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Property/DIY

Damp cellar - heating or ventilating?

8 replies

NinaRose · 26/09/2014 12:55

Our house has a cold, damp cellar. We would like to use it for storage but anything stored in there goes mouldy so we are looking for cost efficient solutions to deal with the damp. Someone suggested putting in an extra radiator to heat it and dry the air out, someone else installing an extractor fan. Which is likely to work better?

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Honsandrevels · 26/09/2014 12:58

We have a dehumidifier in ours. We store stuff you'd keep in a garage - tools, paint etc but nothing sentimental. We keep the Christmas decs there in a large plastic box and they are fine.

We have the washing machine and dryer down there so it isn't wet damp, just damp-ish.

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18yearstooold · 26/09/2014 13:33

Both if you can

My cellar is very well ventilated but I would love a heater down there, everything rusts down there

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mausmaus · 26/09/2014 13:39

both if you can.
we have added a couple of air vents.
we only store stuff that doesn't mind or use 'really usefull' plastic crates with lids + a sachet of those crystal moisture trap thingies.

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PigletJohn · 26/09/2014 19:33

ventilation will remove the damp air, and will encourage evaporation from the walls and floor, so that the water vapour can escape by the ventilation.

Heating will just make the damp warm.

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Greencheese · 26/09/2014 19:54

Silly question but how do you ventilate a cellar? I'm guessing air bricks but how can you do something if your a novice and don't want to risk putting a hole in the wall?

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mausmaus · 26/09/2014 20:04

hire a brickie for a day to put a couple in. we had one do a few smallish jobs do paid 200 + the costs of a couple of bricks and vent covers do some jobs for a day.

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Greencheese · 26/09/2014 20:53

Thanks. Suppose that's the only way to sort it really isn't it.

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nievesdesign · 27/09/2014 15:32

Damp and mould problems can be a pain to resolve. Ventilating is the best way to get this done though. Air bricks fitted by a competent tradesmen will be a great start. Get someone over to see if they can physically fit them (that the cellar has access to the external above ground level)

The alternative might be a ducted fan unit.

You can also by damp / mould catchers which claim to soak up the damp air but I'm not sure how good or reliable these are.

Be aware that insert vents will only help to ventilate but will not resolve any underlying issue. Whilst it is in the cellar only it might not seem like a problem, but you may find it useful to work out whether the damp is caused as a result of condensation forming, or as a result of something like rising damp.

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