[Closed] Damp - how much is it gonna cost me?

Are you sure it's penetrating damp, and not just condensing damp from the rest of the flat? Cold walls, etc...

Try a dehumidifier.

2nd what Brant said, we've had one running for a week and it's made a world of difference

I have a similar problem, but mines rented. I get masses of condensation but I'm fairly sure it's damp getting in somewhere as there's simply too much to come from 2 people sleeping. Over the course of an evening I have to mop down the windows 2-3 times and all the lower wall surfaces have to be anti-mould treated every month or two. The only solution is leaving the heating on and the windows open in my case. Heating off makes no odds and windows shut = wet inside. It's got so bad the spare rooms matress started walking off 🙂

Dehumid helps a bit, but costs a fortune to run continuously - band-aid solution.

It could be condensation damp, we had a dehumidifier last year that worked ok. Might have to get a better one and leave the heating on a bit more to see if that helps.

CK - anti mould treatment?

Got it from homebase - it's horrific stuff by the looks of it, all sorts of warnings about not getting it into the watercourse and not getting it into food equip/food, but it cost about £5 for half a litre or so and you brush it on the walls/surfaces affected (it actually sprays onto manmade fabrics without damage too I've found) and it removes the mould (seems to bleach/disolve it) and if done in a 3:1 ratio with water it seems to hold off the mould for quite some time.

I think it's like this stuff but there's no image on the site:
http://tinyurl.com/ykonmqo

Dehumid helps a bit, but costs a fortune to run continuously - band-aid solution.

About 85p a day.

band-aid solution.

Hire a dehumidifier from local hire centre and give it a go to start the process of damp identification.

If it's penetrating damp you will see the spores forming at the bottom of the wall, as the wetness starts rising up the brickwork, around the skirting boards etc. If it is starting at the top of the walls or around the windows then I would say it's from condensation. Giving your flat a good airing once a day would also help ie opening all the windows for ten minutes or so.

Can you improve ventilation - that could help. (ie leaving window part open etc), checking any air bricks .....

Can you see the source of the damp ?

ie are you top/middle/bottom of the block, is it more on exterior walls or all walls etc , does it appear to have a source/root ?

<watching this thread with joy>

And 85p a day - thats 310 quid a year extra! Suppose its probably comparable to opening the windows and letting all the heat out.

Also - do you dry clothes indoors? Is it an older building that would have had open fires and draughty windows that have been blocked up and replaced with double glazing respectively?

It may sound obvious, but you need to find out what's causing the damp, rather than treating the symtoms like using sealers, paint etc - they'll just prevent the wall breathing properly. If it isn't condensation, it may be something like a leaky downpipe or knackered pointing. Or if you're on the ground floor, mebbe a bridged damp course or one that's too low and/or you're getting water splash up above it.

(FWIW Victorian/Edwardian buildings or earlier should use lime mortar rather mortar using Portland cement, it's softer and more breathable. For the same reason stonework's supposed to use lime mortar)

And 85p a day - thats 310 quid a year extra! Suppose its probably comparable to opening the windows and letting all the heat out.

Come on - they'll only need it on for half the year at the most. And a dehumidifier gives up heat to the house as it condenses liquid so there will be some offset on heating costs too.

OP - Does your house still get damp if you are away on holiday? That would suggest penetrating damp rather than condensation.

wet bike kept in the house = damp house within a few days.

+1 for run a dehumidifier for a while

also, do you keep the windows closed.
i find, if i sleep with the window closed, the amount of condensation on the cold walls and window frames can be damp worthy.
always sleep with the window open a bit, even in december/jan.

Come on - they'll only need it on for half the year at the most.

With respect, my damp problem occurs all year round, not just winter. Though obviously the OP only gets winter trouble. But for a 2 bed flat 160 quid is 6 months worth of heating.

Is the 85p a day for flat out, continuous running? We have 2 in our house (cellars), and I wouldn't say our electricity bill is astronomical. They run on sensors though, so not on all the time.

Mine's a very small one, and 350w whenever it's running. Thats 8.4kWh/day. I think my elec is around 10p a kwh, so that'd be constant, but it will vary massively with the unit in question. My neighbours one was a 2kw machine (same physical size). In my flat the things are running constantly during winter, despite being on sensors to die when not needed.

I'll check mine. I (perhaps foolishly!) believed my good lady when she said they were cheap to run! If they're costing us £3-400 a year to run, then we need an alternative!

Anti mould treatment and good dehumidifier worked for me in my flat

When I bought my last house surveyor said I had rising damp and lender withheld some of my mortgage. As I am lead to believe that rising damp is a myth I refused to pay to have it sorted out; when I sold no damp problem was reported. After I had an extension a few years later I did find some water stains that seemed to come from an original wall and just sloshed on some of that 'does what it says on the tin' brick waterproof stuff which seemed to sort that out.