[Closed] Condensation in wardrobe

I'm guessing the wardrobe is on an outside wall. That won't help.

Have you checked right at the back for lions and witches and that?

Yes outside wall I’m afraid. Lions yes.

Has anyone been weeing your shoes

Insulate inside the back?  I am guessing if its a fitted wardrobe the back is just the wall?  Or a thin sheet of MDF ?

I am considering getting some proper house ventilation fitted through Environvent or similar. Is this overkill or has anyone got any suggestions please?

Putting a PPV system in our stone built old house made a big difference, the house has lower humidity and feels fresher.

It won’t reach inside a closed wardrobe though

We have a wardrobe on an external wall with the same issue iffy leave the door closed.  I keep meaning to drill some holes in the top of the wardrobe to let air circulate.I guess if you don’t have access from the top can you fit a tasteful air vent on to the door nearest the wall?

Yeah I’m going to drill some holes in the top I hope this will help.

How much did your Ppv system cost please?

A few on here have reported good results of those positive air things, to solve general dampness, that you fit in the loft  to pump constant gradual air into the house and they aren't silly money and sounds like a reasonably straightforward DIY job . Don't know if it would solve your specific problem, worth looking into tho.

Edit: as Funkydunc says

How much did your Ppv system cost please?

Ive had it in about 5 yrs at least now. Think it was about £300 for a Nuaire Drimaster Heat.

Ive never once used the heater element on it. As in I don’t think it’s worth paying extra for the heat function

And yes simple DIY

Main thinking is making sure your lift space is dry, not draughty and  relatively air tight  in to the house below

As good as the ppv systems are it won't stop the damp in your wardrobe which will eventually turn to mood. 9 inch solid brickwork and modern air tight upvc windows/doors are a recipe for damp. 2 years ago I went the whole hog and insulated every external wall to stop cold bridging. Trying to create airflow around a fitted wardrobe is nigh on impossible.

Wrightyson this is my worry. I fear whatever I do this issue is still going to persist. When you say going the whole hog what did this entail please?

Thoughts on a dehumidifier in the bedroom?

Thanks for all the responses.

Have you checked right at the back for lions and witches and that?

Narnia business!

Just been looking at wardrobe heaters that might be an option?

Is it floor to ceiling?

If it has a ceiling,  could you install a couple of vents at the bottom of the doors and then some small fans on the ceiling of the wardrobe to draw the air through and out? You could have them running on a timer so they just run for a few hours a day.

Depending on how much condensation you get you could just buy a few of these sort of things  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Devola-Reusable-Wardrobe-Cupboard-Dehumidifier/dp/B01MRP90JA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1542182258&sr=8-2&keywords=dessicant+packs

I use one in my car over winter and def help, you just stick them in the microwave every so often to dry them out.

We had really bad mould behind the wardrobes ours weren't fitted but pretty tight on to two areas either side of the chimney breast. We went for complete plaster removal throughout the house as I'd had enough and reboarded with insulated plasterboard, stops the "cold bridging" effect by insulating the inner skin from the solid 9"brickwork. Obviously that was not undertaken lightly.

Those things you put in caravans over winter might be good, if that whats linked above?

I had a similar issue with a fitted wardrobe on 2 outside walls so I drilled some large holes top and bottom and fitted a small tubular heater (with a guard) in the bottom of the wardrobe. It is not massively hot but enough to get air circulating.

I did the above at the start of last winter and even though it was a really cold one, we didn't notice any mould or damp as we had in previous winters.

Condensation will always go to the coldest wall. You need the house to be heated and have good insulation and airflow.

We've seen good results with PPV (local authority). Whilst the units are relatively cheap and easy to install as DIY, having it done professionally won't cost much more and saves all the time and hassle and ensures a proper job. Approx £600.

You'll need to ensure your roof is vented to get the air inside in the first place - a lot of poor roof/insulation jobs pack out the roof vents. A proper installer will also check your internal doors to make sure there is a sufficient gap at the bottom to allow air to circulate between rooms.

Also worth considering your bathroom and kitchen extractors are not just the bare minimum requirement that the building regs specify. I think regs changed in 2010 and allowed for lower spec trickle fans. These tend to be more suited for newer builds and a 2.4 lifestyle where the house is unoccupied in the day.

