Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => OT Knowledge => Topic started by: woollypigs on 16 December, 2013, 02:24:58 pm
-
We just had a man in to look at our damp spot: the gable end of our 2/3 bedroom Victorian house which gets its fair share of the rain as the wind tends to come from that direction.
He is pretty sure that it is not just rising damp but water coming from the outside as the pointing is not really up to scratch, not very well done and only good up to two metres.
The "through" stones are also dragging water in to the inner walls and he found a rather wet spot in our hallway/stairway that we didn't notice.
He told us that a 20L dehumidifier with humidistat would work wonders. Let it run full pelt for a few weeks and after that have it on a lower setting (30%). He said they are clocking in at 180 of our earth pounds.
The company that he sent us to for a dehumidifier is selling the Igenix ones, which I haven't found any rave reviews about. The Meaco has better review and should do the same job, though are they the same spec wise ?
Questions, which models are you using and how do you run it and how noisy etc etc.
-
I will watch this thread with interest.
I am now on my second Ebac after the first one died; I think this one may also be on its way out (it was given to me secondhand by someone who had moved away from their damp problem).
To be fair we do use it pretty heavily (a one-room flat with two people, a dog, washing and cooking creates a lot of moisture) but it would be nice to have something that lasted a bit longer as Ebac is not a cheap option. I think I heard somewhere that Ebac are not as good as they used to be.
-
You've got the choice of chemical desiccant or condenser. They both use quite a lot of electricity. I had a condenser one from a long time ago that froze up and got thrown out.
We bought one this year, as we don't have a tumble drier and we dry clothes inside, plus with listed building single glazed windows we were getting condensation that created puddles and was beginning to rot the windows.
I went for an Ecoair DD322 Classic like this http://www.mitsubishidehumidifiers.co.uk/ecoair-dd322fw-classic-x-dry-desiccant-dehumidifier-dd322
It works well, but shows up on my electricity usage stats and is noisy. Like a v. noisy fan. I run it at night on cheaper electricity, but am glad that it is not outside our bedroom.
-
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=53618.0
-
I'm running a Delonghi Dem 10 to keep my attic flat in check.
There's no central heating and it gets a bit parky. In the lounge, where laundry is left to dry, paper gets noticeably damp to the touch over winter when windows are left shut. The bedroom door tends to be kept shut over winter too to keep the heat in and breathing and towels etc tend to cause a build-up of humidity there - lots of condensation on the window and you can just feel the cool of the dampness when you walk into the room.
I got the dehumidifier about 2 years ago and it's made a massive difference, even just running it for a day or so in each room every so often. It's quiet enough that I can leave it running in the same room as where I'm working, but I don't use it overnight, mostly because I don't want to piss off the neighbours. To try and dampen out the vibrations going through to the flats below I usually stand it on a cushion or chair and standing the handle up helps make it a bit quieter too.
I guess it can extract about 2 litres in a day.
Reading that other thread, I should probably clean the filter...
-
I am increasingly tempted by a dehumidifier for our bathroom instead of pouring precious heat out of the window to keep it from being damporama in the winter... Will point Kim at this thread...
-
Well they cost money to run but it's gotta be cheaper than throwing fivers out the window!
I reckon I need the heating less high now we have the dehumidifier because it feels warmer being less damp.
-
Problem with using a dehumidifier to dry a bathroom is that they need electricity, and it's not my house so there isn't a cunning IP rated power socket in the corner or anything, which means it would preclude closing the bathroom door. Closing the bathroom door is what keeps the upstairs of the house warm and not smelling too much of poo.
-
(Extension cable?)
Q - why is the bathroom cold, just because it's damp or because it's not heated?
-
As far as I'm concerned, a dehumidifier is Essential Equipment if you're hanging laundry to dry inside the house - at any time of year. Ours is an old Ebac with a five litre drain tank and a humistat. I have it plugged into a timer switch that turns it off when we want to be sleeping, but otherwise it decides when to go on and off.
-
(Extension cable?)
Won't fit under the door, hence it has to be open.
Q - why is the bathroom cold, just because it's damp or because it's not heated?
It's an old rented house, which means it's draughty as fuck. Fireplaces (which I've blocked off, but still leak a bit) in the bedrooms mean that the prevailing airflow is in through the bathroom window (and up from downstairs, where there are more draughty windows and air bricks to comply with gas regs and so on). Closing the doors makes a huge difference to how warm the bedrooms (where we spend the majoirty of our time) are.
There's a pretty effective radiator in the bathroom, so it warms up reasonably quickly, and dries towels etc. We tend to open the window after using the bath/shower and sacrifice some heat in the interests of getting the bulk of the moisture out quickly. The damp is mostly superficial damage to landlord-quality magnolia coated woodchip, and stains from the ice thaw of two winters ago and some roof leak that was repaired before we moved in. If there were actual mould involved, I'd take more desperate measures. If it were my own house, I'd strip it all out and start with an extractor fan and some double glazed windows. But we're generation rent.
