceiling area of the kitchen, and black mold forming in the porch too... over the years our vent bricks have been painted over by previous owners, so will have to look at getting those replaced. The walls here are so incredibly thick being an animal/hay barn, and barns weren't meant to be lived in, let alone 21st-century living.. Im so thankful to you for making these videos, Im going to watch this a few more times and start writing down "must haves" lol. Also those little humidity gauges/sensors are something Im going to invest in also. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Blessings to you from Cornwall 🙂
Awesome video. I am in a 1950's semi detached house 3 bedroom (well, 2.5 bedroom)... and it is mental upstairs for humidity and mould! We can reduce the humidity down from the high 80's to the high 50's if we run a 12L Meaco dehumidifier all the time. The second that we turn off that dehumidifier it starts to climb back up again (using a sensorpush hygrometer to log the data - will be switching to inkbird ones as I cannot afford multiple sensorpush) and within an hour or so it goes from 60-ish to mid 70's plus.
Never heard of a PIV system, but I am really looking to that now as something that could help.
Many thanks.
Very useful video & helpful advice & tips . Super intelligent folk .💫doing super intelligent things to improve the home environment inside. 💫👍opening windows in the bungalow daily in all the rooms letting fresh air in and stale air out is an excellent awareness habit.
When we had new windows fitted in our house we notice that we was getting damp patches on our stairs (I had already ripped the carpet up) and that was due to build up of moisture in the air as the new windows didn’t allow good ventilation, had a PIV unit fitted and help massively, also helps with the kid’s asthma as they are breathing in damp air 👌🏼👍🏼
I was astonished to hear about this. Living in the sourth of Germany, in a second story flat, i am constantly fighting the opposite problem in the winter: If I just heat normally, humidity will very quickly drop below 40%, and then I spend all winter just coughing all day long since my lung will dry out. So I have evaporators on all the radiators, I do dry my clothes inside, I keep the doors of the bathroom open so the humid air can get to the rest of the flat and so on. I even have an electric humidifier for the especially cold & dry days.
Very interesting indeed - same situation in New England, in the USA. We have 3 evaporators and most folks have evaporators or ultrasonic misters to in increase humidity in the winter. In summer we are trying to either dehumify or run air-conditioning to drop the humidity, making the heat more bearable
Pretty much the same story in Latvia, where most buildings are well insulated. Cold dry weather = dryer air. But in the UK it’s cold and wet, thus higher humidity. Hardly any brick houses are insulated properly, which I hate as I now live in England:)
seal your windows and outside doors
That's really interesting! As we are constantly battling high humidity (in summer the basement is a problem solved by dehumidifier) it didn't even occur to me that others could have the opposite problem
@@boobrowsky It doesn’t really help much as the main problem is thin exterior walls and sometimes even single glazed windows.
Great video mate, thank you. What did you use to finish off the drilled holes at top and bottom of fitted wardrobes?
Did you install the PIV unit yourself? If you did, did you you record any footage or guides on this? I'm considering this option for our 1930's house where we're struggling to get humidity down into the 60-70% range and find your videos some of the best DIY/Woodwork guides on here as a somewhat competent/trying DIYer. Glad to see you've managed to get the humidity levels somewhere close to recommended, and no mould recurrence
we have a bungalow, high humidity. ive put an inline fan in the bathroom and kitchen extractor ducted through the ceiling and out the soffit. i bought a piv too, but i honestly dont see this working. can you tell me what the humidity in your loft is? when i place a humidity censor underneath the duct for the piv the humidity rises. i can also smell the loft sometimes too. i think maybe i need to vent my loft? nice video btw!
We have a 1935 detached home (2 story) and when we moved in, had similar problems, especially on the cold side of the house. Also the house is double bricked and with stucco on the outside, so the walls can't breathe. It is only 20cm's detached, so one wall is impossible to reach from the outside. Since then, we installed double glazing everywhere, which reduces condensation enormously, every room now has one window with a ventilation grill. In our bedroom, the window is always open and we have a similar closet on the cold side. I've put a moisture meter in the closet and over the course of a year the humidity in the closet dropped from 75-80% to 55-60%. I'm about to install a mechanical ventilation system with a moisture meter, wich automatically turns on when RH rises above 60%. Also, as the heating in the bedroom is never on, we decided to heat the room for one hour a day with open closet doors and that also helps a lot. I have experience with this type of mechanical ventilation in our last house, which was build in a dyke, so the basement, which housed our kitchen and bathroom was very humid. the ventilation system reduced that dramatically.
