A plain-English local guide for Egerton homes, written to help you find the cause of damp before you spend money.
Egerton is a village with its own conservation area, so many homes are likely to be older and some may have had decades of repairs. Damp here can be rain getting in through old walls, roofs and gutters, or condensation in cold rooms. Check the outside of the building and the gutters first. If the cause turns out to be condensation in an owner-occupied home with a loft, a loft-mounted Dryzen system may suit.
Ashford Borough Council lists Egerton among the conservation areas in the borough. A conservation area is a place judged to have special architectural or historic interest, and that usually goes with a good share of older buildings. Older walls behave differently from modern cavity walls. They are often thicker, built of softer materials and meant to let some moisture move through them.
Over the years many have been repaired with harder materials, painted with sealed paints or extended at different dates. Each of those can change where moisture goes. A damp patch in an Egerton house is therefore worth reading as a pattern before it is treated as a single problem.
Cement render, plastic paint and gypsum plaster on an older wall can all hold moisture in. Finding out what is on the wall is the first step, and taking any of it off is a builder's job, not a dehumidifier's.
Patches that follow rain mean water is getting in, so check the roof, gutters, render and pointing. Spots that follow cold mornings, in corners and on glass, point to condensation. Our guide to cracked render and failed pointing shows how to tell them apart.
A Dryzen unit is mounted in the loft. In an older house with a steep roof and exposed timbers, that may not be practical, and a survey will check.
Conservation area status can bring extra planning controls, and the rules depend on the council and on whether your building is listed. Before changing windows, render or the roof, check with Ashford Borough Council what applies to your property. If you are unsure whether a job needs permission, ask the council before any work begins.
Dryzen suits owner-occupied homes with a loft, because the unit is mounted there. Each unit is rated for 150 square metres and removes about 12 litres a day, and it uses about 20 pounds a year in energy. It is not suitable for rental properties unless the landlord authorises the changes. It does not repair leaks, so fix any water getting in from outside first.
Start by measuring. A hygrometer in the coldest bedroom of an older house tells you whether you are living above the 60 to 65 percent level at which mould and dust mites do well, before you decide what to change. For the full evidence, calculator and printable cheat sheet, see The Healthy Home Humidity Guide.
Yes. Ashford Borough Council lists an Egerton conservation area. Check the boundary with the council before planning changes to the outside of a building.
Thick walls take a long time to warm, and surfaces that stay cold collect condensation. Rain getting in through old render, pointing or gutters can add to it.
Yes. The survey is free and includes a check that your loft is suitable.
Roughly 50 to 55 percent relative humidity is a sensible target, within the 40 to 60 percent band commonly suggested. Sustained readings above about 60 to 65 percent favour mould and dust mites. A dehumidifier helps stop the conditions they depend on, it does not clean existing mould.
Sources: Ashford Borough Council: Conservation areas; GOV.UK: Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home