humidity in house

briantrumpet

TheBigBean said:

briantrumpet said:

TheBigBean said:

Pross said:

Think I'm going to get one for my office. As I mentioned last year it is what used to be the garage and is single skin, ot's starting to smell a bit damp out here and hopefully a desiccant type will help heat the area around my desk which would be more efficient than the oil filled radiators. Hoping it would also help with drying clothes through the winter months.

They were completely sold out last winter, so you might want to buy earlier. Alternatively, there could be a glut of them, so if you wait you'll get one cheaply in the Jan sales.

Plenty on Amazon right now. Having read this discussion, I've gone for a 150W one with good reviews for the bedroom, to keep the bedlinen dry when the temperature drops... reading the reviews, it looks like a couple of hours a day should do the trick.

Many of them have auto settings, so you can have them come on at a certain level of humidity.

Yes. I think the one I've ordered has that, plus a timer. Like Pross, I'm hoping that its use will also reduce the need for actual heating because of the body's perception of cold, so it might (on balance) save more 'lectric than it uses. It'll be interesting to see.

rjsterry

joeyhalloran said:

Im now wondering if it a good middle step is replacing extractor fans with single room heat recovery fans and leave them running 24/7

Certainly worth investigating, I'd say. There are mixed views on their effectiveness in some situations so may be worth approaching a ventilation specialist.

focuszing723

Do you end up looking like a prune if you leave one on 24/7?

focuszing723

Can someone try it?

joeyhalloran

rjsterry said:

joeyhalloran said:

Im now wondering if it a good middle step is replacing extractor fans with single room heat recovery fans and leave them running 24/7

Certainly worth investigating, I'd say. There are mixed views on their effectiveness in some situations so may be worth approaching a ventilation specialist.

Interesting, I haven't seen any negative reviews. It looks like basics ones that are a direct swap for our current extract fan is ~£250 so not a huge amount if it ends up not working for us. The fancy wifi connected ones are more like £450 and would require a 160mm coring fit to increase the size of the hole to accomodate. As much as I like buying tools it seems like the basic model would be a good place to start.

rjsterry

joeyhalloran said:

rjsterry said:

joeyhalloran said:

Im now wondering if it a good middle step is replacing extractor fans with single room heat recovery fans and leave them running 24/7

Certainly worth investigating, I'd say. There are mixed views on their effectiveness in some situations so may be worth approaching a ventilation specialist.

Interesting, I haven't seen any negative reviews. It looks like basics ones that are a direct swap for our current extract fan is ~£250 so not a huge amount if it ends up not working for us. The fancy wifi connected ones are more like £450 and would require a 160mm coring fit to increase the size of the hole to accomodate. As much as I like buying tools it seems like the basic model would be a good place to start.

The critique cast doubt on how much actual heat was recovered. As you say, at £250 it's not a high risk to just try it and see.

joeyhalloran

I just spoke to envirovent and they basically said that the single room MVHR is useless.

His words "they send me one years ago and I never even bothered fitting it as I just don't see how they can work". Now, this is very questionable logic but it's odd to hear from someone selling them.

rjsterry

joeyhalloran said:

I just spoke to envirovent and they basically said that the single room MVHR is useless.

His words "they send me one years ago and I never even bothered fitting it as I just don't see how they can work". Now, this is very questionable logic but it's odd to hear from someone selling them.

https://www.airtechsolutions.co.uk/no-recovery-from-the-cost-of-single-room-ventilation-systems

briantrumpet

rjsterry said:

joeyhalloran said:

I just spoke to envirovent and they basically said that the single room MVHR is useless.

His words "they send me one years ago and I never even bothered fitting it as I just don't see how they can work". Now, this is very questionable logic but it's odd to hear from someone selling them.

https://www.airtechsolutions.co.uk/no-recovery-from-the-cost-of-single-room-ventilation-systems

Ha, that's quite a demolition job.

photonic69

Currently sitting next to my house thermometer and it shows 90% RH outside and 72% inside on the windowsill next to my desk. Just been cooking dinner in kitchen in the next room. Seems usual and no damp here.

joeyhalloran

briantrumpet said:

rjsterry said:

joeyhalloran said:

I just spoke to envirovent and they basically said that the single room MVHR is useless.

