JohnnyD
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Mayenne (53) When Covid allows..........Which isn't very often these days........
Posts: 2,014
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Post by JohnnyD on Jan 25, 2022 12:55:38 GMT 1
One thing that hit us for the first time (we think) was the amount of condensation on the inner walls after we had turned the heating on, it may have been wet before then but were too cold to notice.......
Is it possible to reduce or stop this build up, or is it just something one has to accept on long periods of absence during winter?
JD
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ibis
Banned Member
Posts: 1,376
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Post by ibis on Jan 25, 2022 13:03:12 GMT 1
run heaters or live with it and the mold that normally follows. Sorry...
You might be able to install an air circulating system - vmc i think it is called there. Might help..
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exile
Member
Massif Central
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Post by exile on Jan 25, 2022 13:28:53 GMT 1
You could try dehumidifiers. Mechanical ones would probably cost a lot to run full time when you are not there but there are those that use a chemical sachet that absorbs moisture.
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FFS
Member
As usual, in front of my laptop when I'm here
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Post by FFS on Jan 25, 2022 13:29:46 GMT 1
If the inside is warmer than the outside, condensation is normal, it happens here and we're permanent....aah, just noticed you said "walls", sorry, ours is on windows. An absorbeur d'humidité is what you need.
Edit: as exile said a minute before me  |
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ibis
Banned Member
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Post by ibis on Jan 25, 2022 13:38:33 GMT 1
The first week of not being occupied that little sachet will be full of water and useless. Air circulation is what is needed.
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Post by pcpa on Jan 25, 2022 14:16:52 GMT 1
Agreed, a VMC should be running 24/7 especially during your absence.
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Post by landmannnn on Jan 25, 2022 14:21:53 GMT 1
From experience....
Leave the heating on low. This will cost a few hundred €. The result being you get a slightly warmer damp house. Mould likes it a bit warmer by the way. Bad idea.
Leave the log burner door open. Sort of helps.
Leave an upstairs window open a bit behind the closed shutter. Helps with the damp a bit. Also an ideal way to let wasps in to build a nest. Bad idea.
Install positive ventilation. I put in a bathroom/kitchen extractor with an idle function at about 2w.(quite pricey). This works really well, no damp any more.
A full blown VMC (mechanically controlled ventilation) with heat exchanger etc would be better, but quite a bit of work to retrofit in an older property.
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Aardvark
Non-gamer
Living in soggy 22 and still wondering what's going on.
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Post by Aardvark on Jan 25, 2022 14:53:32 GMT 1
It is down to a choice. Leave it to fester while you are away and deal with mould and naff smells on your return, or follow some or all of the methods suggested by landmannnn. I would add one more that I have used myself. Use a mid-sized dehumidifier. One large enough that it doesn't use a little container to collect the water but has a drain tube. Extend this drain tube to reach into a bath or shower drain so the unit will keep running and not switch off because it is full. A modern dehumidifier will only consume as much power as a small freezer so won't really break the bank. And if you return when it is very cold you can put the heating on without expecting the walls to be running with damp because the damp has been removed from the air inside.
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Post by pcpa on Jan 25, 2022 17:41:17 GMT 1
Install positive ventilation. I put in a bathroom/kitchen extractor with an idle function at about 2w.(quite pricey). This works really well, no damp any more. 2 watts sounds too little and certainly could not be considered pricey. A basic VMC will eradicate the damp and use 20-30 watts on the low setting, there are more expensive lower powered units but I doubt they do anything on the headline low power setting you have got to pay your buck for the bang. No point using an expensive double flux heat recovery one when the heating is turned off. A VMC will consume far less than a dehumidifier but I do agree that one with a drain tube can be super effective, the one I had would randomly refuse to restart the pump so could not be relied on, there is nothing simpler than a VMC as long as you stick to a single flux model. Both my dwellings in France and the UK (that one now demolished) were uninhabitable due to running damp and mould before fitting VMC's that stopped the problem net. |
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ibis
Banned Member
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Post by ibis on Jan 25, 2022 17:55:56 GMT 1
Install positive ventilation. I put in a bathroom/kitchen extractor with an idle function at about 2w.(quite pricey). This works really well, no damp any more. 2 watts sounds too little and certainly could not be considered pricey. The pricey part is not the running costs but the point that it is 2w and does the same as a 20-30w system. Sign of the times.. |
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Post by pcpa on Jan 25, 2022 18:39:49 GMT 1
The laws of physics would say otherwise, there aint 28 watts of heat losses generated by a 30w VMC motor.
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ibis
Banned Member
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Post by ibis on Jan 25, 2022 18:48:49 GMT 1
The laws of physics would say otherwise, there aint 28 watts of heat losses generated by a 30w VMC motor. well, this one is 5 watts and does the same as your 30 watt but is more expensive to purchase, but cheaper to run..
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Post by pcpa on Jan 25, 2022 19:07:36 GMT 1
If you say so.
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JohnnyD
Member
Mayenne (53) When Covid allows..........Which isn't very often these days........
Posts: 2,014
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Post by JohnnyD on Jan 25, 2022 21:21:14 GMT 1
OK lots to consider there...thank you all
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Post by annabellespapa on Jan 26, 2022 7:12:34 GMT 1
It is down to a choice. Leave it to fester while you are away and deal with mould and naff smells on your return, or follow some or all of the methods suggested by landmannnn. I would add one more that I have used myself. Use a mid-sized dehumidifier. One large enough that it doesn't use a little container to collect the water but has a drain tube. Extend this drain tube to reach into a bath or shower drain so the unit will keep running and not switch off because it is full. A modern dehumidifier will only consume as much power as a small freezer so won't really break the bank. And if you return when it is very cold you can put the heating on without expecting the walls to be running with damp because the damp has been removed from the air inside. About 5 years ago, we had a damp problem but not running down the walls but condensation on the single glazed windows, replaced all nondouble glazed with Leroy Merlin off the shelf bois exotic, 9 windows two patio doors under €1500. We had previously bought a de-humidifier from Leroy Merlin which as Aadvarks says has a drain hose along with a tank, I drilled an exterior door frame and forced the hose out into a flower bed outside. I used to have it on a mechanical timer, it did an excellent job running for 3 hours a day from about 3am -6 am, it cost about €120 then and is a Qulima brand but after we installed the double glazing we only ever have condensation on the glass of our part single glazed kitchen door which was custom built over 130 years ago which I am loathed to change and would probably cost more than the widows and patio doors. I have actually brought the de-humidifier back with me yesterday as it may sometimes be useful here as it is not required in France. Just one other thought, are your walls painted in a gloss type paint finish (I don't know what they call it), if that is the case the walls can't breathe, we had this in our first house in France, rather than strip the walls we used plaster board, insulation and leaving an air gap between new walls and the painted wall. |
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