Dish washing in UK.

[GreyCat]

Excessively insulated eh?
Thats an interesting concept, can you give your understanding of it?

Humidity/damp and exessive heat are both issues from insulation not being done properly.

Gas central heating should not cause condensation inside if it's a main installation as the boiler and heaters will vent outside. However, it's entirely possible to be using a gas cooker without extraction if the house was built before cooker extraction was required. Again, some folks have those mobile Calor gas type heaters, which vent inside so all water from burning gas is inside, or they have a cheap front-venting tumble drier, or they dry clothes on radiators, or use a shower with no/substandard extraction. All of those things need quite a bit of ventilation to avoid a rise in humidity, and extractor fans need to be combined with vents to draw in fresh air to be effective.

What has happened in many cases is that insulation was put into older properties (often via grants) but the ventilation wasn't sorted out, so the combination of moisture from people and also from the things I highlighted above cause condensation issues. Getting the ventilation right ventilation can cost as much as the insulation if new windows and extraction systems are needed..... so often this is overlooked in grant schemes.

Also, some properties have a lot of sun gain at some times of year, so the heat gets in and cannot get out again. Lack of ventilation and people keeping windows closed for security reasons being main reasons.

Insulation needs to be seen as part of a system but unfortunately with grant incentives to "insulate" without considering the system, there's a bunch of situations where insulating an older property has caused excessive summer heat or damp from condensation.

GC

 

[Broch]

We live in a 16C barn (we thought it was 17C but have recently been told differently) - I would be pleased if we could just stop some of the 'ventilation'

Annoyingly, when we had a new log burner fitted a couple of years ago, the installer had to put ventilation in from the outside to satisfy regulations

 

[demographic]

Humidity/damp and exessive heat are both issues from insulation not being done properly.

Gas central heating should not cause condensation inside if it's a main installation as the boiler and heaters will vent outside. However, it's entirely possible to be using a gas cooker without extraction if the house was built before cooker extraction was required. Again, some folks have those mobile Calor gas type heaters, which vent inside so all water from burning gas is inside, or they have a cheap front-venting tumble drier, or they dry clothes on radiators, or use a shower with no/substandard extraction. All of those things need quite a bit of ventilation to avoid a rise in humidity, and extractor fans need to be combined with vents to draw in fresh air to be effective.

What has happened in many cases is that insulation was put into older properties (often via grants) but the ventilation wasn't sorted out, so the combination of moisture from people and also from the things I highlighted above cause condensation issues. Getting the ventilation right ventilation can cost as much as the insulation if new windows and extraction systems are needed..... so often this is overlooked in grant schemes.

Also, some properties have a lot of sun gain at some times of year, so the heat gets in and cannot get out again. Lack of ventilation and people keeping windows closed for security reasons being main reasons.

Insulation needs to be seen as part of a system but unfortunately with grant incentives to "insulate" without considering the system, there's a bunch of situations where insulating an older property has caused excessive summer heat or damp from condensation.

GC

Aye, that's sort of where I was going to go.
I've built very well insulated buildings and as long as the building can ventilate properly damp need not be an issue.
The better ones have had heat recovery units and stringent spec for the vapour barrier system.
All that goes out of the window as soon as some plumber/spark cuts big holes in it when they forget a pipe or cable though. Got to keep a very close eye on the trades doing it.

Done well a lot of insulation can be a great thing that allows people to live very cheaply indeed.
Done badly, or damaging the membrane van result in expensive issues with interstitial condensation and rot.

 

[neoaliphant]

Aye, that's sort of where I was going to go.
I've built very well insulated buildings and as long as the building can ventilate properly damp need not be an issue.
The better ones have had heat recovery units and stringent spec for the vapour barrier system.
All that goes out of the window as soon as some plumber/spark cuts big holes in it when they forget a pipe or cable though. Got to keep a very close eye on the trades doing it.

Done well a lot of insulation can be a great thing that allows people to live very cheaply indeed.
Done badly, or damaging the membrane van result in expensive issues with interstitial condensation and rot.

ive got a flat that lived in and now rent
it had/has constant damp, the tenants dont open windows to air out

the neighbourhood its in, if you open windows- burglary, smell of drugs wafting in, pets escaping, and mostly excessive noise...


when kitchen extension done building control said needed wall vents and windo vents, all they did was let draft in even when closed, so we replaced the windows and just open when we want to

now live in older stone house, no damp at all except on one bit of wall, which happens to be the bit where dampcoarse was put in, the bit of wall right along from it, with no damp coarse, breathes fine and no damp...

my parents ahve to keep their heating going constantly through a lot of the year just to prevent damp in some of their rooms....but i can appreciate when insulation and venting done properly you dont get the issue, but on 60+ year old flats and bungalows....there are issues

 

[Toddy]

ive got a flat that lived in and now rent
it had/has constant damp, the tenants dont open windows to air out

the neighbourhood its in, if you open windows- burglary, smell of drugs wafting in, pets escaping, and mostly excessive noise...


when kitchen extension done building control said needed wall vents and windo vents, all they did was let draft in even when closed, so we replaced the windows and just open when we want to

now live in older stone house, no damp at all except on one bit of wall, which happens to be the bit where dampcoarse was put in, the bit of wall right along from it, with no damp coarse, breathes fine and no damp...

my parents ahve to keep their heating going constantly through a lot of the year just to prevent damp in some of their rooms....but i can appreciate when insulation and venting done properly you dont get the issue, but on 60+ year old flats and bungalows....there are issues

Have a look at Meaco dehumidifiers. They are game changers for us. They take in moisture, and they give out gentle heat, and all while moving the air around. They don't cost a lot to run either.
The result is a damp free home, fresh smelling, comfortable, and it saves us a fortune. They do need to be tended to, emptied and the filters hoovered out every so often, but that's pretty much it.
I believe that you can get wall mounted ones that are plumbed in too. I like the flexibility of being able to move the dehumidifier around though.
Great for drying off sodden wet outdoor kit

 

[neoaliphant]

Have a look at Meaco dehumidifiers. They are game changers for us. They take in moisture, and they give out gentle heat, and all while moving the air around. They don't cost a lot to run either.
The result is a damp free home, fresh smelling, comfortable, and it saves us a fortune. They do need to be tended to, emptied and the filters hoovered out every so often, but that's pretty much it.
I believe that you can get wall mounted ones that are plumbed in too. I like the flexibility of being able to move the dehumidifier around though.
Great for drying off sodden wet outdoor kit

Ive got a meaco air conditioner, its marvelous...never thought we would need one in the UK, but makes the bedroom sleepable in the baking days of summer

have a little free standing dehunudifier which gets used on the bathroom when its cold, otehrwise window open

the dehimudier helps get water for the plants as well...as its distilled

 

[TLM]

the dehimudier helps get water for the plants as well...as its distilled

hmmm ... never thought it that way but that's not a bad idea.

 

[neoaliphant]

hmmm ... never thought it that way but that's not a bad idea.

wife knows more but i think certain houseplants do better on distilled water....