Humidity

[Curtainmaker2020]

Hi all

Long time lurker first post

I have those temperature/humidity guages (from amazon) dotted around my home and in the last few weeks I've noticed that the humidity is showing as 75% downstairs and around 69% upsatirs (upstairs is always much warmer than downstairs). I understand that the humidity should be 30% to 60 % and mine was usually arounf 55-60% in the past

I can't see any signs of damp or mould on the walls or in the wardrobes although I do get some condensation on the windows when the temperature outside is cold

Its a 1990s built detached house. Usual brick build

I don't have the heating on much but I try to keep the room temperature downstairs at around 14 C or above

Its rarely less than 17C upstairs

I bought some of those dehumidifier pots and I've dotted them around the house but after a few days there's no waer in the bottom half of any of them

I cant understand why these high humidity readings are showing all of a sudden

Can anyone advise what I should be looking at....might I have a leak somewhere which I cant see? A damp course issue?

How would I know?

Thanks in advance

Have you removed the film from the dehumidifier pots? I had some for a bout 3 weeks wondering why they weren't working before I realised I had to take the top off and peel off the film!!

Also recommend putting them on a dish as they can overflow and get blue liquid everywhere.

14 sounds very cold! They do recommend a minimum of 16 to prevent damp and mold so try cranking the heating up too.

You mean the foil film? Yes I've removed that. Thanks :)

1. Check the temperature/humidity guages are calibrated the same by putting them in the same room for a day, ideally the variation should be +/- a couple of percent.
2. Buy a dehumidifier and dry one room at a time
3. Consider buying two.
4. Heating should be ideally a bit higher at 18+, but you may notice more condensation initially.
5. Expect it to take a couple of months to reduce the humidity.
6. Throw away the dehumidifier pots.

I live in a Victorian house and my dehumidifier collects around 2 litres a week from the bedroom.

I don't think you want the humidity to be as low as 30%. I occasionally work in a process room at work which is 40% and after an hour your eyes are dry and itchy. Our plant is set to make most rooms around 60%. But the temp is steady around 19-21C..

Thanks all. Much appreciated. I've checked the little temperature/hygrometers and they all measure the same, sadly. I'd have liked it if they wer faulty!

I just dont understand why ALL OF A SUDDEN the humidity is high and yet no signs of damp other than some condensation on the windows when its cold outside

I guess I'm worried there's some horrible damp thing happening that I cant see (yet?!)

Has it been raining? Your house isn't hermetically sealed so I'd expect the readings to increase if it's lashing it down outside. Warm air holds more moisture than cold too.

How long have you had the humidity displays? Just wondering if you are comparing to this time last year, or to the last 6 months when you might have had more airflow, dried less clothing inside etc.

It hasnt been raining in the last few days, no

I'm comparing to 2-3 months ago, I guess.

Its quite a conundrum :(

It was summer 2-3 months ago. There was probably less ambient humidity.

November is usually a damp month. You can't compare to 2/3 months ago. I put washing out at the weekend it was 18c sunny, bit of wind, when I got it in late afternoon it felt damp. I have a big dehumidifier in my conservatory it's a big room and ne facing. It has the clothes dry setting and I keep it at 90% just for a couple of hours a day,if there's no sun.

I also have these monitors around my home, glad to have found a fellow humidity monitor person!

Just recently we've had some really warm (for the time of year) and damp weather and it has affected the general humidity, which in turn affects the levels indoors as well. Yours sounds on the high side which I assume is because you're in an older building, mine have been creeping into the 60%+ and that's definitely too high for my liking.

I have two large air conditioners in my apartment which can be switched to dehumidifiers as necessary and I've got these on for a while every day at the moment. The small dehumidifying pots are not really helpful for general air humidity, they're more useful for things like collecting condensation from windowsills etc. A proper machine will do a better job and you'll see the water collect in the tank.