For any particular cold spots, you could look at internal insulation such as Matilda's Blanket. You loose a small amount of room space in terms of dimensions but again, we've found it works on solid wall properties.

Great stuff, sounds like a combination of the ideas above it is achievable.

Really appreciated.

They are not up to the the ceiling so holes could be drilled in the top.

We've got three Vilux windows in the loft and I opened the vents on them and I'm leaving the loft ladder hatch ajar. So far this year, we've not seen the condensation we normally get.

Similar, Victorian house and single brick outside wall that is most exposed and any furniture against it will get damp.

Just don't fall for rising damp bollocks and putting in damp course, injecting stuff etc. It's not that, it's simply exposed cold wall condensation. Avoid sticking stuff next to the most exposed wall and / or use plenty of ventilation around and behind furniture.

Removing exterior rendering if there is any may help though. Helps the brickwork dry out from what I understand.

I had the same problem. I cured it by getting an old catering size coffee tin, painting it black inside and punching some holes in the bottom then leaving it in the bottom of the cupboard over a 40w light bulb standing in a holder on a couple of bricks. The warmth it generated was perfect for drying my clothes and keeping mildew away.

greenhouse heater may be less of a fire hazard. this ones 80 watt so low power consumption.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/products/1358427/

Have you got an extract in your bathroom? Made all the difference to our house fitting one with a humidistat. It's hard wired so comes on if the humidity gets over 60%

Also a tube heater in your wardrobe will keep it warm and dry. They cost pence to run. We have one in our outside privacy stops it getting damp/mouldy.

We are in a brand new build (2012) Last weekend we moved a Billy bookcase ( with doors ) out of the kitchen to another room and discovered a large patch of mould where the backboard of the bookcase had been pressed up against the exterior wall by the bookcase being stuffed full of my wife's craft supplies. We were quite shocked but have had similar problems in the house before when the eco friendly 15w extractor fan just couldn't cope with a family of 5 each taking a shower every evening, problem was solved when we fitted a better extractor fan.

We’ve got three Vilux windows in the loft and I opened the vents on them and I’m leaving the loft ladder hatch ajar. So far this year, we’ve not seen the condensation we normally get.

But you may have moved the condensation to the loft.

Thanks, I’ve moved most things out, opened the doors and almost dry now. Think I’m going to try a small tubular heater.

Ive seen this  https://www.cupboard-heaters.co.uk/low-wattage-tubular-cupboard-wardrobe-heaters-dehumidifiers/601-15-watt-60cm-dampp-chaser-cupboard-wardrobe-heater-dehumidifier-721308241536.html

It is only 15 watt so I could just leave it on. Wardrobe is 7ft by 6ft and 3ft deep. Reckon this will be enough?

Ours is a 55w, I think a 15 watt wouldn't produce enough heat to get enough air moving, especially if there is quite a bit of stuff in the cupboard.

If you are worried about too much heat and a fire, fit the guard for another £10. Although we don't stack anything near the heater, you could rest your hand on the guard quite easily without it feeling hot - warm to the touch but not hot and certainly not enough to start a fire.

I cant find the exact model we have but this is similar:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hylite-500mm-Tubular-Heater-Protective/dp/B07CHCL86C/ref=sr_1_9?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1542272246&sr=1-9&keywords=tube+heater+and+guard

May be a lot of black mould behind the wardrobe.  There was behind a bookcase we had on an outside wall in our then single skin 1930's semi.

Great, thanks Hooli, any idea on running costs?

I've used this in two houses now to stop condensation and mould on exterior walls. It's very good.

https://www.gowallpaper.co.uk/erfurt-mav-wallrock-thermal-liner.html

But you may have moved the condensation to the loft.

Surely not if I keep the Vilux vents open? So far it appears dry up there.

@trailriderjim. Sounds good but I'd keep an eye on it as the weather cools, particularly on the Velux glass and the roofing felt  (if there is any ).

Comparatively easy to run a low voltage fan from a plug-top power supply to get some air circulation in/around/through the wardrobe - a low noise 12 volt computer fan that'll get the air moving should only use a few watts of power (so will be cheap to run) and can be had for under £10.

Great, thanks Hooli, any idea on running costs?

Cant remember an exact number but it was pence per hour, you can put it on a timer too to reduce the time it is on if you are worried.

Got a little heater and no more condensation. Thanks for the help and links.

Cheers.