-
Mmm, not much you can do with draughts I suppose. You could always plane a bit off the bottom of the bathroom door to let the cable under, but then I suppose you'd need a draught excluder ;)
-
I love my dehumidifier, we didn't have a particular problem with damp per se (centrally heated) but after a faux suede coat in the wardrobe went mouldy I invested - and then discovered why the bed always felt so cold when I got in it in winter.
-
ebac 6300e? We got one nearly two years back. It has done sterling work and dealt with condensation allowing the dpc man to identify that only the front bay of our victorian terrace is damp. We ran it full time for the first few months but have run it overnight on economy7 ever since.
Truly great bit of kit but needs filters washing/changing regularly for best effect.
-
I must say, I'm somewhat tempted by one to encourage clothes to dry. I don't think it'll solve the bathroom problem, but it would be nice if jeans could be dry in less than half a week.
-
Defo good for that.
-
Also it costs less to heat a dry house, so that balances the cost of running the dehumidifier.
-
We put a heavy curtain at the bottom of the stairs into the kitchen. Which has stopped a lot of the cold air coming down and now the kitchen is warmer and easier to heat.
-
Ours is a Mitsubishi MJE16VX, it says. The Beloved Stoker read all the reviews before picking this one. It claims to be about 200W. The tank is probably about 5L.
It's important, when you think about its contribution to your energy bills, to remind yourself of the cost of repainting or replastering instead. And as others have said it reduces (though not to zero) the amount you have to spend on heating just to draw the moisture out or to dry clothes.
Another useful tool we have is a Kärcher handyvac-cum-squeegee which sops moisture off the windows very efficiently.
I don't think there is any way to build a home in England which is well insulated and draughtproofed to keep heat in but also able to discharge surplus moisture out. Victorian homes are designed for inefficient open fires which dry everything out very nicely. Modern buildings stay warm but just breed damp. The Swiss can build beautiful warm cosy chalets to keep the winter night out until you leap singing from your slumber into the crisp morning air, but it's the low-humidity crispness of the climate that makes it work.
We suffer from a poorly insulated1 1960s flat roof which creates the terrifying phenomenon of Cold Bridging---condensation forming on wall or ceiling surfaces rather than just windows. Even if the water outside isn't penetrating right through then it may be compromising the insulation of your wall and encouraging condensation; through stones might also be culprits. Free air movement to problem corners, running the dehumidifier and turning the thermostats right up are, between them, just about an adequate answer for us.
1. With chicken wire and shredded cardboard. I don't know what its design life was, but I doubt it was 50 years.
-
ebac 6300e? We got one nearly two years back. It has done sterling work and dealt with condensation allowing the dpc man to identify that only the front bay of our victorian terrace is damp. We ran it full time for the first few months but have run it overnight on economy7 ever since.
Truly great bit of kit but needs filters washing/changing regularly for best effect.
Had a chance to look at the thing this morning. Model is actually a 2650e. My memory is awful. :(
-
ebadirect (http://www.ebacdirect.com/)
-
Reading that other thread, I should probably clean the filter...
I also have a DEM10. I didn't know it has filter? No obviously marked compartment and the instructions are long gone.
-
The Ebac Amazon 10 (£139) is no longer available. I'll have to go for the
Amazon 12 2650e Plus bundle (was £269.96, now £239.99).
-
My experience, of three humidifiers over the past 15 years or so, is that the refrigerant type is superior. Ours has been chugging away for years but our daughter is on her second desiccant in a short period.
-
I also have a DEM10. I didn't know it has filter? No obviously marked compartment and the instructions are long gone.
There's a manual online at http://mypdfmanuals.com/ref_sien.php?ID=520680 (but with suspicious-looking .exe stuff flashing up beforehand which you can cancel and go on through to the pdf).
If you take the water tank out, the edge of the filter panel is nestled up in the top front edge (look for something labelled 'front'). Just pull it out.
Had a chance to look at the thing this morning. Model is actually a 2650e. My memory is awful. :(
Me too: the water tank's smaller than I guessed, so I'm thinking it probably clears about a litre in 12 hours. I switched it on at about 8:30 this morning and have left it running whilst I've been out. I happen to have a weather station type gizmo on loan from a friend at the moment for temperature calibration purposes. If its humidity readings are to be believed, it's gone from 76% to 62% in 7 hours. Maybe half a litre of water in the tank.
Hope all this is helping, Woolly!
-
Forgive my stupidity, but why not sort the pointing out instead of buying a dehumidifier? ???
-
What's the relative pay-off between running a dehumidifier vs. opening the windows? I confess I'm a serial window opener and something of a fan of drafts, and we've never bothered with a tumble drier (we used to have one, but I think we used it once in six years). We dry clothes inside but I leave the windows on the latch. I'm a bit more conscious of it now, as this is a detached sixties (groovy) house with huge six foot windows, but also with double-glazing, loft insulation, cavity walls, and general hermetic sealing that was probably unanticipated by the original builder. I'm minded that houses should breath, but I'm also mindful that I'm heating the outside world and getting no thanks for raising the neighbourhood's temperature. That said, the bathroom does need a big extractor fan, the combination of two external walls and one of those giant windows condenses out about gallon of water, especially as I like my showers and baths to be the temperature of magma.
