Gillingham grew up beside the dockyard, and the houses still show it. Here is what that means for damp.
Most damp in Gillingham homes is condensation: indoor moisture from cooking, showers and washing meeting cold walls and windows. Solid-wall Victorian terraces near the dockyard suffer most, but airtight newer houses do too. Check for leaks, gutters and a failed damp course first, improve extraction and heating habits, and only then consider a loft-mounted dehumidifier. A dehumidifier does not cure leaks or genuine rising damp.
Much of Gillingham was built in a hurry. As the Chatham Dockyard expanded, the defensive Lines meant new housing for dockyard workers could only go up beyond them, which is how the New Brompton area of Gillingham came into being. Speculative builders put up dense streets of terraces, and a lot of that stock is still lived in.
Those terraces are typically solid brick, often with small back additions and a single flue per room. They have no cavity to interrupt the cold, so internal wall surfaces in winter can sit well below room temperature. Moist air that reaches them leaves water behind.
| House type | Typical problem | First thing to try |
|---|---|---|
| Victorian terrace near the old Lines | Cold solid walls, boarded fireplaces, condensation on north-facing bedroom walls | Unblock or vent old flues, tighten up heating habits, fit proper extraction |
| Interwar semi | Mixed: bay windows leaking at the head, steamy kitchens added to over the years | Check bay roofs and gutters, add a kitchen extractor that vents outside |
| Newer estate house | Airtight, short on ventilation, moisture from laundry and showers | Use the trickle vents, run extractors for longer, ventilate when drying washing |
Gillingham sits on the Medway estuary, with the Strand waterfront at one edge, and brickmaking was a local trade, and the Brompton conservation area appraisal notes that locally produced brick is the predominant building material in the older streets. Brick is porous. A wall that is kept wet by a failed gutter or a hard cement repair will look like rising damp when it is really water coming in from above, which is why we always rule out the roof line before anything else.
Dryzen is a loft-mounted dehumidifier with insulated ducting to the central area or stairway only, so the property needs a loft. It suits owner-occupied homes with condensation-type damp. One unit is rated for up to 150 m2, and extra units can be added for larger homes. It is not suitable for rentals unless the landlord authorises the changes, and it is no substitute for fixing leaks.
Winter is when walls are coldest and windows are shut, so the same indoor moisture condenses on cold solid brick. Mould that tracks the cold months points to condensation rather than a leak.
It is diagnosed far more often than it is found. Many patches blamed on rising damp turn out to be condensation, a blocked gutter or a bridged damp course. A survey should check those first.
It helps with condensation-type damp. It does nothing for leaks, a failed damp course or water coming through walls, and those need building repairs first. For the full evidence, calculator and printable cheat sheet, see The Healthy Home Humidity Guide.
Not unless your landlord authorises the changes. The unit is mounted in the loft, so it is a job for owner-occupiers or landlord-approved installations.
Around 40 to 60 percent relative humidity, with 50 to 55 percent a sensible target. Cold solid-wall terraces tend to read high in winter, so use a cheap hygrometer in the coldest bedroom. Humidity control helps stop the conditions mould and dust mites need; it does not clean mould already there.
Sources: GOV.UK: Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home; Property Care Association: Condensation in homes; Wikipedia: Gillingham, Kent.
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