Often people suggest that a home dehumidifier should be fitted with a timer to save running cost. Moreover, you will note that nearly all dehumidifiers don’t have a timer fitted and it is for obvious reason. The request would indeed be justified if we considered a dehumidifier as giving instant “dryness”.

But that is of course not the case. The issue is that the humidity takes weeks to come under control initially and is regulated by the humidistat which the owner sets.

In the early stages of using a dehumidifier in the home, the water extraction will typically be higher in the initial few weeks then the weeks after. Furthermore, this is not due to the weather at that time but is more the furnishings, carpets, even walls being dried of excess water. In addition, the humidistat regulates the level of humidity in the environment it is in.

Therefore, if the humidity level is reached, the dehumidifier simply switches off. The dehumidifier won’t switch back on until its actually needed. Our home dehumidifiers are unique and use only 1 Watt of electricity during standby model.

By the same token, other manufacturers use at least 30 Watts which is more of a consideration. The danger switching a dehumidifier on daily basis is that the humidity level can actually built up during the hours it’s switch off & the dehumidifier can’t cope to control the atmosphere to the required humidity level.

A humidistat is by far the best way to regulate humidity in the home. If the humidity increases, then damage to furnishings & decoration can be far more expensive.

EASY MAINTENANCE Whole home and totally automatic dehumidifier needed?

Identifying a damp issue early and taking measures to deal with it, before it causes too much damage, is always the best policy. Fortunately, there are some tell-tale signs to look out for. Damp characteristically leaves stains, dark patches and discolouration on walls. It can also lead to mould forming.

In confined and none ventilated spaces, it’s usually accompanied by an unmistakably musty smell. Decayed skirting boards and damaged wall plaster within properties are also often a sign. There are three main types of damp to look out for: condensation, rising damp and penetrating damp.

Condensation:

From moisture produced in the property through normal living i.e cooking, showering and drying cloths. Evaporates into the atmosphere and then condenses on a cold surface, such as an external wall. Found in properties of any age, size or design but often in modern properties.

Preventing it requires a change in habits, such as keeping rooms at an even, moderate temperature and opening the windows to increase ventilation. If you don’t want to waste that heat energy or not alter your way of life then an Ecor Pro dehumidifier is ideal.

Rising Damp:

Moisture is drawn upwards through the mortar and masonry of a building by capillarity. More porous building materials such as brick and sandstone are most susceptible, however any masonry type can be affected.

From the 1900’s onward, most buildings incorporated a damp proof course (often referred to as a DPC) that acts as a horizontal barrier to water rising. If you are maintaining an older building then this might not be the case, as a damp proof course will not have been included in its construction, or the existing one may have failed. To remedy this you will need specialized contractors to seal the DPC or put on in.

Penetrating Damp:

Penetrating damp is most often caused by exposure to prevailing winds, which can drive rain into the masonry; most pronounced on buildings with solid rather than cavity walls. Property defects such as defective pointing, gaps around windows, leaking roofs and gutters or even flower beds banked up against the side of the building can all lead to moisture entering the building.

Most effective way to protect a property from penetrating damp is to firstly rectify such defects and then apply a breathable water repellent cream to the exterior of the property.

Leak Next Door or in the Wall

A leak in the wall or from next door is easy to detect since unlike rising damp the water marks start up the wall not from the bottom

Top tips to prevent damp in your property:

If the coldest wall in the home (one that gets the least sunlight on it typically the North wall) has the most signs of damp it’s probably condensation. Ensure that external ground levels are a minimum 150mm below the building’s current damp proof course

Regularly check gutters, down pipes and drains to ensure there are no blockages or leaks so that water is running down the outer wall constantly. Inspect flashing on your property’s roof and seals around windows to ensure they prevent water from entering the building.

If the outer lining of the building is sound, or it’s a relatively new building, chances are that this will be a condensation issue. Condensation forms not just on windows but on any surfaces that is cooler than the rest of the surfaces in the home.

Absolutely! Wood is the base scale that other materials are measured in reference to. Moisture in a building is constantly on the move and trying to reach equilibrium. In other words, moisture wicks from wet material to dry material until there is a balance between the two.

For example, a piece of timber reads 14% (dry, green zone) on your meter. And, in pin mode, the surface of a concrete floor reads 25% (wet, read zone). If you place the piece of timber on the concrete floor and leave it to equilibrate, the wood will absorb moisture from the concrete until it has reached approximately 25%.

This system of measurement is known as WME (Wood Moisture Equivalent) and is used globally for moisture diagnosis in buildings.

Protimeter pin type meters are sold standard with a calibration check device. This device is placed across the pins and should give a reading of 18.1+ or -1%. The check device can also be used to test the hammer electrode and other plug-in accessories for WME pin mode.

Non-invasive mode (Search Mode) is used to find higher than normal moisture levels. Pin mode is then used to more accurately measure the moisture level once you have found it.

Non-invasive meters are good for finding moisture quickly and behind walls and floor coverings, such as tile and vinyl, but they do not measure as accurately as pin type meters.

“Search Mode” is loosely based on the WME scale, so a reading of 200 is somewhat close to a pin reading of 20%, and a reading of 165 is somewhat close to 16% WME.

When using meter readings for reporting, only use readings from a pin type meter.

This is typical of a temperature condition that is outside of the calibrated range. All later model Protimeter moisture meters have the ability to zero the meter in-air to compensate for this. Please refer to your instrument’s instruction manual.