Hi

I have recently 'repaired' a number of cupboard doors (these are
ceiling to wall fitted cupboards on an outside wall in my mothers
house) - the door catches were broken and the doors never shut properly
etc.

However, now the doors are 'fixed' (thus now shut!) my mother has told
me that now the clothes in the cupboard have become 'damp and mouldy',
as have some boxes (Xmas trimmings) that she stores in the top
cupboards..

Having revisited, I realise that by repairing the doors and I
effectively created a nice 'cold box' - my mothers house is fairly old
(100+ yrs), but she keeps it reasonably warm (although the room does
fluxuate from 13-14 when heating off to 20/21 when on)...as the
cupboards are on a north facing wall (and are just really wooden frames
built onto the wall, no backs etc) - so I guess that now the nice warm
air is hitting the very cold walls...and thus condensation/mould is
forming?

I put a temp. gauge in the top cupboard, and it was 9 degrees!

Some of the walls (inside cupboard) have a thin (2mm?) coating of
polystyrene type material, but where clothes have touched this they are
damp and wet to touch in areas (bad air circulation?) - however the TOP
cupboards, have no such polystyrene, and here seems the biggest
problem, you can see the water forming on the bare plaster

For now, Ive managed to leave the doors open, to let air circulate but
was wondering if by purchasing some (possibly thicker?) polystyrene
insulator, I could simply 'stick' this to the existing polystyrene
(where the is some) and the untreated plastered walls? - its just an
inside of a cupboard, so I wont need to replaster etc? - Would I also
need to baton on top of the polystyrene and nail some board, or could I
leave the polystyrerne as is??

If so, is it an easy job? Do I just basically buy it in a roll/square,
cut to size and just glue (presume there is special glue?) - and
possibly silicone seal the edges (or tape?)

Also, are there any different thicknesses of insulating polystyrene? -
and makes better for the job than others?

OR...am I on the wrong horse, and is there a better way (without taking
the cupboards out altogether!!)


PS, the house has no cavity wall insulation (it cant as it has no
cavity!) - it has had recent loft insulation, and I have checked for
leaks etc...on another note, the neighbouring house had similar
problems (this was a cold bedroom, rather than a cold cupboard) - they
have to have the whole room insulated..I guess these houses are just
plain cold!!

In the winter (until the heating is on) my mothers front bedroom's
windows are very condensated (they are UPVC double glazed) - another
sign of cold in the room??

Finally, I have lent her my dehumidifer, its humidistat seems to tell
me that the room is between 66 & 74% Humid (Ive monitored it over a few
days)

Hope someone can help.....Many thanks for reading!

wrote:
Hi

I have recently 'repaired' a number of cupboard doors (these are
ceiling to wall fitted cupboards on an outside wall in my mothers
house) - the door catches were broken and the doors never shut
properly etc.
BIGSNIP

Youy can get 8ft X4ft polystrene sheets in thicknesses of 25mm, 50mm, 75mm,
and 100mm, these can be fixed in place any way you like, if glue works, use
that, if it doesn't, affix small battens to the back timbers overlapping the
polystyrene 15mm or so....this will cut down on the cold coming through the
wall.
To increase air flow, you may need to install vents in each door and/or
between cupboards

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi

I have recently 'repaired' a number of cupboard doors (these are
ceiling to wall fitted cupboards on an outside wall in my mothers
house) - the door catches were broken and the doors never shut properly
etc.

However, now the doors are 'fixed' (thus now shut!) my mother has told
me that now the clothes in the cupboard have become 'damp and mouldy',
as have some boxes (Xmas trimmings) that she stores in the top
cupboards..

Having revisited, I realise that by repairing the doors and I
effectively created a nice 'cold box' - my mothers house is fairly old
(100+ yrs), but she keeps it reasonably warm (although the room does
fluxuate from 13-14 when heating off to 20/21 when on)...as the
cupboards are on a north facing wall (and are just really wooden frames
built onto the wall, no backs etc) - so I guess that now the nice warm
air is hitting the very cold walls...and thus condensation/mould is
forming?

I put a temp. gauge in the top cupboard, and it was 9 degrees!

