Drying out house - dehumidifier?

[obliquegeek]

Hi all, been lurking for a long time but could actually do with some specific advice.

Very much a novice but about to get stuck in. I'm literally just about to complete on a 3 bed, detached bungalow and the place has a damp problem that has built up over a long time. We're going to sort the cause of the damp immediately (I'll save that for another post!) but then need to dry to house out as quickly as possible.

Would getting a commercial dehumidifier speed up this process? (a lot?) Or should we just leave it to dry out naturally? Any other suggestions appreciated. Would would we be looking at weeks, months?

Thanks in advance to any one who might be able to help.

 

[KenGMac]

obliquegeek, hi.

As an aside, welcome to the Board [I do not know if I am allowed to say that not being a part of the moderators Etc?.]How long has the Property been vacant, if at all?
What type of property is it? Have you any ideas on the construction of the

A couple of things?
external and internal walls?

Without the above info. it is a guess as to what to advise.

In general terms, if a property has been saturated, a flood or similar, then several De-Hums are sited around the property plus some fans to move the air and assist the dry out process.

The trick is to get air movement and the De-Hums can assist in taking the moisture out of the moving air, the moving air is a factor not to be dismissed.

Heat is another factor, but that is where the real costs are, in heating the property to assist in dry out, especially at this time of year.

A couple of more bits of info and I am sure that you will get a load of advice from the board.

Ken.

 

[obliquegeek]

ok, the property isn't vacant, there's currently one person living there who has added things like a new kitchen, but has never bothered to sort the problems out...

It's a 1960's detached bungalow on the south coast - honestly I'm not great on construction but it seems like pretty traditional cavity wall, insulation added. Internal walls are solid brick or block, suspended wooden floor.

It's open plan from the front door, past sitting room and out though the kitchen to the conservatory/extension. The bathroom and the bedroom, either side of the central walk-through, in the middle of the property, are the worst affected. Mainly the outside walls.

Numerous issues have added up over the year and the place smells really damp, ceilings need replacing and walls re-plastering the bathroom, bedroom, sitting room due to mould, bedroom floor looks a bit dodgy... etc.

We'll be getting as many of the issue (causes of the damp) sorted within a week or two, but also need to get the place dried out as soon as possible - obviously not helped by the fact that it's winter.

Hopefully that helps a little - just wondering if we're talking in a scale of weeks or months? Would 1 dehumidifier be enough? (about £90wk at my local hire shop) Where would it be best placed? Keep heating on?

 

[Burnerman]

Unfortunately dehumidifiers don't work too well in this weather, but they perform superbly in the summer.....!
Keeping the house warm is the secret - assuming that leaks are a thing of the past of course. This will help a dehumidifier work well.
I think industrial dehumids are really only necessary if the property has been flooded so you could maybe consider a small domestic one for around £100 quid or so, just to keep things at a wholesome level.
Water will happily get in through rotten window frames, facias and especially flat roofs......all of these will have to be carefully inspected.
How's the air brick situation? Make sure they are clear and any adjacent land is lowered.
John

 

[AronSearle]

Unfortunately dehumidifiers don't work too well in this weather, but they perform superbly in the summer.....!

Desiccant dehumidifiers work much better at lower temperatures than the traditional cold condense models.

 

[obliquegeek]

How's the air brick situation? Well... I can see them, just! Someone has left some handy funnel-shaped holes down to the air bricks, through the concrete paths that have been laid either side of the property. This same path is about 10mm - 50mm above the DPC for the entire length of the house and almost seems to be angled to the hole for the air brick. Airbricks are full of rubbish and where I suspect all the water is going. As far as I know it's been like this for at least 10 years.

Also - issues with the roof and chimneys, I'm guessing there is water under the floor, extensive re-pointing needed, very poor ventilation inside, flues a little suspect - seems like it's getting it from every angle.

Should be able to get most things sorted quickly - then it's drying everything out as quickly as possible.

Would a domestic dehumidifer be effective then? It's quite a spread out 3 bedroom place - about 1200sqft.

Best to keep heating on and windows closed?

not heard of a desiccant dehumidifier - will have a look.

On a slighty different note - the bathroom and bedroom ceilings need replacing and walls need replastering due to the damage done by the damp and mould. Should I wait for things to dry out first - or can I crack on with these while it's drying?

 

[Burnerman]

Crack on and get rid of any damp material as soon as you can.
It sounds like the paths are too high.....and you don't want any water splash bouncing above DPC if you can avoid it.
I'd lift the odd floor board to see what's going on down there......any smell is also a good clue.
Get a gale blowing through the property - dehumidification can start when it's watertight.
Sounds like you've quite a project there!
John

 

[obliquegeek]

Yes - I think the paths are that the main issue - above DPC and funnelling water into the air bricks - they're coming straight out next weekend (moving in this weekend) - breaker is already booked.

Floorboards in the bedroom (one of the worst affected rooms) have buckled up due to the moisture, so should be able to take a look under there quite easily.

Roofer (a mate) is coming in this weekend to sort that and I'll be re-pointing as I get time (weather permitting). That should be most things covered.

Just need to get things sorted, dry and re-plastered, decorated asap - got a little one on the way mid feb.

not too keen on the 'gale blowing through' idea - it's starting to get cold and we've got to live there!

 

[Burnerman]

Nowt like a draught of nature to dry a building, Mr O!
Hope the job goes well - we'd like to see a few pics if you will.
John

 

[obliquegeek]

Summer I get - but even in the winter? That's why I was leaning towards a dehumidifier.

 

[Guitar_man]

Nice project, im currently working on something similar, not easy at all trying to get stuff done in this weather.
I would say even this time of year a dehumid works very well. Especially if you are plastering inside, you are adding masses of water, ask me how i know.
I would get an industrial jobbie of ebay, i have used the ebac BD series, they suck buckets of water, even in wet cold weather. Will save you a bunch over hiring one, and youll need one for a long period in this weather. You can get them for 100-200 quid.
Id agree with the comment on get all the damp rotten stuff out, clear your vents, and dont ventilate the house when its damp and wet outside, you dont want to let more wet damp in. Currently there is no heating in the place im renovating and condensation is a real issue on the outside walls. Good luck!

 

[obliquegeek]

Hadn't thought of ebay - seen a couple already.

Just out of interest, I've just been thinking, how noisy will an industrial dehumidifier be? The place is open plan we need to live there.

Also - is it safe to leave running while I'm at work?

 

[s60tsy]

Make sure you don't use any gas powered gear like a calorie gas heater! Co poisoning is a silent killer, are you drying clothes in the house? Do you have water under the floor boards? Water rises up sometimes. Do you have extractor fans in kitchen and wet rooms? Do you use them if so

 

[obliquegeek]

Move in tomorrow!

All central heating, highly likely that there's water under the floor boards and all extractors are broken - for a while by the looks of it.

Looking forward to it...

 

[masona]

Would getting a commercial dehumidifier speed up this process? (a lot?)

They do partly control the moisture in the room but produce warm air moisture back into the room! They don't really cure for a serious damp problem