Ventilation is key though. You mentioned a dehumidifier, I have one on the attic, waiting to be used in my workshop.. I totally forgot about it! (insert facepalm meme). I'l get this up and running again.. Thanks for the vid!
We are in a row of house and we have been fighting mould for years. Clothes go mouldy in cupboard, mould around windows and in some corners of the house which are attached to outside walls, we currently have 3 dehumidifier and when you turn them on they are around the 70ish mark but we manage to get them down to 30ish.(don’t know how accurate these these machine are) but they do pull a lot of water out. We also get condensation in our loft. Sometime it seems like we are fighting a loosing battle. Some great tips and defiantly some thinking points. Thank you for a great video 👍
Do you have cavity walls? What about a damp proof course? Are the external walls rendered and if so, does it cover the damp proof course? Do you have water build up external walls? Do you have guttering that is leaking or splashing onto your external walls? After checking these, check indoors to improve ventilation, having a better solution for drying your clothes, having a dehumidifier in problem areas. Considering installing an extraction fan if you can and maybe even reducing number of times you boil the kettle
Get yourself a Meaco Arete one 12L dehumidifier we had the same problem, i got one from downstairs and was so impressed i bought another one from upstairs problem all gone i would highly recommend this unit.
I live in a ground floor flat,how would I get an air brick in? as its a brick cavilty wall with polysterene balls insulation in the cavity
We live in a 1930s 3 bed terrace, average about 45 - 60% humidity in winter. Don't use central heating much but do have a wood stove which helps a lot. Front of the house still has old knacked upvc double glazed windows and the back is mostly new.
We're in a 30s semi with 9" thick solid brick walls. We've got a decent bathroom extractor, winter clothes drying is now done in a heat pump condensing dryer which is fairly cheap to run (around 35p per load at current prices) and there are still a couple of places in the house that are a bit damp - under the stairs and the built in wardrobe thats above the stairs. I tried running a loop of central heating pipe around the wardrobe, hoping that it would put enough heat in to help, and put a false wall in so the heat would cause a convection current up the wall. My next plan of attack is going to be treating the outside of the wall (currently just rendered and pebble dashed) with a water seal product and see if that helps. Ideally I'd just build a garage along the side of the house which would keep the rain water off the wall, but thats out of budget at the moment
"My next plan of attack is going to be treating the outside of the wall (currently just rendered and pebble dashed) with a water seal product and see if that helps"
BAD IDEA! You are getting condensation and high humidity because stagnant, damp indoor air is condensing on the colder outer wall, not because water is penetrating from outside. Eventually the damp evaporates out thru the wall. If you seal the wall, the condensation will happen at the junction between render and pebbledash and damage it.
Figure out ways to increase air flow through those areas - Vent the wardrobe at the top, vent up thru the wardrobe from the below-stairs area, use extra-quiet 12V computer fans to move air out the top of the wardrobe.
Hey Keith, I live in the Netherlands, in a 90' house. Humidity during periods of frost the humidity is about 30%, now in more damp weather the humidity is about 60%.
All very sound advice. We live in a 1930s semi, no dpc or cavity. An absolute nightmare from a damp point of view. My biggest worry is the ground floor under the floor , it just doesnt get enough air flowing through it.
Given you have a bungalow an MVHR I would have thought would be an easy retrofit and you gain the benefit of recovering heat from the air been extracted out of the building, we have installed a Brookvent 1.3 digital+ that also has a summer bypass feature to help cool the building
Wow, thank you so much! xo
Great video
Thanks!
I live in a bungalow, small, that felt very damp to me. I put one small dehumidifier, Probreze, in the bedroom, which also has a trickle vent in the window, and another in the living room. They cost around £80 each, and are one of the best things I have ever bought! End of problem. Each one can collect nearly 1 litre each of water a week, and they run 24/7 winter and summer! I dry my washing indoors, usually with a little window open a bit, or the kitchen extractor fan on. Usually I have the little bathroom window open a jar just a bit, and with a min temp of 18C in the house, this keeps the damp away. Currently my humidity reads 59% which feels comfy. Am also looking forward to the housing association tackling the roof leakage!!! Which should also help!! Great tips on your video, thank you 😁
We've stopped using the tumble dryer and use a good de-humidifier with a simple but large clothes dryer. It's cheaper since we're all electric Economy 7. We've got monitors too and are managing to keep around 60 percent RH max.