-
Yup this is helping and we just ordered a ebac.
-
Wouldn't it be easier in the long run to get the gable repointed? You mention through stones, is the construction of two dressed facings with rubble in between? There are now some interesting products entering the market like Matilda's blanket which will make a world of difference to insulating solid wall properties.
-
Yes, the plan is to get the gable repointed. The damp specialist is doing us a quote including scaffolding. Ballpark £2-3k (is that high?) He recommended a dehumidifier in the meantime, and to help with drying washing indoors.
Matilda's blanket! What a great name. :) AFAIK our walls are brick and stone. It's a late 1800s stone terrace.
Thanks for the help, everyone!
-
That sounds a tad spendy to me but is difficult without seeing the gable. Access equipment will be a bit expensive. You should always obtain a few quotes. If done properly however can be slow and time consuming (IF DONE PROPERLY) will last yonks. Inclusive or exclusive of the dreaded VAT of course makes a difference.
-
If you take the water tank out, the edge of the filter panel is nestled up in the top front edge (look for something labelled 'front'). Just pull it out.
Brilliant. Many thanks for that.
-
We got a Ebac 2650e yesterday and after 24 hours there was easy 3 litres in the tank. It was put up in the kitchen and there was wet towels out to dry too. Lets see in 2-3 weeks time how it is going and it works for us.
-
That sounds a tad spendy to me but is difficult without seeing the gable. Access equipment will be a bit expensive. You should always obtain a few quotes. If done properly however can be slow and time consuming (IF DONE PROPERLY) will last yonks. Inclusive or exclusive of the dreaded VAT of course makes a difference.
The quote came in at £2760 excluding VAT. Ouch. This includes (summarised):
Scaffolding, mortar beds to be ground out, repointing carried out in sand and cement to a weather type finish, so that the pointing is neat and tidy, to a bucket handle finish and not proud of the stonework.
External stonework to gable elevation to be treated with micro-porous silicone, spray applied, two/three coats to the point of refusal.
All works to be carried out to a high standard.
Internal: wall have plaster hacked off to 2 metres and removed from site. Masonry to be prepared and salt neutralised. Chemical damp proof course to be installed. 9" or thicker walls will be injected from both sides. All abutting walls will be isolated by vertical injection. All replastering work to be carried out and areas made good ready for redecoration. Full company 30 year guarantee.
This is a quote from a highly-recommended company which honours its guarantees. How does it sound?
-
The Ebac Amazon 10 (£139) is no longer available. I'll have to go for the Amazon 12 2650e Plus bundle (was £269.96, now £239.99).
Plastic tank just over half full in a 24 hour period. One thing I did notice was that there was an ambient heat around the area where
the dehumidifier is situated, so there is a warmer/less cold feeling about the house without the heating on. :thumbsup:
-
Peli the scope of work there is a lot more than just repointing and therefore costs sound much more reasonable.
-
We got through 3 cheap homebase dehumidifiers before we went for a Mitsubishi MJ-E 16VX. Had it for 4 years now. Leave it on overnight and you wake up desiccated. No more mold on window seals for us, and can dry washing in no time. Brilliant bit of kit.
-
Peli the scope of work there is a lot more than just repointing and therefore costs sound much more reasonable.
Thanks, Canardly. We had another chap quote for the damp proof course alone; he didn't mention any problem with the gable end, or even look at it. Had we gone for him, we'd have wasted a lot of money when the cause is not actually rising damp. We'll get another couple of quotes to see if we're on the right donkey!
-
I have an Ebac 2650e lovely piece of it. Even had it watering the plants for a while lol.
Sadly though it's stopped working for some reason. I think the filter needed cleaning I forgot. Anyone know if it can be bought back to life?
-
That sounds a tad spendy to me but is difficult without seeing the gable. Access equipment will be a bit expensive. You should always obtain a few quotes. If done properly however can be slow and time consuming (IF DONE PROPERLY) will last yonks. Inclusive or exclusive of the dreaded VAT of course makes a difference.
The quote came in at £2760 excluding VAT. Ouch. This includes (summarised):
Scaffolding, mortar beds to be ground out, repointing carried out in sand and cement to a weather type finish, so that the pointing is neat and tidy, to a bucket handle finish and not proud of the stonework.
External stonework to gable elevation to be treated with micro-porous silicone, spray applied, two/three coats to the point of refusal.
All works to be carried out to a high standard.
Internal: wall have plaster hacked off to 2 metres and removed from site. Masonry to be prepared and salt neutralised. Chemical damp proof course to be installed. 9" or thicker walls will be injected from both sides. All abutting walls will be isolated by vertical injection. All replastering work to be carried out and areas made good ready for redecoration. Full company 30 year guarantee.
This is a quote from a highly-recommended company which honours its guarantees. How does it sound?
Quite professional. Its unclear which pointing they will be finishing it, weather struck or bucket handle (you have to choose), but otherwise sounds plausible.
