Finding the chase and cutting to it

It’s a sunny Sunday afternoon in September, which is an great time to air the house!

In historic times, houses breathed – they were cool in the summer, and potentially, freezing in the winter without heating. But, even in the wettest of seasons, the houses were not damp, if the roofs, walls, and windows were sound.

Of course, modern technology has improved our lives in many ways, but houses with great insulating properties can be, well, a bit damp.

So, the question becomes how can we keep the heat in and allow the air to get out?

Duh, buy a dehumidifyer!

This is not a terrible idea, they do work on similar technology to our heat pump – they chill the air passing through the intake and condense the water out of the air, thereby drying it.

I always think this is my preferred way on a day when there is plenty of electricity floating round the grid on a winter’s day. Why? Well, the dehumidifyers create waste heat. On a summer’s day, that can be a little annoying!

Or, if you have an autumn or low humidity winter’s day, open windows. Remember to turn off the heating in the room being dried out, and watch the humidity readings – you are aiming for between 40% and 60%.

Typically, that takes 10 minutes or so. Close the windows when done, and turn the heating back on.

Isn’t prevention better than cure?

Yes, the difficulty in the UK is that we are a damp little island in the north Atlantic ocean that has significant rain fall.

We also have very short periods of daylight during the winter.

Now, I appreciate many will be frustrated as they read this that I haven’t spoken about the vents in modern double glazing units that are designed to keep air moving.

These are not good during our winters, springs, and autumns: they cool your window down allowing condensation to happen, and let damp air in too! Many houses have their radiators under windows, so even worse, you can be venting your hot air straight out of your vents…

The window vents are brilliant during our summers and I have spent this time closing them all down when I finish the airing process. The 1st May is the day I will open them all up.

During the summer, when humidity levels are high, I do not open windows up during day light hours. If you are actively or passively cooling your rooms, this will only let hot air back in! As soon as the sun sets, open up the windows to let hot air escape from the house, taking the moisture with it.

During the summer, while there is plenty of solar power to run a dehumidifyer, the heat generated can aggrevate stuffy and hot rooms.

Again, ideally, you are aiming for that 40% – 60% humidity reading.

Whether winter, spring, summer or autumn, ventillating fans in bathrooms and kitchens are your friends. Outdoor venting ones are the best for keeping things dry: modern versions have dual shutters, allowing some insulation keeping rooms cool or warm as required.

During the winter, such fans can be much more effective that opening windows which can chill a room quickly. Making use of shower squeegees can minimise the use of the fans to being required only while the shower or bath is running water. A rubber blade much like a window squeegee allows you to push water straight down the drain – 5 minutes after every shower or bath can save having to run an extractor fan for 30 minutes or more.

Keeping rooms warm helps prevent condensation on walls and well insulated windows. Roller blinds in bathrooms and kitchens can provide an extra layer to stop water hitting a cold window pane, so drawing the blind not only provides privacy but relief from condenscing water. Try to remember to open the blinds once you’ve finished in the room to give the windows a chance to breathe again.

Isn’t it best to go with a window vac or dehumidifyer during the winter months?

By all means, if humidity is above 55%, consider running a dehumidifyer once a month to bring levels down. But do remember to empty it regularly and make use of the automatic function so that you do not over dry a room, either.

I honestly think prevention is better than cure. So try to find out why rooms are damp to start with – with our house, it was because nothing had been properly allowed to dry after building and some of the windows needed to be recaulked due to warping. Keep rooms warm to ensure air keeps moving also helps. The WHO recommends above 18°C as a minimum during the winter.

When it comes to drying clothes, a tip we took from the back of a daily calendar was to double spin your clothes – most washing machines let you “drain and spin” clothes as a separate function, so everything we plan to dry is double spun.