Need help with house problems (Condensation, insulation, humidity)

[hive1]

I want to ask whom or where to contact to figure out what is the problem of high humidity, condensation along with insulation.

I moved in Victorian house which probably built in 1930s (but gov. page says 1970-1980s, so not sure).
and the former owner told us that all the windows(ground floor and 1st floor) are pretty new as they installed about 2 years about.

However, all the windows in our house have condensation issue whether I cook or not, bath or not, last 3 months, there always had condensation every morning.
Also below and side of bay window walls get wet and skirting boards below the radiators(which is installed below bay windows) gets really moisture and having mold issue.
As the energy price is so high we only have used electric radiators in the rooms where we stay the most, however, there still having condensation issue.

Also all the rooms have high humidity, it's about 70%. When I turn radiator on it goes down to 60%. I can feel there are moisture in the air somehow. Clothes in built in closet feels moisture and walking around the house with socks on I can feel my socks and feet get moisture. Also when I touch duvet in our bed room, I can feel bit moisture. It's not like it is wet, damp or visually shown, but just humid. Even all the rooms have thick and quite new carpets floor bit is humid.

I really want to solve this issue before next winter starts, however, I have no idea whom I should discuss about. What I can guess at the moment is with radiators on in the house humidity issue will get better but....at the moment it's sooooooooo expensive. My previous house had no problem like this even without radiators on.

I can tell insulation underneath floor looks required, but would that really solve this issue or could it be something else causing the problem? Who would be able to give advice about this whole issue I have.

Thank you for the comments always.

Air and heat is necessary. It works especially now ehen it's below 0 outside so it's dry-ish air.
If it's that bad you might need the dehumidifier absolutely at least for now.
Every house i lived in in UK had condensation on windows in a morning.

I am concerned you bought a house and don't know approximately when it was built. Did you get a mortgage? The valuator should note it. You could ask neigbours if you can.
Post picture of similar house? They are often distinctive and have different issues to each other

propertychecker.co.uk/check-property-age/

Can you upload a picture of a house that looks like yours so people can work out a rough time of when it was built? That would help people give better advice.

I agree with previous posters about ventilation, dehumidifier and heating the house as much as possible.

Well this just showed me my house is 10-26 years older than all papers say😳

Younger! Dang it

Ours is slap bang in the middle of its range. It'll give the OP an idea

Totally. Much better than the 3 different people did!

No not at all. He discussed our extractor fan and talked about getting a pump but agreed it probably wouldn’t work for us as extending into the loft. He gave us quotes for that and also a spec for the sort of fan we needed. Mostly he was able to reassure us it wasn’t as bad as we feared.

This is asking for payment

Ventilation.

do your windows have trickle vents? Can you lock them on slightly open?

we had this in our house which sounds similar. 1920/30 terrace. We got to the point of black mould everywhere too.

it was lack of ventilation. I had to lock all the windows on the vent setting- slightly open. And get dehumidifiers. Which pissed me off because it let the cold and noise in, and cost a fortune. Doors and window open at every opportunity.

you could also look at getting trickle vents fitted in the windows.

we’ve moved since to a more naturally ventilated house and it’s much less hassle.

Scroll down it shows se data

Hello.
Sure: so basically we moved into a house 3 doors down and suddenly found ourselves with dripping windows. Previous house didn’t have any issues and we didn’t know what the problem was.
He suggested new windows which we thought might be the case but said we could retrospectively fit trickle vents if we wanted to keep costs down
installing a better extractor fan in the bathroom. Ours was shot
Our roof vents needed replacing soon also
optionally to install an air pump but as I said we plan on extending into the loft so that wouldn’t work as well.

most of our issues stemmed from it being an empty house for months and then suddenly getting a family moving in and breathing everywhere taking showers etc. Prior to us it had been a little old lady. There is mould on windows but not black mould and nothing horrifying. He was v reassuring!

Ours is similar age 1930 and we have condensation every morning at the bottom of the windows, we just wipe it off. We do use a dehumidifier downstairs and keep our heating set to 18 during the day and 15 over night. Our humidity does get up to 60% overnight sometimes, but goes down once the heating comes on. Things don’t feel damp in the house though so it sounds like something else may be going on.

I got the impression that the Op has rented the house, not bought it. Perhaps that’s wrong.

@Margaritawithlime thank you 😊

If there are damp bits low down, i.e under radiators then you have an issue with either a leak or water getting into the wall from outside. If you solve this then there should be less of an issue with damp in the air. I would check your gutters first. If they are blocked or overflowing then they will make the wall damp. Also check the level of the ground outside the house is lower than the damp proof course. If your house is Victorian, this is likely to be a row of slates in between one of the rows of bricks about 2 bricks below the inside floor level.

Also running gas heating is a third of the cost of electrical heating so it will be cheaper to stick that on than to run electric radiators to heat one room and that will help dry the house out more. Open the windows while the hearing is running , even just for ten or 15 mins.

I wnet with "former owner" but yes, as someone who bought I would totally expect to know the decade it was build in

I just had an idea about the dump under window thanks to @Geneticsbunny
We had issue with water getting in because the seal between window and windowsill outside went and water was getting in and running down plaster. It might be worth a check and it's £5 repair job with silicone.

This is ridiculous!

What you need is masses more ventilation and some more heating. I currently live mostly without heating due to the prices. But I'm super careful to ventilate the house extra well to prevent mould and damp. After a nice bath I keep the window wide open for a solid hour and then open the trickle vents and keep them open. If you're not going to use much heating you need to massively up your ventilation to get rid of the condensation.

@SpaceNambo Calm the beans! It was only a suggestion. I know my DDs Victorian house needed a damp proof course and wondered if it might be the same for OPs house. It is hardly ridiculous.

Victorian houses all have slate damp proof courses in which will last for hundreds of years. Although they can get bridged by things like high ground levels and so might need some fiddling with. Sorry @ApolloandDaphne but I think your daughter might have been conned. I assume she had one of those injection ones done?

We made the same mistake in our first house so I have lots of sympathy

@Margaritawithlime could I have his details?

Sure I’ll PM you

I live in a tiny 2 bed flat with lots of condensation and the thing that's made most of a difference was a Meaco electric dehumidifier. I empty the tank twice a day! It also has a laundry function, so mine is placed close to the laundry rack.
Speaking of which, those normal clothes racks that the clothes take forever to dry are contributing to the damp too. I bought an electric one from Lakeland as I do mountains of laundry and don't have an outside space to dry.

Apart from that we also:
Painted bathroom and windowsills with anti mould paint, I think it's called Dulux Bathroom, IIRC.
I have those little pots that suck damp, you can buy them at Amazon, pound shop, etc. I empty them when they're full and refill them with the crystals, also bought at Amazon. I have them in every windowsill (one at each corner, inside wardrobes, cupboards, etc).
My windows are always open, not all of it now in the winter of course, but enough to let the air in, I only close them at night time.
But reading your post it sounds that you have a bigger problem and would benefit from a professional opinion. Good luck 😊