-
That quote looks quite reasonable Peli.
Have you considered external insulation? We are going for internal but have the room to spare so it makes sense for us.
Clean / replace your Ebac filter every three months. It is worth it.
-
PB yes we have talked about it, though since it is a gable end out to a back street and a conservation area, I'm not sure about it.
We talked to the first builder if it was possible to put a insulating layer on the inside. A 50mm one he easy could do, but recommended a 250mm, which sadly would take a lot of space and be in the way of the outer door and a inner door to a under the stairs cupboard.
We are thinking about getting the activated carbon with bactiguard filter, when this one needs a change.
-
We just use the standard filters.
250mm is a tad OTT IMO. 50 - 80mm is standard. You use thinner stuff, 25mm, at door and window surrounds.
-
If you're having most of the plaster removed anyway, you might just as well have 50mm internal insulation installed. It will be better than just plaster and cost effective as you're replacing anyway. Personally I'd go 80mm but any decent insulation is better thsn none.
-
The quote came in at £2760 excluding VAT. Ouch. This includes (summarised):
Scaffolding, mortar beds to be ground out, repointing carried out in sand and cement to a weather type finish, so that the pointing is neat and tidy, to a bucket handle finish and not proud of the stonework.
Quite professional. Its unclear which pointing they will be finishing it, weather struck or bucket handle (you have to choose), but otherwise sounds plausible.
It will be bucket handle pointing. ;)
-
Still clocking up around 3 litres a day, the damp spot on the gable wall is gone. We both struggle to keep ourselves topped up, feeling rather dehydrated the last two days.
We don't have any indoors flowers, so what else can one use the water for. I feel like since we have worked, well more like paid, for the water I need to use it for something instead of giving it to the drain.
-
Steam iron, flushing the loo, watering plants, topping a header tank, car radiator and screenwash, washing the car, washing the bike, ...
We got over 3 litres a day for over three months. The level is now consistently about 1 litre per day.
-
The quote came in at £2760 excluding VAT. Ouch. This includes (summarised):
Scaffolding, mortar beds to be ground out, repointing carried out in sand and cement to a weather type finish, so that the pointing is neat and tidy, to a bucket handle finish and not proud of the stonework.
Quite professional. Its unclear which pointing they will be finishing it, weather struck or bucket handle (you have to choose), but otherwise sounds plausible.
It will be bucket handle pointing. ;)
That's generally a lot less hassle than weather struck. Its also the commonest variant!
-
Stick it in the kettle, pasta water.....
-
Where do you leave your dehumidifier to stand? Mine is on the ground floor, in front of the space near the stairs (there's a draught there).
The morning accumulation of condensation on the windows of my bedroom, the bathroom window and the toilet cistern tank no longer
appear. For each 24 hour period I'd say the container is about half full.
-
I'm moving it around atm we as are on the first week of running it, but mainly it lives the kitchen. Most central place in the house and the stairs goes up from there too.
-
Moved as I was by this thread I got myself a shiny dehumidifier (an Ebac 2580e), but as related elsewhere, staring at it and even resorting to reading the instructions didn't bring it to life. I think there's some kind of switch missing that reads the catch on the water container so the red light of fullness glimmers and nothing more will happen. Giggery and pokery have no effect. I'm either missing something obvious or it's a dud. Oh, I'm an angry man now.
I was looking forward to harvesting my own water. Now I'll have to drink it from the tap like normal people. And cats.
-
If you haven't already tried; you could turn it to auto, or you could turn it on and increase the fan speed manually. Just a thought.
-
Sometimes I have to wiggle the tank to trigger the switch.
I'm pretty sure ebac will sort you out pronto - we've found their customer service to be excellent.
-
Tbh, I assume there's supposed to be some kind of lever that is flipped by the catch/float mechanism on the tank. All I have is the hole in the body of the machine, so unless it's using frikkin lasers, I think something important was forgotten or fell off. I'll jiggle it some more but I can't see anything to actuate, otherwise Mr Tesco can have it back. It won't actually do anything if the tank is registering as full, for fairly obvious reasons.
-
There should be a protruding 'prong' on the tank housing which can be seen and felt when the tank is removed. It is top right. It works by being pushed inwards and is released by the float tilt mechanism to stop the thing continuing to fill the tank when nearly full.
Perhaps a replacement from Tesco?
-
If you want a professional one used by hire companies try Broughton Electro-air products in Redditch, my uncle just retired as Sales Director there - £250.
-
There should be a protruding 'prong' on the tank housing which can be seen and felt when the tank is removed. It is top right. It works by being pushed inwards and is released by the float tilt mechanism to stop the thing continuing to fill the tank when nearly full.
Perhaps a replacement from Tesco?
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3798/11589538373_fc6b85460e.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7449/11589545693_ae8e94711c.jpg)
-
Ah, excellent pics. Thanks De Sisti :thumbsup:
-
We have mould producing damp in our bathroom, despite the constantly open window (it's the cat door). 3 people showering every day in a tiny room with the most feeble extractor fan I've ever seen can't help. I'm not sure I want to add to my £185/month gas & electricity bill though. And we rent. I don't really care if Greene King's cottage ends up crappier than when we moved in...