Some of the walls (inside cupboard) have a thin (2mm?) coating of
polystyrene type material, but where clothes have touched this they are
damp and wet to touch in areas (bad air circulation?) - however the TOP
cupboards, have no such polystyrene, and here seems the biggest
problem, you can see the water forming on the bare plaster

For now, Ive managed to leave the doors open, to let air circulate but
was wondering if by purchasing some (possibly thicker?) polystyrene
insulator, I could simply 'stick' this to the existing polystyrene
(where the is some) and the untreated plastered walls? - its just an
inside of a cupboard, so I wont need to replaster etc? - Would I also
need to baton on top of the polystyrene and nail some board, or could I
leave the polystyrerne as is??

If so, is it an easy job? Do I just basically buy it in a roll/square,
cut to size and just glue (presume there is special glue?) - and
possibly silicone seal the edges (or tape?)

Also, are there any different thicknesses of insulating polystyrene? -
and makes better for the job than others?

OR...am I on the wrong horse, and is there a better way (without taking
the cupboards out altogether!!)


PS, the house has no cavity wall insulation (it cant as it has no
cavity!) - it has had recent loft insulation, and I have checked for
leaks etc...on another note, the neighbouring house had similar
problems (this was a cold bedroom, rather than a cold cupboard) - they
have to have the whole room insulated..I guess these houses are just
plain cold!!

In the winter (until the heating is on) my mothers front bedroom's
windows are very condensated (they are UPVC double glazed) - another
sign of cold in the room??

Finally, I have lent her my dehumidifer, its humidistat seems to tell
me that the room is between 66 & 74% Humid (Ive monitored it over a few
days)

Hope someone can help.....Many thanks for reading!

Perhaps installing a bathroom type inline vent fan that could be housed in
the loft and "piped" to the top of the cupboards with a vent in the base of
them to allow better air circulation will help.

Thanks, unfortunately my DIY skills (if you can call them that) are
very limited. If I can help by glueing or baton'ing
styrofoam/polystyrene etc, Ill give that a go - hopefully 'glue' will
be my friend and It'll do the trick

I think I will also buy a few vents to vent top/bottom and side
cupboards, to see if that helps

Thanks

Robbo wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi

I have recently 'repaired' a number of cupboard doors (these are
ceiling to wall fitted cupboards on an outside wall in my mothers
house) - the door catches were broken and the doors never shut properly
etc.

However, now the doors are 'fixed' (thus now shut!) my mother has told
me that now the clothes in the cupboard have become 'damp and mouldy',
as have some boxes (Xmas trimmings) that she stores in the top
cupboards..

Having revisited, I realise that by repairing the doors and I
effectively created a nice 'cold box' - my mothers house is fairly old
(100+ yrs), but she keeps it reasonably warm (although the room does
fluxuate from 13-14 when heating off to 20/21 when on)...as the
cupboards are on a north facing wall (and are just really wooden frames
built onto the wall, no backs etc) - so I guess that now the nice warm
air is hitting the very cold walls...and thus condensation/mould is
forming?

I put a temp. gauge in the top cupboard, and it was 9 degrees!

Some of the walls (inside cupboard) have a thin (2mm?) coating of
polystyrene type material, but where clothes have touched this they are
damp and wet to touch in areas (bad air circulation?) - however the TOP
cupboards, have no such polystyrene, and here seems the biggest
problem, you can see the water forming on the bare plaster

For now, Ive managed to leave the doors open, to let air circulate but
was wondering if by purchasing some (possibly thicker?) polystyrene
insulator, I could simply 'stick' this to the existing polystyrene
(where the is some) and the untreated plastered walls? - its just an
inside of a cupboard, so I wont need to replaster etc? - Would I also
need to baton on top of the polystyrene and nail some board, or could I
leave the polystyrerne as is??

If so, is it an easy job? Do I just basically buy it in a roll/square,
cut to size and just glue (presume there is special glue?) - and
possibly silicone seal the edges (or tape?)

Also, are there any different thicknesses of insulating polystyrene? -
and makes better for the job than others?

OR...am I on the wrong horse, and is there a better way (without taking
the cupboards out altogether!!)


PS, the house has no cavity wall insulation (it cant as it has no
cavity!) - it has had recent loft insulation, and I have checked for
leaks etc...on another note, the neighbouring house had similar
problems (this was a cold bedroom, rather than a cold cupboard) - they
have to have the whole room insulated..I guess these houses are just
plain cold!!

In the winter (until the heating is on) my mothers front bedroom's
windows are very condensated (they are UPVC double glazed) - another
sign of cold in the room??

