Cheap Heaters and Getting a Dehumidifier

jrowls on 14/06/2022 - 10:12
Last edited 14/06/2022 - 10:13

Hey all

We live in a cheapo fibro rental that the landlord isn't keen to touch.

It's poorly sealed, not insulated at all, and chockers with mould. Bathroom doesn't even have an exhaust fan. We're doing weekly mould cleaning sessions rn. Also I am colder here in winter than I ever was when I lived in Canberra, it's truly insane. Oh and it's also absolutely boiling in summer haha.

We really really really need to get a heater of some kind and a dehumidifier but I need some help and idk anyone who knows anything about heaters or dehumidifiers, I've never needed either before (gas/woodfire heating in my older places).

  • Heater

Which ones are worth getting?

I can't heat up the house because it's so leaky it won't matter, so what can I do that will provide some warmth to sit in front of or put in the bedroom that won't chew through the power bill too much?

All the cheapo heaters at Bunnings (i.e. $50-100) seem to have similar power draws/outputs (idk which it is - when they say '2200w' or whatever) but I'm not sure which style suits our use case? The flat panel ones? The ones with a big element and the reflective shroud? The little ones that have a fan and a heated element?

  • Dehumidifier

Firstly, are they worth it? $400-600 is a lot to spend for us right now.

Secondly, can they do the whole house? or would it be a matter of moving it from room to room, day to day?

Am I emptying the water multiple times a day? Which ones are worth getting? Does anyone have any in stock right now?

Halp

Home & Garden Heater Humidifier

Comments

  • Muzeeb on 14/06/2022 - 10:15
    +4

    Get a non breathable oodie and you will be hot and sweaty in no time.

    Source

    • jrowls on 14/06/2022 - 10:41
      +1

      hmm I think I will pass on that lmao

  • Navanod66 on 14/06/2022 - 10:59
    +5

    Sorry to hear that your current accommodation is so poorly built.

    If it is that leaky, any heaters would chew through electricity whole providing minimal comfort.
    A very cost effective solution for now, is to get a few heated throws and get a heated blanket for the bed.

    These will keep you warm in bed, on the couch or in front of the computer. Layer a blanket on top and it'll work even better and you can keep the heat low. Just remember to always turn them off before leaving the house.

    Mould is a pain. The Mrs got really sick (almost ICU level of sick) when we rented a mouldy place and I had asthma regularly there.
    Is there a window in the bathroom? If the house is leaky, a dehumidifier would struggle to do much. Best you can do is vent all the moist air after/during a shower out the window. Pop it open and put a fan in front of it.

    There are also floor dryers that blow hot air from ground level. With a leaky home, I would focus on the condensation instead of trying to dehumidify.

    Hope this helps a little. All the best.

  • JIMB0 on 14/06/2022 - 11:09

    If your home is that leaky the only thing worth considering is outdoor heaters as these are radiant heat. The other option is to find some cheap foam and start filling in all the gaps.

  • dng123 on 14/06/2022 - 11:27
    +2

    Given your situation, heated blankets would probably be the most efficient way of keeping warm. Any other space heater may help but you will just smash through electricity as it has to keep constantly warming the room up due to poor insulation.

    If you know where the drafts are coming in you can consider using PE foam tape to try and seal up as much as possible.

  • Daniel Plainview on 14/06/2022 - 12:20
    +3

    If you've a formal lease tenancy agreement you might want to review it for clauses on mould…..while there's many different types of it it's not the benign PITA folks often think. You could be doing yourselves long term damage staying in such a place.

    Your tenancy agreement, if formal should have clauses pertaining to this - as your landlord is legally obligated to rectify the situation. You won't be out of pocket for this at all.

    if you can't get joy there I'd seriously be considering biting the bullet and moving - yes it sucks but so does respiratory illness and all kinds of other issues.

    Dehumidifiers are fantastic - we live in high rain area and use one in offpeak power periods. As much as possible open windows on opposite sides of house to crossflow air for humidity.

    For cold, those types of homes just suck (inlaws are still in one) - as others have said you can plug major draft spots but likely no insulation in roof and none in walls or under floor. Everyone gets a hot water bottle to walk around with under their jumper, blanket on the lounge etc - power bills extra high and cheap heaters will guzzle this and with your shoebox house the heat will just go straight out. No easy solution, hence the move makes sense in multiple ways IMHO - gotta put your health first.

  • Presence on 14/06/2022 - 13:48

    As others have said a heater will use a heap of power and not achieve much if the house is so leaky.

    In what way is it poorly sealed? A few tubes of gap sealer and expanding foam could make a big difference. Door and window seals are also pretty cheap. Make sure you've got door snakes. You can use bubble wrap on the windows to make a huge difference there.

    The panel/radiator heaters are designed for a whole room - not to sit in front of. The resistive fireplace style ones are what you want. The small fan heaters are better for bathrooms, not to sit in front on. They could help with the mould problem but they cost a lot to run.

  • casho on 14/06/2022 - 14:34
    +2

    Ouch no good. I'd move out. And yes for dehumidifiers you will need to move it room and room. An open window, even just 1/2 cm will do wonders to keep mold down. But your place sounds dangerous. If it is black mould move out, you will have serious health issues

  • EightImmortals on 14/06/2022 - 15:20
    +1

    We got one from these guys a few years back. https://www.ausclimate.com.au/products/dehumidifiers

    They seem low on stock ATM, makes sense after all the rain we've had I guess. They shut off when the tank gets full and then you empty it down the sink. Might need more than one depending on how big your house is.

    They are also for sale here: https://www.appliancesonline.com.au/filter/heating-and-cooli…

    Not sure on stock levels.

  • tik tok on 14/06/2022 - 18:28

    Where abouts are you? Your profile says Wollongong. Its hard to imagine a place whose elevation is 5m would be even colder than Canberra which is 576m.
    In most states, mould is a joint responsibility - if the tenant has tried to remediate and that hasn't taken care of it, the owner is obligated to get mould treated.

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