Running an extractor fan for long periods (damp cellar)?
Adam Funk
but not enough, so I'm planning to mount an extractor fan in one of
the air brick recesses, then run it as much of the time as necessary
(controlled by a timer) to dry out the cellar.
I'll probably run it mainly at night in case the noise is annoying in
the living room.
Does anyone have any "experimental results" with something like this?
Any tips or suggestions?
Will an extractor fan wear out quickly if it's run for a long period
every night?
Lobster
> I have a damp cellar with some ventilation (air bricks to the outside)
> but not enough, so I'm planning to mount an extractor fan in one of
> the air brick recesses, then run it as much of the time as necessary
> (controlled by a timer) to dry out the cellar.
Wouldn't a humidistat-controlled version be more appropriate?
David
Martin Pentreath
My cellar used to be dampish - not too bad in fact, as cellars go, but
I wanted to put a washing machine, tumble dryer and freezer down
there, and I didn't want things going rusty. I've got a small
dehumidifier with a humidistat down there - one of these
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=10204&ts=50530
It has done the job well, and now doesn't need to come on very much to
keep things under control. It's plumbed in, so I tend to forget about
it.
I can't comment from experience on the extractor fan idea, although I
can't see why it wouldn't work. I know from the bathroom versions that
they are annoyingly noisy though, and unless you have a big house you
may well be able to hear it in the bedroom. I can hear the fan in our
downstairs loo in a bedroom two floors up and through two closed doors
and some fairly solid victorian walls, but I could just be over-
sensitive. However, if the fan is going to run all night as a long
term measure you could probably run it much more slowly and quietly.
The dehumidifier is only audible in the cellar itself.
Cheers!
Martin
Lurch
mused:
I'd have thought a dehumidifier would be a better choice.
--
Regards,
Stuart.
Owain
> I have a damp cellar with some ventilation (air bricks to the outside)
> but not enough, so I'm planning to mount an extractor fan in one of
> the air brick recesses, then run it as much of the time as necessary
> (controlled by a timer) to dry out the cellar.
> Any tips or suggestions?
Get a big 8" or 10" through-the-wall fan from Xpelair or VentAxia,
designed for commercial use and priced accordingly. They should run 12
hours a day for years and be almost inaudible (except for when the
backdraught shutter snaps shut).
The 4" Ł20 ones from the DIY shed will start squealing, or burn out and
start a fire, or cause other distressing nastinesses.
Owain
John
"Lurch" <myrea...@sjwelectrical.co.uk> wrote in message
news:vv6c33trnvujbttk8...@4ax.com...
Oh for a decent cellar. Why don't modern houses have them - then we could
put the car in the garage. Cellars are ideal places for boilers - who
thought that putting them is a small kitchen was a good idea??
Andrew Gabriel
Owain <owain...@stirlingcity.coo.uk> writes:
>
> Get a big 8" or 10" through-the-wall fan from Xpelair or VentAxia,
> designed for commercial use and priced accordingly. They should run 12
> hours a day for years and be almost inaudible (except for when the
> backdraught shutter snaps shut).
>
I was about to post exactly the same response.
Backdraught shutters now seem to be operated by a thermal solenoid,
so you don't get the loud bang of a magnetic solenoid anymore.
OP probably doesn't need one with shutters in any case.
I picked up a very nice 6" Vent Axia from Cash Converters for £10,
original box, full instructions, etc. It turned out to be about 10
years old, but had never been used (and was old enough to still have
the magnetic solenoid shutters). It was intended for fitting in double
glazing, but is now mounted in my garage wall, with a few minor
modifications. This model is still sold (now with thermal solenoid)
for over £100. It's certainly not inaudiable though -- it's a high
throughput model.
--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]
Stuart Noble
I would have thought unobstructed air bricks back and front would give
enough natural airflow. Maybe put extra ones in. I can't see that a fan
is the way to go.
Better to try and find out why it's damp. A rainwater drain might be
blocked etc. If there are no obvious signs of water, check the general
condition of floor and walls. The palm of the hand is as good as
anything for detecting damp
Adam Funk
Possibly --- I'll look into that.
Adam Funk
>>I have a damp cellar with some ventilation (air bricks to the outside)
>>but not enough, so I'm planning to mount an extractor fan in one of
>>the air brick recesses, then run it as much of the time as necessary
>>(controlled by a timer) to dry out the cellar.
...
> I'd have thought a dehumidifier would be a better choice.
I had a dehumidifier and was thinking about getting an automatic pump,
because I was tired of emptying the tank every day and because it
would fill up and shut off when I was away --- but the dehumidifier
failed recently, so I'm looking for an easy, low-maintenance solution!
Adam Funk
> Get a big 8" or 10" through-the-wall fan from Xpelair or VentAxia,
> designed for commercial use and priced accordingly. They should run 12
> hours a day for years and be almost inaudible (except for when the
> backdraught shutter snaps shut).
Is it possible to get a high-quality one with a small diameter (around
4")?