To say nothing of preferring to spend my Christmas bonus on a bed... But, we dry all our laundry indoors and have pools of condensation on windowsills.
Can you hire them for a month or two, to see if it's worth having one?
-
You can hire them from the same place that you can hire power tools and the like. They tend to be massive industrial noisy monsters. We had one for over a month as a insurance job after the tenant above decided to take the washing machine with them and forgot to turn the water off.
-
Is the water that comes out of it really ok for consumption?
Am wondering about the dog's water bowl but it'd probably need boiling first and that's too much faff for everyday life. Mind you, she does attempt to drink out of filthy puddles quite a bit anyway...
-
I'd also considered giving the water to the dog. She much prefers non-tap water, especially puddles!
-
It's just the water from the air, which you're breathing in anyway. Not sure I'd want to use it from fboab's mouldy bathroom though...
-
I wouldn't drink the water that comes out of our dehumidifier. It has matter suspended in it!
-
Is the water that comes out of it really ok for consumption?
It's a distilled water / accumulated fluff mixture that's been sitting around at room temperature (or slightly above room temperature) for hours in a container that doesn't usually get cleaned. That's a breeding ground for legionella, but the water's probably safe enough to drink if you boil it.
Better off using it for steam irons / batteries / etc, or chucking it down the sink.
-
Lest not forget that it is easier to heat dry air, so part of the cost of running a dehumidifier is offset by being able turn the heating down a few notches.
-
For pools of water on windowsills, or the preceding condensation on the window, a Kärcher window vac is a most effective tool. It's a sort of vacuum-cleaner-cum-squeegee, and is ever so much quicker and more satisfying than running around with damp cloths. Admittedly a squeegee and a roll of J-cloths would be about a tenth of the price.
(My parents gave us one for Christmas, having discovered them independently, but we already had one. Now offloaded to a sister. Also good for cleaning windows or shower cubicles, as is the window vac.)
-
What is this 'cleaning windows' of which you speak?
-
Sometimes I have to wiggle the tank to trigger the switch.
Fnar fnar.
-
What is this 'cleaning windows' of which you speak?
I'm fairly sure it's a euphemism for 'horizontal rain'.
-
There should be a protruding 'prong' on the tank housing which can be seen and felt when the tank is removed. It is top right. It works by being pushed inwards and is released by the float tilt mechanism to stop the thing continuing to fill the tank when nearly full.
Perhaps a replacement from Tesco?
...
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7449/11589545693_ae8e94711c.jpg)
Yar, that be the bit that be missing. No protruding lever. Replacement time.
Our cat is preferring the seven day old water in the Christmas tree base at the moment.
-
Works now. I've harvested about 5 litres of water this week. Even the cat can't drink that much. According the weather station the ambient RH in the kitchen has dropped from the mid-fifties to the mid-forties. I've left it running a few days to dry the place out, the kitchen is effectively below ground and the house was empty for about four months before we moved in, complete with puddle of water from broken dishwasher and windows that hadn't been opened since the time of Christ.
I did switch it over to 'smart' control. I'm not really sure what that does, it just seems to sit there and run. I was sort of hoping it would switch on and off as needed. Probably it's not so smart and I'll just have to turn it on and off as needed. That said, according to the manual, it's learning about my lifestyle. Probably reporting back to the NSA too.
-
Excellent. :thumbsup:
We have ours on smart but in the beginning it ran almost constantly for about six weeks. After that it progressively reduced until now when we have it on a timer to run overnight on economy 7. It doesn't run constantly during that 7 hour window and gathers about a litre each night.
-
I'm toying with this baby (http://www.screwfix.com/p/wdh-122h-12r-12ltr-dehumidifier/72503?cm_mmc=Email-_-E13W49B-_-hero1-_-12ltrdehumidifier#product_additional_details_container) from Screwfix.
Any thoughts?
(Sub £100 means I may buy it. At £209 the place can, quite literally, rot)
-
I'm toying with this baby (http://www.screwfix.com/p/wdh-122h-12r-12ltr-dehumidifier/72503?cm_mmc=Email-_-E13W49B-_-hero1-_-12ltrdehumidifier#product_additional_details_container) from Screwfix.
Any thoughts?
(Sub £100 means I may buy it. At £209 the place can, quite literally, rot)
The £209 price is within the "ballpark" price for the unit.
(edit: for the ebac unit. Mind you, at £99 for the WDH-122H-12R, I may buy one myself).
-
Maybe so but that doesn't really answer fboab's question.
My take would be that it should come with a guarantee / warranty period and if it can do the job, why not?
-
My Ebac comes with a 5 year warranty (at no extra charge).
-
The £209 price is within the "ballpark" price for the unit.
It doesn't matter if it's a fair price, I haven't got £209. I might shop at Lidl this month, do a bit of robbing Peter and scrape together £100. Unless it's shit, in which case we'll continue to go to Asda and I'll pay the water bill.
How can you tell if they're any good or not?
