Damp

[Tengu]

This place is damp.

A paper bag of sugar...lets not go there...my new bag is plastic and its holding up...so far.

my clean dry clothes are clammy.

Whats the best way to dehumidity? (Aside from leaving sugar bags all over the place.) I cant afford to have the gas fire on all day.

 

[mountainm]

Minimise moisture. Don't hang up washing to dry indoors. Vent steam when showering or cooking. More ventilation.

Get an electric dehumidifier or just some crystals if that's an issue.

http://www.hgldirect.co.uk/scented-compact-dehumidifier-moisture-absorber-1437-p.asp

 

[mountainm]

Is your gas fire catalytic (flu less)? If so this will also cause damp

 

[TeeDee]

Ventilate.

 

[xylaria]

Damp has two causes;

Penetrating damp : your home has a leak in the structure such as damp course, roof or dripping plumbing. If it is a caravan the seals need treatment with sealant. The sealent is called pu60, cheap window silicone falls off. Clean the edge with soapy water and a scrubing brush them apply sealant on a dry day.

Condensation : on dry days open windows. Cook with the window/door open. Wipe condensation from inside the windows with tissues and dispose of in plastic bag. Look at installing wood burner in caravans living room. Drying washing indoors does add a lot of moisture to the air but only if it isnt ventilated. There is times when you have dry washing indoors a window must kept open. Penetrating damp makes condensation really bad.

Caravans are bad for both types of damp as they get cold quickly and the seals leak. Actually your dwelling sounds significantly damp enough to promote mould growth. You need to get into habits to reduce the humidity. I live in very damp house, I keep salt sugar and flour in sealed containers and clothes are kept clothes on rails not cupboards.

 

[Shewie]

What you don't want to do is pay Rentokill nearly £1k to fix your damp, five years later and ours is still the same despite a 25 year guarantee.

 

[mrcharly]

Gas produces condensation, so your gas fire might be making things worse.

Ventilation is the solution. If it was your own static I'd suggest installing a solid fuel stove.

 

[milius2]

Dehumidifier can go a long way solving this. Ventilation causes heat loss during cold months, unless you have expensive system.
My suggestions:

1. Dry things under some tarpaulin or something, not indoors.
2. Change light bulbs to old fashioned ones that provide heat (make a grear light and produces heat) important.
3, invest in a dehumidifier. 12 liter/per day cost about 100 quid and works great. Takes 205W of power, dries the air and produces a lot of heat like a fridge does.

I think it's the most affordable solutions. Surely if your caravan is leaking, then that must be fixed.

 

[Tengu]

Its not leaking.

the gas fire is vented outside, I dont think that is the problem.

I open my top vent when showering. (Actualy I should use the college showers and save money.)

Yes, I dry my clothes inside. I should use the site launderette dryers (But an extra £4 on top of the £4 for the wash...)

Ill get some gel, I think.

 

[david1]

next door had damp, turned out their gutters were blocked water running in cavity.

 

[Toddy]

If the caravan is damp, and it's not condensation, then there's very little you will be able to do about it.

Personally, I'd plan to tumble dry clothes, regardless of the cost, and immediately bag them in dry bags of some kind.
Food stuffs in clean screw top jars or the click seal boxes, and your bedding aired in front of the fire every time it's on.

If it is condensation....those gel pots don't take out much, they're really only for a closed cupboard, and they need dried out again to be effective.
Condensation can be shifted with ventilation and heat, and it is well worth having a routine to wipe dry both the shower and any steamed up windows.
Damp will come back every time the weather is wet, and though the caravan may not be 'leaking' as such, I am reliably informed that the way they are built causes micro fractures, and that unless under cover virtually all vans suffer damp.

Do you have electricity ? if you do then a dehumidifier does work, and it does pull out water, and gives out a little heat. It can be expensive though for a big enough one to be effective.

Living damp is a misery; we moved out of a damp house when the children were small, and I was never so glad to flit in my life.

Best of luck sorting it out.

M

 

[Ruud]

Fill a sock with cat-litter and hang it somewhere. Works especially good in a car.

 

[Mike313]

Assuming you don't have a leak, condensation is likely the cause of the problem. To minimise the problem you need to look at (a) minimising the generation of water vapour, e.g. do not dry clothes indoors as it can puts litre of water into the air depending on how much clothes you are drying; (b) ventilation to get rid of damp air, and (c) heating, to reduce the area of cold surfaces on which the airborne water vapour can condense. Obviously the degree to which the dwelling is insulated is important as this will directly affect whether the internal surfaces of walls are cold. Opening a vent when you shower is good provided the damp air blows out the window rather than is blown through your dwelling by in-coming air (depends on whether that window/went faces into the prevailing wind); you might need a small window- or wall-mounted fan/extractor in the bathroom. Likewise, an extractor hood over your cooker (extracting to the outside rather than the type that just filter and recirculate the air) will help eliminate the steam from cooking. I'm no expert on caravans but I suspect many are designed for fair weather use and are not insulated for cold weather/winter full-time dwelling. As others have said, you may well need a dehumidifier. If you are renting the caravan, can you get the owner to provide you with one?

 

[Robbi]

I wonder if a big bowl of rice left on the kitchen area work top would help ?

 

[TeeDee]

Its a small space , your breathing ( during sleep & the day ) , showering and use of the gas fire as well as drying your wet clothes inside mean the small volume space will always be damp unless you follow some of the advice as above.

 

[mountainm]

I think the consensus is buy and run a small dehumidifier - in the long run the damage damp can do to your possessions, food and health will more than offset the cost.

Doesn't need to be a big one for a caravan

Something like this:
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/0523082.htm

or this:
http://www.ebuyer.com/634166-vida-m...ium=products&gclid=CIKc2tqZrMICFQHMtAodVwoAlg

 

[Retired Member southey]

Aren't you renting? Is it a problem your landlord could address?

 

[Tengu]

I am renting and paying to my mind highly for it

I will dry in the dryer and have a window wipe every day now

 

[wicca]

I live on my boat, I have some experience of damp...
Forget absorbent crystals unless you buy them by the lorry load and shovel them into every corner of the van. In 18 years aboard I've found the answer is a Dehumidifier plugged into shore power. Mine came from B&Q, can't remember the cost but it's a mid range thing and needs the water collection receptacle emptying more often than the multi-litre expensive ones.

Obviously there is a cost to running an electric dehumidifier but there is a bonus. At the moment you are trying to heat damp air which entails more heating cost (by whatever method) than heating dry air. Put simply, with my dehumidifier running I can have my little charcoal burning cabin heater on tickover and the boat is toasty. Turn the dehumidifier off and I have to stoke the heater up and burn more charcoal. There is also a small amount of heat given off by the dehumidifier. A warning...buy a good brand name, I know of two boats which caught fire courtesy of unattended cheap dehumidifiers..

Don't dry your washing in the van, and if you come home with wet gear on don't hang it in the hall/ living space, a cupboard as a 'drying room' is a good idea, and in there you can put some magic crystals if you wish.