condensation in kitchen, black mould and all that stuff

[Jimk]

...surprised it works under bridges tho...

[Graham.]

Don't knock it, it's got a low energy 400W heater.

[aprilsweetheartrose]

I am sure that many of you will recall that for awhile - years - i have been be moaning the problems of my kitchen, condensation and mould (1950's bungalow). I have it all year round but in winter it is at its worst.

Having tried everything I eventually got my OH to put in a PIV ( nuaire eco with heat but we do not have the heat unit on as it happens). Well, after a month, I think I can say it is working. The walls are drying. The mould has not returned since I cleaned it off just after Christmas and all the rooms have lost the must smell ( although the kitchen is still musty smelling).

I also use a dehumidifier still when cooking ( maybe I need a vent for the cooker in the kitchen?). But the walls are now drying off and the windows are free from running water and everything seems to have imporved significantly.

Now maybe I will be able to re paint, clean and have a mould free and cough free life.

Thought I would share that.

[Roger Hayter]

That's interesting. Is the air intake in the loft and, if so, is the incoming air dusty at all? How often do filters need changing?

[aprilsweetheartrose]

<<Is the air intake in the loft>>

Yes, the air intake is in the loft.

and, if so, is the

No, because it has filters on the PIV.

<<How often do filters need changing?>>

According to the manufacturer, every five to seven years. I cannot confirm that because we have not had it that long.

[aprilsweetheartrose]

O

I should also add, you cant hear it either. Its whisper quiet.

[Dave Liquorice]

Yes, no doubt about it.

Old kitchen here had a cooker hood but it recycled the air. There was an extractor fan but it was broken. Didn't have a problem with mould but when cooking the windows (6mm double glazed units) would stream with condensation.

I removed the broken extrator fan and installed a length of vent hose from the hood to the hole in the wall, draught proofed of course. Use the hood when cooking, no more condenstaion on the windows.

[Roger Hayter]

Sounds like a good idea, especially if I ever have a house less draughty than the current one.

[T i m]

<snip>

Those Victorians had it all worked out eh. ;-)

Seriously though, we now often live in near hermetically sealed homes and you see people drying clothes indoors and on radiators complaining about the (subsequent) condensation and mould.

I thought we were supposed to 'change' the air in our homes several times a day?

We replace a draughty sash window with a modern sealed DG one and are then forced to have a permanently open 'trickle vent' to replace the draught the old windows provided in the first place! ;-)

We live in an EOT Victorian cottage with solid brick walls and don't have central heating as there seems little point heating up large flank walls that are exposed to the outside world.

Our TD is a vented one and oil filled rads keep the rooms we are using at a comfortable temperature (some of it on E7).

Plus the Mrs goes up and down in temperature all the time so a 'warmish' room and her having the option of putting a cardi on works for us. ;-)

And given the global warming I can't see the point of fitting CH now but might extend the Aircon for the summer. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[RJH]

Strikes me that that's the rub - how does the fresh air circulate/exhaust. If it's not actually pushing out the damp air the problem remains?

[ARW]

Yes.

[Chris Hogg]

This tells you all (or nothing?) about it

[ARW]

Works well with cauldrons.

[aprilsweetheartrose]

<<<<Seriously though, we now often live in near hermetically sealed homes and you see people drying clothes indoors and on radiators complaining about the (subsequent) condensation and mould>>>>>

In my own defence if I may, I do not dry washing indoors. I have a condensing dryer but I even had that moved out of the kitchen ( together with the freezer ) to an outhouse at much inconvenience but it did not good.

I moved them back when I realised it was not the machinery but just that the house had become so bubble wrapped it was not moving any air. I cut my washing down to once a week and use of the cooker to twice a week before getting a dehumidifier for the times I had the cooker or washer running.

But still we had a problem. Short of not breathing nothing was stoppin g the condensation and mould until we got the PIV.

You are correct though, modern living with its over insulated houses is to blame. If I had my time over I would have left the old wooden single glazed windows in place and not had the roof insulation. I called a halt at cavity wall insulation because we were already in black mould country before then.

[Chris Hogg]

Cold walls = condensation = mould. It might have been better if you had had the cavity wall insulation. But Cornwall is a damp and humid county, surrounded on three sides by the sea as it is. Mould is commonplace.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

Chris Hogg wrote on 16/02/2020 :

Read like techno waffle to me. The only way to ensure a satisfactorily low humidity, is to either have lots of drafty through ventilation, or extract moist air at source. That last means extracting air at the cooker, in bathrooms and not drying clothes in the house. All blowing air into a house does, is cause it to leak out through completely random, uncontrolled exits.

[jon lopgel]

"Harry Bloomfield"; "Esq." [e-mail]> wrote in message news:r2ccdl$dnk$ [e-mail]...

But it still better than leaving it inside the house.

[The Natural Philosopher]

As long as its wet air out and dry air in, the job is done

[harry]

You need extractors at both kitchen and showers if you have one. There also needs to be means to let the air you extract be replaced (ie an air "intake")

Be aware of any chimneys. Extractor fans can suck air down the chimneys and hence combustion fumes into the house.

[tabbypurr]

It is, but it's an approach that's very wasteful of energy ie run cost. And the op unsurprisingly reports slow results compared to a dehumidifier.

NT