-
Sorry, can;t help there fboab. In practise it is any good if it fills it's tank. It might be noisier than an ebac and have less features but if it does what you need it to do then it's worth it. If it fails to do this you can of course take it back.
Seems to have some reasonable comments on the Screwfix web page.
-
Well, I pressed buy now.
Looking for life changing results.
(I'm all about managing expectations ;) )
-
I found the groundfloor of my house a bit warmer with without the heating on. You might experience this too.
-
In my 3 floors I have laundry on the ground floor, mouldy bathroom in the middle and more drying laundry up in the god(esse)s.
Where do I put the machine for greatest impact?
-
Well, I pressed buy now.
Looking for life changing results.
(I'm all about managing expectations ;) )
I'll be interested to hear how you get on with it. I also need one but the £209 / 229 for the Ebac 2650 / 2850 is more than I want to spend.
-
In my 3 floors I have laundry on the ground floor, mouldy bathroom in the middle and more drying laundry up in the god(esse)s.
Where do I put the machine for greatest impact?
You could try middle, ensuring doors throughout the house are left ajar. Or alternatively, you could place the unit on the ground floor,
for when you put out the laundry, middle for when you've just had a bath/shower and upstairs, for when you have lots of drying to do.
-
We started by placing the dehumidifier where the need was most, that being our front room. It has done a fantastic job and will be moving to one of the bedrooms soon.
-
In my 3 floors I have laundry on the ground floor, mouldy bathroom in the middle and more drying laundry up in the god(esse)s.
Where do I put the machine for greatest impact?
Work out which way the air is naturally migrating through the house, and try not to waste money drying it out just before it escapes.
In our house, air mostly comes in through the kitchen and bathroom, and out the chimneys and draughty windows in the bedrooms.
-
I did switch it over to 'smart' control. I'm not really sure what that does, it just seems to sit there and run. I was sort of hoping it would switch on and off as needed. Probably it's not so smart and I'll just have to turn it on and off as needed. That said, according to the manual, it's learning about my lifestyle. Probably reporting back to the NSA too.
Dunno about yours, but if we have ours set on 'auto' it just switches between superdooper power at high humidity, low power at medium humidity and then at low humidity it doesn't switch off but the fan continues to run at low power but it doesn't desiccate any more.
-
We got our ebac 2650e for around £180-190 from http://www.freenetelectrical.co.uk/ speedy delivery too.
We are still clocking up over 3 litres a day four weeks later running at max.
-
We got our ebac 2650e for around £180-190 from http://www.freenetelectrical.co.uk/ speedy delivery too.
We are still clocking up over 3 litres a day four weeks later running at max.
Thanks Woolly. 3 l/day running full time? How heavy are these things on the juice? I don’t think we have Economy 7 for overnight use.
-
I did switch it over to 'smart' control. I'm not really sure what that does, it just seems to sit there and run. I was sort of hoping it would switch on and off as needed. Probably it's not so smart and I'll just have to turn it on and off as needed. That said, according to the manual, it's learning about my lifestyle. Probably reporting back to the NSA too.
Dunno about yours, but if we have ours set on 'auto' it just switches between superdooper power at high humidity, low power at medium humidity and then at low humidity it doesn't switch off but the fan continues to run at low power but it doesn't desiccate any more.
Ah, I was expecting the fan to go off. I switched it to auto & econ. Probably doesn't need to be on all the time, the kitchen is a now a lowly 44% RH. I've become slightly obsessional about relative humidity because I'm scared of mould. The most scary thing possible in my universe would be a mouldy clown. From the heady heights of a full tank per day, it's now spitting out about half a litre every 24 hours. Hopefully a nice man will come and put a big extractor fan in the bathroom in the next couple of weeks. Followed by another nice man who'll put a new bathroom in.
The internet claim these things use about 200 watts in normal use, so do the math on consumption. I just swapped eight 50 watt halogens for LEDs in the kitchen, so I'm feeling virtuous.
-
I can tell when I've had mine on too long because my eyes start trying to crawl out of their sockets and head for the nearest puddle.
-
Resurrecting this one from the dead - has anyone with a dessicant dehumidifier had a problem where it appears to be working but isn't generating any water?
I've had ours running with washing in the flat over the holidays, have this damp wall issue in the lounge, (where the cheapo meter claims the RH is 65-70%) and it hasn't collected a drop of water for days.
-
My Ebac comes with a 5 year warranty (at no extra charge).
I must admit that even thought it does a good job it is quite noisy. I now only have it on when I'm away at work,
or whilst I'm asleep.
-
Well, I pressed buy now.
Looking for life changing results.
(I'm all about managing expectations ;) )
I'll be interested to hear how you get on with it. I also need one but the £209 / 229 for the Ebac 2650 / 2850 is more than I want to spend.
I hope you weren't holding your breath waiting for a review :)
It's still running, 24/7 except for the 6 weeks a year the laundry is outside. It's now in our ground floor flat. We get about a litre and a half a day out of it.
I think it was almost definitely worth the money.
-
When I had mine on 24/7 it filled up in just over two days. It's still a good unit though.