The front air brick is flush with the front of the house but recessed
(when you look at it from inside the cellar) in a hole just bigger
than two bricks --- so I want to mount the fan in a board, screw the
board to the wall over the hole, and probably caulk around it.
Dave Fawthrop
|!I have a damp cellar with some ventilation (air bricks to the outside)
|!but not enough, so I'm planning to mount an extractor fan in one of
|!the air brick recesses, then run it as much of the time as necessary
|!(controlled by a timer) to dry out the cellar.
Try to find out where the water comes from, almost certainly Ground Water,
which means that you are drying not only the walls, but 50 ft of soil
behind the wall, so it may never dry out completely, in the West Riding
some cellars flood periodically depending on how wet or dry the year is.
Some were dry between WWI and WWII when it was dry and damp after WWII when
it was wetter
--
Dave Fawthrop <sf hyphenologist.co.uk> 165 *Free* SF ebooks.
165 Sci Fi books on CDROM, from Project Gutenberg
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Lurch
mused:
>On 2007-04-30, Lurch wrote:
You can get dehumidifiers with pumps built in, failing that though an
automatic pump is an easy addition. You just want a condensate pump
from a plumbers merchants.
--
Regards,
Stuart.
Clive Mitchell
<myrea...@sjwelectrical.co.uk> writes
>You can get dehumidifiers with pumps built in, failing that though an
>automatic pump is an easy addition. You just want a condensate pump
>from a plumbers merchants.
Keeping in mind there are a few types. The solenoid type makes a loud
rasp when it runs while other types like the peristaltic ones are pretty
much silent.
--
Clive Mitchell
http://www.bigclive.com
meow...@care2.com
Ventilation will bring the cellar down to exterior temp, and you'll
then lose lotsa heat through the living area floors. IOW a fan will
cost you much more than a dehumidifier to run.
A condensate pump will solve the tank emptying problem.
NT
Owain
>>Get a big 8" or 10" through-the-wall fan from Xpelair or VentAxia,
> 4")?
Yes, they're slightly smaller fans from Xpelair or VA, but are more
likely to be rated for 'domestic' cycles and might only last 20 years.
Still miles better than the shite in the sheds.
Owain
Adam Funk
>> I had a dehumidifier and was thinking about getting an automatic pump,
>> because I was tired of emptying the tank every day and because it
>> would fill up and shut off when I was away --- but the dehumidifier
>> failed recently, so I'm looking for an easy, low-maintenance solution!
>
> Ventilation will bring the cellar down to exterior temp, and you'll
> then lose lotsa heat through the living area floors. IOW a fan will
> cost you much more than a dehumidifier to run.
Good point.
> A condensate pump will solve the tank emptying problem.
I'll reconsider getting a new dehumidifier and a pump, then.
Adam Funk
>>I had a dehumidifier and was thinking about getting an automatic pump,
>>because I was tired of emptying the tank every day and because it
>>would fill up and shut off when I was away --- but the dehumidifier
>>failed recently, so I'm looking for an easy, low-maintenance solution!
>
> You can get dehumidifiers with pumps built in,
Really, where? (I haven't seen any.)
> failing that though an automatic pump is an easy addition. You just
> want a condensate pump from a plumbers merchants.
When I was looking into this last time, the plumbing supplier I phoned
(just before the old dehumidifier died) seemed a little surprised I
thought he would have such a thing.
Stuart Noble
The whole concept is flawed in my view. You're simply sucking in air
from outside through the air bricks. Sure, you'll create reassuringly
large amounts of water but it won't make the cellar any drier.
Martin Pentreath
> The whole concept is flawed in my view. You're simply sucking in air
> from outside through the air bricks. Sure, you'll create reassuringly
> large amounts of water but it won't make the cellar any drier.
My cellar is drier with a dehumidifier than it was before. I keep some
tools down there, and they no longer develop the slight coating of
rust that they used to. I take the point about it not being wholly
efficient unless it operates in a sealed room. But the same logic
applies to running the central heating - why bother, all the heat only
ends up going through the roof in the end?
Stuart Noble
Yes, it's all compromise but I would think air bricks in the cellar
would be the equivalent of having all the windows in the house wide open.
Adam Funk
> On 2 May, 12:22, Stuart Noble <stuart_nobleNOS...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
>
>> The whole concept is flawed in my view. You're simply sucking in air
>> from outside through the air bricks. Sure, you'll create reassuringly
>> large amounts of water but it won't make the cellar any drier.
>
> My cellar is drier with a dehumidifier than it was before. I keep some
> tools down there, and they no longer develop the slight coating of
> rust that they used to.
Mine was a lot drier when the dehumidifier was running too.
> I take the point about it not being wholly
> efficient unless it operates in a sealed room. But the same logic
> applies to running the central heating - why bother, all the heat only
> ends up going through the roof in the end?
Good one.
Fash
Perhaps it's underground or something! Who can say, I guess it could
be one of those above ground cellars, but they seem to be getting ever
so rare these days.
Did it never occur to you that rain sometimes falls on the earth
making it damp on the outside of the cellar and maybe (just maybe)
some of this water is coming in hence the damp! Alternatively could be
a damaged downpipe, one of those ones that reaches the ground and then
just carries on down!
