Interim dehumidifying strategies

[fireheart]

So we've discovered that unless we have a window open at night, we wind up with a large amount of condensation on the walls and possibly ceiling in the morning. It's only been hitting the upstairs of our little abode, but SO is worried about it affecting electronics.

We will be investing in a dehumidifier once I get paid and/or my SO gets paid. So now begs the question: what can we do until then?

[Bright_Star]

Put in a window fan. Place it that the air is blowing out instead of in.

[LesserSouthernFroglet]

Check out the laundry aisle at your local supermarket. There's a product that's designed to go into wardrobes to soak up humidity / dampness. A couple of them scattered around upstairs might do the trick. I seem to recall the name may contain references to either camels or hippos...


Also bicarb or salt - big packs, opened and spread into flat bowls or on plates.

[fireheart]

Check out the laundry aisle at your local supermarket. There's a product that's designed to go into wardrobes to soak up humidity / dampness. A couple of them scattered around upstairs might do the trick. I seem to recall the name may contain references to either camels or hippos...


Also bicarb or salt - big packs, opened and spread into flat bowls or on plates.

Yeah, I picked up a couple of DampRids. They're called Hippos, but the DampRids ARE designed for larger spaces. You can also get even bigger ones.

We're still getting some condensation on things like my iPad/phone screen, but it sems to have drpped down a bit.

[Kit-Ginevra]

I read this as 'Intern dehumidifying strategies' and had visions of all these soggy little interns being hung up to dry out somewhere...

[TheSHAD0W]

It sounds like there's a lot of temperature change in that area overnight; as the air cools, this causes water vapor to condense, and also causes the air to contract, sucking more (and often humid) air into the space. Can you add more insulation? This would help the humidity issue and would have other efficiency benefits.

[Automan Empire]

The condensation you see is the symptom. I'd look for underlying causes and address those. The moisture is condensing where it's cooler than the origin of the moisture.

Make sure the bathroom vent fans are working and left on after a shower. Leave bathroom window open after showering till those walls are dry.

The kitchen should have a vent over the stove if it's gas. Some range hoods vent to the outside; use these when cooking. Others just blow the air around the kitchen; make sure kitchen is ventilated when cooking if there's no hood vent to outside.

Check for subtle water leaks under cabinets, under slab if applicable.

Check for outdoor sprinklers hitting exterior of structure, and drainage away from the foundation.

Heat exchange vents are used in superinsulated structures, to mitigate condensation problems without pumping heat in/out as well. These are passive unlike a dehumidifier.

HIH

[LesserSouthernFroglet]

Good tips, Automan.

OP has just moved to Sydney and it's notorious for the humidity.

Fireheart, are you keeping all the windows closed during the day?

Does anyone live above you? Thinking of water leaks etc here. Look for water marks on the ceiling. This also applies if nobody lives above you - roofs often develop leaks, particularly after a good hail storm...

Main internal sources of air moisture are bathroom, kitchen (stove, dishwasher) and laundry (dryer). If these areas are fairly well ventilated, the house / flat should remain dry unless the moisture is coming from outside. If not, limit the laundry use, keep lids on pots while cooking, limit dishwasher use. These will help short term at least.

I'm glad you found the damprids, I had a total brain fart trying to think of the damned name of the smaller ones...

[Food Lady]

Some places just are humid, Wisconsin, for example. Mosquito is the state bird.

[fireheart]

Good tips, Automan.

OP has just moved to Sydney and it's notorious for the humidity.

Fireheart, are you keeping all the windows closed during the day?

Does anyone live above you? Thinking of water leaks etc here. Look for water marks on the ceiling. This also applies if nobody lives above you - roofs often develop leaks, particularly after a good hail storm...

Main internal sources of air moisture are bathroom, kitchen (stove, dishwasher) and laundry (dryer). If these areas are fairly well ventilated, the house / flat should remain dry unless the moisture is coming from outside. If not, limit the laundry use, keep lids on pots while cooking, limit dishwasher use. These will help short term at least.

I'm glad you found the damprids, I had a total brain fart trying to think of the damned name of the smaller ones...

At the moment, I've been keeping the windows shut during the day because I'm out at work. Once term starts, I'll be opening them more because I'll be home. (I work in before/after school care) the house lacks security screens. We've made an agreement that if someone is home, the window goes open.

A dehumidifier is definitely on the list.

At the moment it's a small townhouse that consists of three rooms: bedroom, kitchen/living area combined and a bathroom/laundry combined. Bathroom/laundry is directly under the stairs. Nobody lives above us or below us. Ground floor is stone all the way around, upstairs is plaster/wood I believe.

[Seshat]

My guess is a roof leak or damaged siding: Sydney gets enough storms to cause that sort of problem.

Homes in Sydney are (or should be!) built to handle the temperature changes. You shouldn't be getting condensation JUST because of the change of temperature at night. Something else is going on.

As others have said, check to see if it's worse when you run things like the washing machine, dishwasher, and other wet things that aren't actually condensation creaters.
And ventilate the space when you cook, use the dryer, or have a shower/bath.

And yeah, definitely look for signs of leaks.