-
We only use our Ebac to dry washing because we're too lazy to put it outside (and this time of year there's not much point anyway). We put it on a rack in the spare by the radiator and in the sun and turn the machine on. A couple of hours later the washing is dry and I can water the plants. The house dried out and there's swanky extractor fan in the bathroom, but it's an ideal aid for drying the washing.
It's a refrigerated coil machine though, if there's humidity in the air it'll condense out. I can imagine the desiccant holds onto a proportion of water before giving it up, so you might not collect anything if it's fairly dry to start out which. Certainly for our fridgy machine, it always produces some water. That's normal, the house is typically 40-50% RH.
As said, it's a bit loud though, wouldn't want it in the bedroom.
-
Resurrecting this one from the dead - has anyone with a dessicant dehumidifier had a problem where it appears to be working but isn't generating any water?
I've had ours running with washing in the flat over the holidays, have this damp wall issue in the lounge, (where the cheapo meter claims the RH is 65-70%) and it hasn't collected a drop of water for days.
Have done a bit of Googling since this afternoon and it sounds like mine is dead - the heater which regenerates the dessicant has probably died as when I run it on normal there's no warm air coming out of it (it's just a glorified fan now, basically). When I run it on full power it's warm but I suspect that there is a separate heater which is just a boost for laundry drying, not actually doing anything useful. Time to break out the credit card again, but I have had it at least 5 years and it's been worked pretty hard.
Did a bit more Googling on new machines and have pretty much discounted the compressor ones as they are as noisy as my current one is on full blast (which never happens because Pingu says it's too noisy).
-
Two years on from the start of the thread we now have two, both compressors. The cheap MEACO 12L is fairly noisy and relatively ineffective, but is keeping the problem corner dry when we run it. The Mitsubishi MJE16VX is quiet---no noisier than a room fan---and dries air and laundry nicely. I would definitely still recommend the latter.
Of course they both put out cold air, which possibly doesn't dry laundry so rapidly.
-
Hi Guys
Does anyone know about small dehumidifiers, specifically peltier types? They obviously work but do they work well enough to make it worthwhile buying one? Any recommendations for sub £100 (preferably nearer £50) dehumidifiers? Maplin and Argos do sell some that are less than £100.
Thanks
Russell
-
Which area is suffering from condensation?
-
Bedroom in my daughter's flat. Fr'instance her boots had mould grow on them while stored in a box on the top of the wardrobe.
-
Did some googling and peltier types are generally reckoned to work but are not very efficient. Power consumption is in the 20-70watt range for not a lot of dehumidifying. Proper units consume lots more power but do suck a lot of water out of the air.
We are going to try the passive UniBond 360 which at under a tenner is worth a punt.
-
Bedroom in my daughter's flat. Fr'instance her boots had mould grow on them while stored in a box on the top of the wardrobe.
That sounds like a circulation/cold spots problem
-
We have a desiccant dehumidifier and it's very good (we're on our 2nd one). My googling also suggests that the peltier ones aren't very useful.
We tried those troughs with desiccant in them in the previous Pingu residence, can't say they did much.
My desiccant dehumidifier could collect a litre or 2 of water a day if i left it on long enough at full power, I doubt that the desiccant trough idea will be able to suck up water faster than it's being put into the property by breathing, cooking etc.
-
I think with dehumidifiers you get what you pay for – we were cursed (conned by a fresh coat of paint, open windows on the nice summer day we viewed it) with a what turned out to a be very damp flat when we first moved to London. As we didn't have a lot in terms of funds, we tried several cheap options and they really didn't keep it at bay (we rather quickly threw in the soggy towel and moved out).
In this place, which was damp through being left empty in late autumn with a flooded kitchen, we bought a proper Ebac model and that dried everything out in a week or so. We still use it in the spare room to dry the washing, it can easily remove a couple of litres of water and dry a good load of washing overnight.
But agreed that it's better to deal with the damp problem rather than treat it.
-
A lot of the "damp problem" is caused by people drying wet laundry in the house with the windows shut and then being surprised at the "damp problem" arising.
PH
-
A lot of the "damp problem" is caused by people drying wet laundry in the house with the windows shut and then being surprised at the "damp problem" arising.
PH
Is it?
I am surprised how little the washing adds to the humidity of our lounge. We never have open windows and a full machine load adds about 10% to the RH for a few hours.
Admittedly, we are centrally heated in the Dry South.
FWIW David bought some cheap dehumidifiers from Maplin for his observatory.
They did not last long but outdoor sheds are a different kettle of fish.
Our challenge is the reverse; we wish to maintain a highish humidity for the pianos. At times we need to push A LOT of water into the air.
-
I reckon a lot of the damp problem is caused by inadequate insulation and/or prohibitively expensive heating. Buy-to-let landlords, basically.
-
I believe that the room needs to be warm so that the moisture content of the air is high. Maybe some models are heaters as well.
-
I have an Ebac 2650e. It's good and compact, but it can be loud at times.