His words "they send me one years ago and I never even bothered fitting it as I just don't see how they can work". Now, this is very questionable logic but it's odd to hear from someone selling them.

https://www.airtechsolutions.co.uk/no-recovery-from-the-cost-of-single-room-ventilation-systems

Ha, that's quite a demolition job.

Though I'm not sure I completely buy it, for example I will never have a wind speed of 15+mph directly in to the SRV unit as we have another house directly opposite less than 2m away. At most we would have strong perpendicular wind but that hasn't been modelled for. Though it is an interesting article and unfortunately muddies the water. There seem to be a lot of 'experts' on all sides on the ventilation/eco/insulation sides and it's very difficult to know who to listen too. Especially when fitting (and repairing damage) can be very costly.

rjsterry

joeyhalloran said:

briantrumpet said:

rjsterry said:

joeyhalloran said:

I just spoke to envirovent and they basically said that the single room MVHR is useless.

His words "they send me one years ago and I never even bothered fitting it as I just don't see how they can work". Now, this is very questionable logic but it's odd to hear from someone selling them.

https://www.airtechsolutions.co.uk/no-recovery-from-the-cost-of-single-room-ventilation-systems

Ha, that's quite a demolition job.

Though I'm not sure I completely buy it, for example I will never have a wind speed of 15+mph directly in to the SRV unit as we have another house directly opposite less than 2m away. At most we would have strong perpendicular wind but that hasn't been modelled for. Though it is an interesting article and unfortunately muddies the water. There seem to be a lot of 'experts' on all sides on the ventilation/eco/insulation sides and it's very difficult to know who to listen too. Especially when fitting (and repairing damage) can be very costly.

I think the question was only over how much energy they save versus a more basic extractor fan. They will still do that job well enough although I know from my own Sw-facing bathroom fan that it struggles against a strong gusts.

pinno

First.Aspect said:

rick_chasey said:

I bought a proper dehumidifier, can't remember if it's desiccant or refrigerant, about 8 years ago now, when I had no-where to dry clothes but inside.

I do find it very helpful in the winter. Doesn't need to be on all the time, just when there's a lot of water activity in the house, so cooking or drying washing.

Makes a big difference to comfort in the house too. Obviously you don't want to go super dry, but dryer air is warmer.

Can recommend it. Plus the water it collects is great for washing windows.

A "proper" dehumidifier is basically an ac unit that repeats the air. Not the most environmentally friendly.

Air with higher humidity is a better conductor if heat. So it's either "warmer" or "colder" in terms of ones perception, depending on its absolute temperature compared to you.

Well yes and whilst the OP may pay a little more for heating with better ventilation, damp air is harder to heat than dry air.
-------------------------------------------------

I fitted a ceiling dehumidifier/extractor to a property. It runs on 2amps so costs pittance to run on a constant setting. It has had very positive effect on the whole house.

rjsterry

pinno said:

First.Aspect said:

rick_chasey said:

I bought a proper dehumidifier, can't remember if it's desiccant or refrigerant, about 8 years ago now, when I had no-where to dry clothes but inside.

I do find it very helpful in the winter. Doesn't need to be on all the time, just when there's a lot of water activity in the house, so cooking or drying washing.

Makes a big difference to comfort in the house too. Obviously you don't want to go super dry, but dryer air is warmer.

Can recommend it. Plus the water it collects is great for washing windows.

A "proper" dehumidifier is basically an ac unit that repeats the air. Not the most environmentally friendly.

Air with higher humidity is a better conductor if heat. So it's either "warmer" or "colder" in terms of ones perception, depending on its absolute temperature compared to you.

Well yes and whilst the OP may pay a little more for heating with better ventilation, damp air is harder to heat than dry air.
-------------------------------------------------

I fitted a ceiling dehumidifier/extractor to a property. It runs on 2amps so costs pittance to run on a constant setting. It has had very positive effect on the whole house.

If you consider that windows used to be quite drafty and most rooms had an open flue, ventilation was excellent. Block all that up and it's not surprising things get damp.

pinno

rjsterry said:

pinno said:

First.Aspect said:

rick_chasey said:

I bought a proper dehumidifier, can't remember if it's desiccant or refrigerant, about 8 years ago now, when I had no-where to dry clothes but inside.