We open the windows on the vent latch regularly, and I installed the same bathroom extractor as yours.. It works well and replaced the really cheap ones installed before.
Lovely tortie cat, like our Michi.
Can you please make a video on the piv system did you install it yourself? It would be really helpful if you could share
I fitted a PIV unit into my 2 story house just before Christmas, we were getting condensation and mold growth everywhere! even bought one of those window vacs. Fair to say that the PIV unit has been a literal godsend and dropped our humidity from average 80% to 55%. for about £350 the PIV unit is well worth the investment and really easy to install.
Is the air being pumped into the upstairs or downstairs (or both)?
@@AlexPlym06 Its just above the landing, so the air gets circulated as its in a central location.
Hi where did you buy your piv are you still happy with it? Was it an easy install? Thanks v mich
I ended putting 2 x PIV units from NuAire in my period Cornish 3 level house. As I complained to the manufacturer after 12 months that whilst it had bought down humidity, it was still 55 - 75% most of the time. They said as I had a typical sprawling Victorian house the 1 would not do the job as it wouldn't work its way around. Now I have 2, one in the downstairs extension and another in main loft. I also have 2 dehumidifiers running 24/7 one in the basement and one upstairs. Typically humidity is now around 60 - 65% and we fitted 3 humidity sensor extractors 2 in bathrooms and another in the kitchen. I also find the RH is typically higher in the summer than in the winter.
Warmer summer air holds more moisture than colder air - worth a look at Peter Ward (expert old property man) - vid on condensation - ruclips.net/video/m54cyKB1gfA/видео.html
He has a ton of good stuff on his pages.
Sadly my place has been cement rendered all over at some point in the past, painted with modern paints and plastered with modern plaster inside, so far too much expense to resolve
@@jameshowarth2516 ok isnt it expensive to run two dehumidifiers 24/7 I don't use mine much currently due to electric prices. Without my logburner lit my humidity is between 85 and 95% looking for solutions.
I will buy some humidity sensors and confirm my house results. Sub 60% in UK without loads of dehumidifiers sounds unrealistic. We bought our second new build a few years ago. Most noticeable difference from the first new build - No bathroom vents, no window vents but it does have a positive air input from an envirovent in the attic at the top of the stairs. We dry clothes in a spare room and occasionally open windows. No dehumidifiers. So far no problems with mould growth. I think the envirovent does such a good job at pushing moist and stale air out. We have considered adding bathroom extractors like yours and vent them through the gable walls via the attic.
Hi Keith,
My daughter had a similar issue with her 1930s bungalow so I fitted a PIV made by nuaire a very similar system to yours but having the option to turn on a heat element if required, with in a couple of weeks the humidity dropped from 75% to below 38% in all rooms but the dining room for some reason, a quick phone call to their tech people who suggested I drop an additional 100mm hose line into the dining room but coupled up to the main unit in the loft, two weeks after that the humidity in the entire bungalow dropped to an average of 30% but this may have been aided by new windows complete with builtin trickle vents which the previous ones did not have.
So I think the PIV is a great staring point but you can add in additional room vents as long as the rooms dynamics allow.
Great video by the way as ever!
Graham
Can I ask you if had any issues with the piv unit causing an attic smell in the house? I've had mine a week and the whole place smells.
@@jenniferdoyle3969
Hi Jennifer,
No I’ve had no issues you describe at all. I have also fitted units to friends homes inc a flat and all worked fine no smells at all.
I would suggest if someone can get into loft and do a thorough check to see if you got an unwanted guest. Also check the area around the main unit for major dust etc, when I fitted them I always vacuumed around the surrounding area to minimise dust, then I would contact Nuaire’s I’ve always found them really helpful for ideas etc.
Just an if thought does it smell like rubber / plastic. If so check wiring to the unit just in case, the heater element in the unit does not draw much current but if it’s not wired in correctly or dust / insulation has found it’s way onto the element it might cause the issue.
Finally if a company fitted it get them back to sort it!
Hope this helps
Graham