DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi,

I desperately need your help!!!!!

I live in a 1930 victorian converted, detatched house. I live on the first floor.

Every morning the double glazed windows and non glazed windows are dripping with condensation. Is it still a case of ventilatin???? The walls in the bedroom, nearest to the window are growing mould spots. The lining paper has started to lift and feels damp. I have peeled back the paper and it is wet-but not dripping. No obvious leaks.

The whole of the flats walls are freezing. the heating has no impact. i have re insulated the loft, changed the front door. What could possibly be the problem. The external rendering is looking a bit shabby. Could that be the problem to my ice box of a mouldy flat????

Please please help

can i ask how you heat the flat? an hour in the morning, a few hours at night?? What heating do you have? How do you ventilate and how often?

I heat the 1 bed flat 4 hours in the morning and 5 hours in the evening. I try to ventilate the flat as best i can but to be honest not as much as i would like due to the change of weather. I have a conventional boiler, its about 7 years old.

Im considering a dehumidifier as there seems to be pockets of cold air within the flat, mould is growing on the back wall in the bedroom. Any ideas????

are there any items of furniture in front of the wall where the mould is growing??

Sometimes using heating in a way that you are doesnt help. For example, condensation has formed on the walls, usually in areas where heat cannot reach. the heat released from the radiators in the morning starts to fill the room, remember heat rises. just as the heat starts to get towards the base of the walls the heating goes off therefore the condensation in hard to reach areas and towards the base of the walls doesnt dry. Then the air cools, any moisture that had been lifted by the heat earlier condenses again.This same thing happens again at night.

So to summerize the heat isnt there long enough to dry the condensation. The condensation needs to become airbourne for it to be expelled by ventilation. So yes, the warm air has to be let outside and cool air will need to be brought in.

Try using the heating at a lower heat for longer, or using a lower boiler setting and use a thermostat to provided a more constant temperature and less variation. its rather much like using a car. if you fill up with petrol and do alot of city driving you dont get many mpg because theres alot of demand for fuel, where as moterway driving usually gives far more mpg because the demand is more even with less variation.

A dehumidifier will only remove the moisture from the air if it is there in the first place so you must improve on heating to benefit from using one.

thank you so much for your advice. Have taken on board your suggestions and have put them in place as of today, so watch this space... :D