To be comfortable I prefer humidity around 37-40%, 37% is perfectly achievable on a crisp, frosty winter's day; in summer in the UK 50-60% is more likely.
People talk about temperature but rarely talk about humidity but higher humidity levels saps energy (try a holiday in a Brazilian rainforest lodge and you will know how debilitating it can be!) and in a home, higher humidity also makes heating the place harder. Not to mention encouraging mould over time.

I have lived in Scandinavia where the winter temperatures send the humidity downwards, 26% is quite usual and at that point you may begin to feel you have dry eyes etc. Below 26% you will also get a lot of static electricity, even around the house (e.g. if you take off your pullover, brush your hair, touch metal handles or open the fridge door). Over there they accept it as part of everyday life.

It’s called the weather.

'its called the weather' made me laugh!

I'm becoming obssessed with this damn humidity!

Does anyone have any advice on a good dehumidifier which doesnt cost an arm and half a leg? :)

These work well but are not cheap to buy (£250) or run. Cheap is probably wasted money.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-DEX214F-Dehumidifier-dex14-2500/

Dehumidifiers arent cheap are they? :(

Darn - that would have made me feel better about being a total idiot 😂

No. It's a tough balancing act. I haven't turned mine on yet. Kitchen is 74%. Lounge is 67%. Hall is 80%. We're in the SW - so wet as .......

I can see that it would be a balancing act

I've put one of the temperature/hygrometer guages on the wooden floor downstairs (rather than on a shelf) in the sitting room area....and the humidity has gone up

I wonder if that means anything sinister leak wise?

Could be a number of reasons.

It has been a very wet summer. Ground could be saturated. Is the damp in the cellar and coming up from beneath ?

Have you kept your windows more closed ? Do you have more people ? Drying more clothes or cooking more ? Anything that might put more humidity in the air ?

Check the outside walls for damp patches and see whether there are any dripping blocked gutterings.

A lot of people say keep humidity down at 60% or less but that is difficult to obtain even with dehumidifiers going. Personally I find 70% OK in my place but 80% I would be worried about.

Your temperatures are cold and if you want to keep them that way it might be worth considering a dessicant dehumidifier rather than a compressor one.

The efficiency cutoff point I believe is 17C, so they are generally better in colder places and cellars.

The pots are rubbish. consider that a decent dehumidier is going to remove a few litres of water a day and imagine that in the pots. Not going to happen.

Over the last year or so we have had exceptionally wet weather. I've live in my house for ten years and it has always been very dry although I use a good sized dehumidfier for drying clothes.

However, in the last year, I've noticed I do get a bit of condensation that I never had before, particularly after baths and showers. A couple of people I've talked to have said the same.

I think the last year's weather has just supersaturated the ground outside, the house bricks, etc.

You do need decent sized dehumidifiers, it is one not to skimp on. The only place I use the little pots is in my jewellery drawer to try and stop silver tarnishing.

By the way, if you have wooden floors don't aim too low with the humidity!

Don't aim for too low humidity because of the wooden floors? Can you explain what you mean (sorry to be thick!)

I have a meaco arete one 25l. I bought this size based on size of the room it would be in most of the time as it does 170m3 /h, and low running costs as I have it on full time.

Seems pricey but damp walls and mould is terrible for your health so a bargain really.

@ForPearlViper - I've just googled and I see what you mean about low humidity and wooden floors. Although high humidity isnt great either!

It isn’t a conundrum OP! It’s the seasons changing and the fact you’re a bit stingey with your heating.

We live in a bungalow in Cornwall so we monitor humidity all day everyday.

Sometimes it’s clear when the heating needs “a blast” (if the humidity is high outside. Not necessarily raining) and the humidity monitors will go down a good few % after 30 min of heating

Meaco do really good dehumidifiers. But in the first instance it might be cheaper to just warm up the house every so often!

You're right I am stingy with my heating costs, but I was last year and 2022 as well.

THIS is my conundrum.....although I do take your point! :)