-
Cold places are damp, those are where water can condense and remain, which is what mould needs to grow. Warmth is the enemy of damp, warm air will hold a lot more moisture and there's limited places in a warm house for it to condense (such as windows) and it'll evaporate when it does. Watch how quickly windows steam up on a sub-zero night when the heating goes off (having shitty Everest double glazing will help with this demonstration).
We use the Ebac 2650e to dry washing in our spare room. It's very effective but indeed a little on a noisy side for somewhere you might like to sleep. Unless you've got cats with a pneumatic drill purr, in which case you're likely nocturnally inured to anything less boisterous than a major seismic disturbance.
-
I have several Meaco DD8Ls. Brilliant little things. Also had Ebacs in the past and they were great too.
-
Bugger. Our Ecoair (Meaco) has died 23 months into the warranty period (which is better than it's predecessor which was 25 months and therefore out of warranty.
Anyone got better than 2 years out of theirs with daily use from October to April?
-
Not daily use but our ebac has been faultless for a few years now.
-
I see all the Ebacs are compressors rather than dessicants. Not sure the extra 10dB in noise would go down well in our flat.
-
We got one from following advice in another thread here and it has done wonders to our house. wow I didn't remember I started that thread :)
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=78697.0
-
Gosh that was an interesting thread. ;)
So, we got ours around 2011/12 and it's still going strong. We use it now mainly for drying at this time of year but it occasionally gets used when mllePB decides that a room smells a bit fusty.
I am at present harvesting the water not only for the iron but also for a friend who grows exotic plants and prefers the water to tap water.
I note that ebac still make our model and it's cheaper now by a few quid. Great value imo.
-
Being as the last thread seems to have been deleted :-\
Hmm, just been reading this on the Ebac site https://www.ebac.com/dehumidifiers/which
Complaining about being marked down for dehumidifying better at 40% rh. I should cocoa. It never gets that low even in a nice dry windy week in summer here.
-
I see all the Ebacs are compressors rather than dessicants. Not sure the extra 10dB in noise would go down well in our flat.
It's not noisy but it is audible (newer ones might be a bit quieter and you can turn down the fan). I wouldn't put it in a room I planned to sleep in but provided there's ambient noise (a TV etc.) it's modestly quiet. Ours has been going strong for three years. My only other gripe is that the controls are unfathomable, but you turn it on and it works. We have dry washing and a bucket of water for the jungle (I have a lot of house plants).
-
Being as the last thread seems to have been deleted :-\
Hmm, just been reading this on the Ebac site https://www.ebac.com/dehumidifiers/which
Complaining about being marked down for dehumidifying better at 40% rh. I should cocoa. It never gets that low even in a nice dry windy week in summer here.
Apologies!
Merged thread ended up in Pub but has been rehomed.
Sorry!
-
Being as the last thread seems to have been deleted :-\
Hmm, just been reading this on the Ebac site https://www.ebac.com/dehumidifiers/which
Complaining about being marked down for dehumidifying better at 40% rh. I should cocoa. It never gets that low even in a nice dry windy week in summer here.
Apologies!
Merged thread ended up in Pub but has been rehomed.
Sorry!
No worries! :)
-
How often do ebac users change their filters? They are quite expensive (imo). I've previously put mine on a 30deg wash and let it dry out naturally.
-
Two and a half years, by mistake because I kept meaning to do it. It didn't die, just got a bit dusty.
I think it was £22 for a pack of three activated carbon ones, they say they're good for four months of use, so not much for a year.
-
Our De'Longhi DEM10 has been going since 2009 (£110), with regular autumn/winter/spring use for drying clothes in spare room.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-DEM10-Compact-Dehumidifier-10L/dp/B000BP81DW (Now £130-160)
-
Two and a half years, by mistake because I kept meaning to do it. It didn't die, just got a bit dusty.
I think it was £22 for a pack of three activated carbon ones, they say they're good for four months of use, so not much for a year.
Just in case any ebac users have momentarily forgot which way the filters go in whilst they were changing them click here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeWPDj-HGOg) (at about 1:50).
-
How often do ebac users change their filters? They are quite expensive (imo).
I thought that too!
-
Waiting for Ecoair to get back to me about the warranty....
-
Ecoair:
Dear Mrs Pingu,
Have you tried turning it on full, making sure it's on a flat surface, and that the collection bucket is empty and fully installed?
::-)
-
Just checked and confirmed that my ebac was purchased in Dec 2013 and it's still working fine. I did take advantage
of the five year guarantee which cost not a lot.
Edit: As it's a heavy item, if it has to be returned for guarantee repairs Ebac will arrange for a courier (DPD) to collect it free of charge.
-
How often do ebac users change their filters? They are quite expensive (imo).
I thought that too!
Initially every 3 months when running it flat out but in recent times about once every two years.
-
Ecoair:
Dear Mrs Pingu,
Have you tried turning it on full, making sure it's on a flat surface, and that the collection bucket is empty and fully installed?
::-)
Huh, now that I've got the box out of the shed to pack it up and send it back it appears to be working again....
I wonder if it is because it wasn't humid enough.... :-\