does anyone use a dehumidifer in their house?

[springmachine]

i have an old 1900's end of terrace house.

we modernised it when we moved in last year which included full strip out and renovation.

Noticed when we moved in that there was one area that was getting quite damp so started running a dehumidifer which helped contain the issue and its been on most of winter.

I started to turn it off when the warm weather came, but noticed after a few days the damp area is back again so back on the dehumidifier went.

It has a 4ltr reservoir and it seems that we are collecting about that amount each day which seems excessive, but it is in our kitchen which is open plan so drawing out moisture from everywhere I guess.

Does anyone else need to use one so regularly?

[TwoBlueFish]

Have you got a void under the house? Is it rising damp coming up from the ground as it’s a formerly outside wall. We run a dehumidifier in the winter, mostly to help with condensation but only empty it once or twice a week.

[Tinycitrus]

We have one in our bedroom due to condensation caused by damp chimney. Our flat was built in 1852.

It’s incredible how much moisture it pulls out of the air. We empty it everyday.

[springmachine]

The hygrometer I bought which I situate centrally in the house hovers between 48-55% humidity when the dehumidifier is running.

It creeps up to 65% when it's off.

The damp wall is a mystery as it starts half way up the wall it doesn't go to the ceiling, there are no pipes and I've had roofers round to check there is no problem with leaky roof or chimney flashings.
I've had all gutters checked and cleared (not that they are near this wall as it's internal) so I'm a bit stumped.
Assumed it had started from some water ingress at some point before we moved in, but we have overhauled the whole house including electrics, plumbing, plastering, bathroom kitchen etc, so really have no idea

[BrownTurkey]

Ours pulls out heaps too, but we hang a lot of washing inside. It is situated downstairs and has cured our upstairs damp problems. I am not sure I could ventilate enough to achieve the same, due to security concerns.

[AppleAndBlackberry]

We use one upstairs, actually because the loft isn't ventilated and we had water dripping through a ceiling at one point. It also prevents condensation on the windows. We don't collect that much, 1 litre every couple of days. When you say an area is damp what exactly do you mean? The walls? Could it be more of a building problem or a leak?

[DragonsAndCakes]

Do you know what setting correlates to what percentage of humidity? We used one in our last house and we kept it at around 55%. I wonder if yours is set a bit low?

[SlowlyShrinking]

You don’t leave the windows open while the dehumidifier is on do you?

[springmachine]

Also - I had been drying inside but since the weather has been dry everything has been on the line for the past 2 weeks

[springmachine]

The damp section is on a formally external wall. It's been internal since the 70's when the kitchen was put on the rear.

Windows open and well ventilated otherwise (other than on freezing cold days)

It is open plan and as I'm on maternity leave i am home a lot and boiling the kettle a lot so maybe that makes it worse.

[mybrainhurtsalot]

I use one a lot, but having the windows open is much more effective on all but the wettest/most humid of days. Improving ventilation, not drying clothes inside and using extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom are all good tips. Is the area that gets damp on an external wall? Have you checked for leaky gutters etc?