I do find it very helpful in the winter. Doesn't need to be on all the time, just when there's a lot of water activity in the house, so cooking or drying washing.

Makes a big difference to comfort in the house too. Obviously you don't want to go super dry, but dryer air is warmer.

Can recommend it. Plus the water it collects is great for washing windows.

A "proper" dehumidifier is basically an ac unit that repeats the air. Not the most environmentally friendly.

Air with higher humidity is a better conductor if heat. So it's either "warmer" or "colder" in terms of ones perception, depending on its absolute temperature compared to you.

Well yes and whilst the OP may pay a little more for heating with better ventilation, damp air is harder to heat than dry air.
-------------------------------------------------

I fitted a ceiling dehumidifier/extractor to a property. It runs on 2amps so costs pittance to run on a constant setting. It has had very positive effect on the whole house.

If you consider that windows used to be quite drafty and most rooms had an open flue, ventilation was excellent. Block all that up and it's not surprising things get damp.

An elderly couple up the road from me in a single storey stone cottage (probably whinstone and lime mortar), received a grant for full double glazing... and within 3 weeks, everything in the house went damp.
The glazer went around to show them how to open the vents but the place needs some form of mechanical ventilation. Years of internal humidity.

joeyhalloran

rjsterry said:

If you consider that windows used to be quite drafty and most rooms had an open flue, ventilation was excellent. Block all that up and it's not surprising things get damp.

But our old house was a new build, that didn't have any airblocks, loose fitting windows or old chimneys with vents in, we dried clothes inside and rarely, if ever, used the cooker hood and still didn't have a damp house.

rjsterry

Difficult to say without having seen it but a lot of relatively new houses still have poor airtightness. Also if the walls were insulated you wouldn't have so much condensation even with higher humidity.

briantrumpet

Desiccating dehumidifier arrived and in action in bedroom... despite the bedding there not feeling damp, the machine takes the humidity (on the gauge) down from the 70's to the 60s in a couple of hours in the late evening with half a pint of water in the tank.

The true test will be when the weather goes cold, I guess.

joeyhalloran

briantrumpet said:

Desiccating dehumidifier arrived and in action in bedroom... despite the bedding there not feeling damp, the machine takes the humidity (on the gauge) down from the 70's to the 60s in a couple of hours in the late evening with half a pint of water in the tank.

The true test will be when the weather goes cold, I guess.

What impact does it have on the temperature? Is part of that reduction an increase in temp?

briantrumpet

joeyhalloran said:

briantrumpet said:

Desiccating dehumidifier arrived and in action in bedroom... despite the bedding there not feeling damp, the machine takes the humidity (on the gauge) down from the 70's to the 60s in a couple of hours in the late evening with half a pint of water in the tank.

The true test will be when the weather goes cold, I guess.

What impact does it have on the temperature? Is part of that reduction an increase in temp?

Too mild to notice yet. At the moment, I'm just more interested in how much water it extracts and whether it bursts into flames if left unattended.

TheBigBean

briantrumpet said:

joeyhalloran said:

briantrumpet said:

Desiccating dehumidifier arrived and in action in bedroom... despite the bedding there not feeling damp, the machine takes the humidity (on the gauge) down from the 70's to the 60s in a couple of hours in the late evening with half a pint of water in the tank.

The true test will be when the weather goes cold, I guess.

What impact does it have on the temperature? Is part of that reduction an increase in temp?

Too mild to notice yet. At the moment, I'm just more interested in how much water it extracts and whether it bursts into flames if left unattended.

Mine always amazes me by how much water it extracts.

pinno

TheBigBean said:

briantrumpet said:

joeyhalloran said:

briantrumpet said:

Desiccating dehumidifier arrived and in action in bedroom... despite the bedding there not feeling damp, the machine takes the humidity (on the gauge) down from the 70's to the 60s in a couple of hours in the late evening with half a pint of water in the tank.

The true test will be when the weather goes cold, I guess.

What impact does it have on the temperature? Is part of that reduction an increase in temp?

Too mild to notice yet. At the moment, I'm just more interested in how much water it extracts and whether it bursts into flames if left unattended.

Mine always amazes me by how much water it extracts.

Same.

@briantrumpet : it will have a warming effect and slowly, it will help dry the place out. Rotate it around rooms with the door shut.