Condensation problems

[Alistair young]

This time of year condensation is at its worst in u.k. I have 2 areas of concern one is in bathroom cistern condensation so bad it's working it's way down and lifting the lino and the bedroom wall inside where 2 exterior walls meet eachother it's chronic dripping damp  it  wasn't there before i moved in. In fact the bungalow was very dry maybe they ventilated the bungalow more as there is no extractors in either the kitchen or bathroom but absolutely no signs of damp or mould? Any ideas of budget solutions. Thanks

[ProDave]

You need to reduce the moisture in the air.  Either by changing your lifestyle or buy a dehumidifier.

 

In both cases it is finding a cold surface to condense on.

 

What is the age and type of property?  It ideally needs better insulation, but certainly better heating and ventilation.

[A_L]

First hello and welcome,

 

7 minutes ago, Alistair young said:

Any ideas of budget solutions.

 

Here is a possible 'off the wall' solution. Seal wet suit neoprene to the inside of the toilet cistern. It does not have to be a perfect seal, a small amount of water getting between the neoprene and the cistern should be O.K. The neoprene insulates the cistern from the mass of water preventing it cooling the air below its dewpoint, preventing the formation of condensation. A small amount of water getting between the neoprene and cistern will heat up quickly and any slight condensation should evaporate before it forms large enough droplets to run down the cistern.

 

An alternative would be to pre-heat the water entering the cistern?

 

[TonyT]

Do you have ventilation in kitchen and bathroom?

do you have a cooker hood?

do you dry clothes inside?

do you have trickle vents?

do you heat the house to a good temperature?

do you have MHVR?

do you have a humidity / temp meter?

[MikeGrahamT21]

Get an extractor fan in the bathroom, one which runs 24/7 and boosts on elevated humidity, I had exactly the same issue in my bungalow and this solved it along with dehumidifier on the odd occasion.

 

you’ll need to ensure you don’t dry clothes indoors, open the window when cooking, keep pan lids on etc

[JFDIY]

2 hours ago, A_L said:

An alternative would be to pre-heat the water entering the cistern?

I've said it a few times on here, I have a thermostatic mixer on the supply to my toilet, (look for a tmv2 or tmv3 ) it's set to around 30c, this is to draw hot water through the system so the hot basin tap responds quicker when washing hands, as a by-product it does eliminate condensation on the cistern at the same time

[Roundtuit]

Dehumidifier.  In our last place (old 4 storey town house), we pretty much lived in the basement and closed off the stairs to keep the heat in during winter.  With 2 adults, 2 kids, a dog and cooking etc, the windows were running with condensation every morning.  We bought a dehumidifier for about £100 or so IIRC, and left it in the corner doing its thing 24/7.  Its amazing how much water they take out of the air.  We still use it now in the new place occasionally if we've got a lot of wet clothes to dry.

[Alistair young]

 currently have no extractors or trickle vents or MHVR i am one person and dry clothes once a week inside due to weather no tumble dryer and no humidistat. in my newly acquired 1950s semi detached council bungalow. I'm still wondering if i should warm the water going to the cistern or just try to extract as much of the moisture from the bathroom. ? I do have a couple of dehumidifiers but they only fix the immediate problem and are no long term fix and are intrusive.. Other question is insulation of exterior walls to warm them up to stop the cold areas . I had cavity wall insulation poly balls in last house and did actually work and warmed the whole house and lessoned the damp it was free at the time but can't get it done for free here have tried and those companies really are the worst but you don't care when they free. but is  cheaper option than exterior cladding the bungalow. Sorry if I've missed some suggestions it's a very complex issue.

Edited January 1, 2021 by Alistair young

[MikeGrahamT21]

If I had to choose one thing for minimal cost, I’d go extractor in bathroom, it’ll dry that one area, and also have a positive effect on rest of property, but make sure you get a continuous trickle one, they make such a bigger difference than a normal demand extractor.

 

It also depends what your final aim is? Extractor will serve you well in the short medium and long term for little expense