A plain-English local guide for Smarden homes (TN27), written to help you find the cause before you spend money.
Smarden is a village west of Ashford with houses dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries, so a home here may be an old timber-framed building, a later house or a modern one, and each fails differently. Start by finding out what your walls are made of and what has been done to them. Condensation in an owner-occupied home with a loft may suit a loft-mounted Dryzen system; leaks, damp from old repairs and rising damp need diagnosing first.
Smarden is a civil parish and village west of Ashford in Kent, in postcode district TN27. Published histories describe it as a prosperous place in the 15th and 16th centuries, when fine houses were built, many of which remain. The Cloth Hall in the village is dated 1430 and described as a fifteenth-century yeoman's timber hall house, and the parish church of St Michael the Archangel is sometimes known as the Barn of Kent because of its high scissor beam roof.
That age matters for damp. An old timber frame or solid wall behaves very differently from a modern cavity wall. Cement render and modern paint on old materials can hold moisture in, and extensions of different ages can meet at a cold junction where condensation collects.
The area is also drained by the headwaters of the River Medway and River Stour, and many of those headwaters are only seasonal. Where a stream or ditch runs near a house, keep it clear and watch for water standing against a wall in wet weather. That is a drainage job, not a humidity one.
Cement repairs, plastic paint and gypsum plaster on an old wall all trap moisture. Removing them is a builder's job, not a dehumidifier's.
Patches that follow rain mean water is getting in. Spots in cold corners, behind wardrobes and on glass on cold mornings mean condensation. A damp band low on the wall needs a specialist to look at it.
A Dryzen unit is mounted in the loft, so the home needs one. In an old house with exposed roof timbers or a low pitched roof that may not be practical, and the free survey checks this.
Dryzen suits owner-occupied homes with a loft where the cause is condensation. It is not suitable for rental properties unless the landlord authorises the changes. If your home is listed or in a conservation area, check with Ashford Borough Council before altering anything.
Start by measuring. A hygrometer in the coldest bedroom 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.
Some buildings in the village are listed. Ask Ashford Borough Council whether yours is listed or in a conservation area before planning changes to the outside of a building.
Thick old walls take a long time to warm and often have little insulation, so internal surfaces stay cold and moisture condenses on them.
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 does not remove existing mould or control bed bugs or fleas, it helps stop the conditions mould and dust mites depend on.
Sources: Wikipedia: Smarden; GOV.UK: Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home; Property Care Association: Rising damp advice