Fash
Adam Funk
>> When I was looking into this last time, the plumbing supplier I phoned
>> (just before the old dehumidifier died) seemed a little surprised I
>> thought he would have such a thing.
>
> The whole concept is flawed in my view. You're simply sucking in air
> from outside through the air bricks. Sure, you'll create reassuringly
> large amounts of water but it won't make the cellar any drier.
YMMV, but in my experience, the cellar was a lot drier with a running
dehumidifier (and the bother of emptying the tank every day) than it
is now (with a few air bricks, but no fan or dehumidifier).
Adam Funk
>>I had a dehumidifier and was thinking about getting an automatic pump,
>>because I was tired of emptying the tank every day and because it
>>would fill up and shut off when I was away --- but the dehumidifier
>>failed recently, so I'm looking for an easy, low-maintenance solution!
On 2007-05-01, Lurch wrote:
> You can get dehumidifiers with pumps built in, failing that though
> an automatic pump is an easy addition. You just want a condensate
> pump from a plumbers merchants.
I eventually found a dehumidifier with a built-in pump at a large B&Q.
It was £200, which sounds like a lot, but I thought it wasn't too bad
in comparison with the prices of a decent dehumidifier and a separate
pump, plus the work to fit the two together.
It's a "three-way" model: you can (1) unplug a drain hole in the back to
run the water away by gravity, (2) leave it as it comes to empty the
6-litre tank by hand, or (3) plug the inlet into the tank to get the
pump to run whenever a (presumably much smaller) tank inside fills up.
The pump has a maximum head of 1.65 m. I slightly underestimated the
height of the air brick I wanted to run the hose out through, so I
ended up putting the dehumidifier up on a heavy-duty shelf. It
mysteriously leaked a lot of water one evening right after I'd moved
it there (and let it settle for over an hour before plugging it back
in, although that's to protect the compressor rather than the pump,
AIUI). So I switched it off, looked to see if I could figure out
where it was leaking, gave up, and tried again later --- it has worked
fine since then.
The cellar is now drying out reasonably well after something like two
months of accrued damp with no dehumidifier. Unfortunately this
dehumidifier, which is rated at 60 litres/day, draws 600 W (and
increases the temperature down there by 2 or 3 C) when the compressor
and fan are running (I doubt the pump adds much more).
I've turned the humidistat back from "full blast" and will consider
running it on a timer for E7 too.
Ian Bowden
The only proper way to dry (and maintain) a cellar is *ventilation*. You
should draw air in one end and pump out at the other if you do not have any
other method or form of doing so.
--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/uk-diy/running-an-extractor-fan-for-long-periods-damp-cellar-391177-.htm
tabb...@gmail.com
> replying to Stuart Noble, Ian Bowden wrote:
> The only proper way to dry (and maintain) a cellar is *ventilation*. You
> should draw air in one end and pump out at the other if you do not have any
> other method or form of doing so.
b) 13 years too late
Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)
Brian
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<tabb...@gmail.com> wrote in message
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sarah burgin
Hi Stuart, do you have a recommendation for a good supplier please
Paul
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For full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/uk-diy/running-an-extractor-fan-for-long-periods-damp-cellar-391177-.htm
Brian Gaff (Sofa)
Brian
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alan_m
> And your recommendation would be?
>
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mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk
tabb...@gmail.com
> On 02/09/2020 20:00, Paul wrote:
> > And your recommendation would be?
> It makes no sense to ask someone who replied 13 years ago!
NT
Damian
Davey
Damian <a95424a6db883d2e...@example.com> wrote:
> A dehumidifier uses much more energy than a fan. My dehumidifier uses
> 330 Watts on low, a fan is usually less than 10 watts
>
--
Davey.
tabb...@gmail.com
> A dehumidifier uses much more energy than a fan. My dehumidifier uses 330 Watts on low, a fan is usually less than 10 watts
NT
Vir Campestris
> A dehumidifier uses much more energy than a fan. My dehumidifier uses
> 330 Watts on low, a fan is usually less than 10 watts
An extractor fan is taking warm air from your house and throwing it
away. This is being replaced by cold air from outside.
That's likely to be a lot more than 10 watts.
A dehumidifier is using (in your case) 330W, but that all ends up inside
the house. In fact even more than that ends up in the house, as you get
back the latent heat of evaporation of all the condensed water.
Andy
tabb...@gmail.com
NT
zz-james
Fredxx
> any thoughts on using MVHR to ventilate a cellar?, these have heat
> recovery.
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/Home_owners_hub
Ernie J
Animal
> Yes, I have a 9" industrial fan in my cellar, that is programmed on via a Hive plug. The cellar also has my server and IT kit, which produce tens of watts of heat. This cellar is about 16 deg most of the time, and nothing gets the dreaded blobs of mold growth. My other cellar is a work in progress, this has 2 air bricks, where the coal used be thrown in, but I plan to put a similar system of mechanical extraction from the floor level to the outside world. I just need to find the right system!