Finally, I have lent her my dehumidifer, its humidistat seems to tell
me that the room is between 66 & 74% Humid (Ive monitored it over a few
days)

Hope someone can help.....Many thanks for reading!

Perhaps installing a bathroom type inline vent fan that could be housed in
the loft and "piped" to the top of the cupboards with a vent in the base of
them to allow better air circulation will help.

Thanks, unfortunately my DIY skills (if you can call them that) are
very limited. If I can help by glueing or baton'ing
styrofoam/polystyrene etc, Ill give that a go - hopefully 'glue' will
be my friend and It'll do the trick

I think I will also buy a few vents to vent top/bottom and side
cupboards, to see if that helps

Thanks

Robbo wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi

I have recently 'repaired' a number of cupboard doors (these are
ceiling to wall fitted cupboards on an outside wall in my mothers
house) - the door catches were broken and the doors never shut properly
etc.

However, now the doors are 'fixed' (thus now shut!) my mother has told
me that now the clothes in the cupboard have become 'damp and mouldy',
as have some boxes (Xmas trimmings) that she stores in the top
cupboards..

Having revisited, I realise that by repairing the doors and I
effectively created a nice 'cold box' - my mothers house is fairly old
(100+ yrs), but she keeps it reasonably warm (although the room does
fluxuate from 13-14 when heating off to 20/21 when on)...as the
cupboards are on a north facing wall (and are just really wooden frames
built onto the wall, no backs etc) - so I guess that now the nice warm
air is hitting the very cold walls...and thus condensation/mould is
forming?

I put a temp. gauge in the top cupboard, and it was 9 degrees!

Some of the walls (inside cupboard) have a thin (2mm?) coating of
polystyrene type material, but where clothes have touched this they are
damp and wet to touch in areas (bad air circulation?) - however the TOP
cupboards, have no such polystyrene, and here seems the biggest
problem, you can see the water forming on the bare plaster

For now, Ive managed to leave the doors open, to let air circulate but
was wondering if by purchasing some (possibly thicker?) polystyrene
insulator, I could simply 'stick' this to the existing polystyrene
(where the is some) and the untreated plastered walls? - its just an
inside of a cupboard, so I wont need to replaster etc? - Would I also
need to baton on top of the polystyrene and nail some board, or could I
leave the polystyrerne as is??

If so, is it an easy job? Do I just basically buy it in a roll/square,
cut to size and just glue (presume there is special glue?) - and
possibly silicone seal the edges (or tape?)

Also, are there any different thicknesses of insulating polystyrene? -
and makes better for the job than others?

OR...am I on the wrong horse, and is there a better way (without taking
the cupboards out altogether!!)


PS, the house has no cavity wall insulation (it cant as it has no
cavity!) - it has had recent loft insulation, and I have checked for
leaks etc...on another note, the neighbouring house had similar
problems (this was a cold bedroom, rather than a cold cupboard) - they
have to have the whole room insulated..I guess these houses are just
plain cold!!

In the winter (until the heating is on) my mothers front bedroom's
windows are very condensated (they are UPVC double glazed) - another
sign of cold in the room??

Finally, I have lent her my dehumidifer, its humidistat seems to tell
me that the room is between 66 & 74% Humid (Ive monitored it over a few
days)

Hope someone can help.....Many thanks for reading!

Perhaps installing a bathroom type inline vent fan that could be housed in
the loft and "piped" to the top of the cupboards with a vent in the base of
them to allow better air circulation will help.

wrote:
Hi

I have recently 'repaired' a number of cupboard doors (these are
ceiling to wall fitted cupboards on an outside wall in my mothers
house) - the door catches were broken and the doors never shut
properly etc.

However, now the doors are 'fixed' (thus now shut!) my mother has told
me that now the clothes in the cupboard have become 'damp and mouldy',
as have some boxes (Xmas trimmings) that she stores in the top
cupboards..

fit a tubular greehouse heater and leave it on 24/7 -
eBay item 130057467893 for example.

On 10 Dec 2006 10:39:38 -0800, "
wrote:

If so, is it an easy job?

Replace (or stick on top of) the existing polystyrene some
polystyrene ceiling tiles - usually about 5-10mm thick - the thicker
the better.

Almost any glue will suffice - double sided carpet tape usually works
well.

OR...am I on the wrong horse, and is there a better way (without taking
the cupboards out altogether!!)

You should consider replacing the doors with louvre doors - if they
are standard sizes this should be quite simple to do. These allow
air to circulate freely. You will still need the thicker
polystyrene.

In the winter (until the heating is on) my mothers front bedroom's
windows are very condensated (they are UPVC double glazed) - another
sign of cold in the room??

You might want to look at ventilation in the most condensation prone
rooms - usually the kitchen, bathroom and occupied bedrooms. Putting
a low power ventilator (Wickes do one with about 20W consumption) and
running it for several hours a day is usually simpler and better than
putting in a big one running for a short time.

If the kitchen is used and doesn't have a cooker hood venting to
outside consider fitting one. Any tumble drier must vent to outside
and if clothes are dried on radiators then proper extraction of air
becomes even more important.

Finally, I have lent her my dehumidifer, its humidistat seems to tell
me that the room is between 66 & 74% Humid (Ive monitored it over a few
days)

Dehumidifiers are good but need to run for quite a long time to be
effective.
--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/

Hi, thanks for replies

I think I will 'polystyrene' (thicker!) the walls, and also ventilate
between top/bottom cupboards, hopefully this will help. I may have to
make a hole in the skirting (this forms the base of the cupboards) to
try and getter better air circulation

My mother DOES vent tumble drier outside, but doesnt have any
extraction (other than opening the window) in the kitchen OR bathroom -
and the bathroom is very close to the main bedroom...

Would it be wise to ask for quotes for someone to install and 'power
up' 2 x extractor units (1 x bathroom, 1 x kitchen) - would I seek
quotes from builders, or electricians for this kind of work?? - I
suppose the (thick!) walls will have to have holes made in then, the
extractor fitted, and then somehow the electric (lights?) cabling used?

Are there any does and donts on extractors (ie makes to avoid or best
sizes) - and is it best to have them to come on with the lights, or on
a separate switch?

Sorry for questions!

Thanks again




Peter Parry wrote:
On 10 Dec 2006 10:39:38 -0800, "
wrote:

If so, is it an easy job?

Replace (or stick on top of) the existing polystyrene some
polystyrene ceiling tiles - usually about 5-10mm thick - the thicker
the better.

Almost any glue will suffice - double sided carpet tape usually works
well.

OR...am I on the wrong horse, and is there a better way (without taking
the cupboards out altogether!!)

You should consider replacing the doors with louvre doors - if they
are standard sizes this should be quite simple to do. These allow
air to circulate freely. You will still need the thicker
polystyrene.

In the winter (until the heating is on) my mothers front bedroom's
windows are very condensated (they are UPVC double glazed) - another
sign of cold in the room??

You might want to look at ventilation in the most condensation prone
rooms - usually the kitchen, bathroom and occupied bedrooms. Putting
a low power ventilator (Wickes do one with about 20W consumption) and
running it for several hours a day is usually simpler and better than
putting in a big one running for a short time.

If the kitchen is used and doesn't have a cooker hood venting to
outside consider fitting one. Any tumble drier must vent to outside
and if clothes are dried on radiators then proper extraction of air
becomes even more important.

Finally, I have lent her my dehumidifer, its humidistat seems to tell
me that the room is between 66 & 74% Humid (Ive monitored it over a few
days)

Dehumidifiers are good but need to run for quite a long time to be
effective.
--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/

On 10 Dec 2006 14:13:20 -0800, "
wrote:

Would it be wise to ask for quotes for someone to install and 'power
up' 2 x extractor units (1 x bathroom, 1 x kitchen) - would I seek
quotes from builders, or electricians for this kind of work?? - I
suppose the (thick!) walls will have to have holes made in then, the
extractor fitted, and then somehow the electric (lights?) cabling used?


Electricians tend to favour the expensive higher powered fans with
time switches linked to light circuits. These are not really ideal
as firstly they are very noisy - and if someone goes to the loo in
the night everyone gets to hear about it for about 15 minutes.
Secondly they are not very effective in the situation you have.

A much better approach is to use the low power 20-30W fans fitted
with time switches so they come on for several hours a day to match
the use of the kitchen etc. They make very little noise and are
usually very easy to fit requiring quite a small hole (about 3 inches
diameter) in the walls which is easily done with a core drill. If
you don't feel able to do it yourself make sure you find an
electrician with enough nouse to do what you want rather than what is
cheapest and most profitable for them.
--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/