Your day (apart from gardening) what took place ? 2024

Went yet again to rectify another mistake at the bank but of course they weren't wrong I was! I get so cross at the way that the blame is laid as I keep sound records of all our finances but you just end up talking to a brick wall.

 

Light snow so no outdoors today. Defrosted one of the freezers (sounds as though we have loads but only 2 small ones!). Made a terrible mess on the floor but thankfully only water.
Then worked on the upstairs dormer window. Why do we get so much condensation on new double glazed windows and then have to clear the mould from the sides? Do others have this problem or is it just us?

 

Sounds like a dehumidifier is needed @On the Levels , wouldn’t be without ours

 

Frosty morning walk, Avon water frozen over where it is more still

 

You weren't too far away from me yesterday @Hanglow, although I wasn't at home or you could have called in for a cuppa.

Re the dehumidifier @Bluejayway - what type do you have? My daughter has the problem of trying to dry washing [to save using a tumble drier] but it takes a long time, and she's getting condensation on the large windows in her flat. She doesn't want to open them wider, and then have to put the heating on - and be heating the sky! She's just been considering getting a dehumidifier, but I wasn't sure if the small ones would be worthwhile, or cost effective, for the job she needs them to do. It takes quite a long time for her washing to dry.
We get condensation on the older windows in this house, because they don't have the little top vents, which help a good bit, but we wipe them down every day.

 

We have a Meaco dehumidifier @fairygirl , the best one we've ever had (bought our first (Ebac) over 30 years ago), it's the Arete version. We had a lot of problems with the Ebac one which was a refrigerant version, can't recommend that type.
We never switch it off, all year round, it regulates itself. Currently, it has hardly collected anything for a couple of days. Other days we can empty the tank twice a day. We water the houseplants with the contents. It's a brilliant washing dryer too of course. No need for a tumble dryer at all

 

It depends on the materials that were used for the building. We never had that issue in Berlin with the old bricks buildings from around 1890. Since living in the UK, I have the impression that the bricks used here don't "breath".
Having plants with soil inside make it even worse.

 

Thanks for that @Bluejayway, I really appreciate it. I think the cost of that may be prohibitive though! I've had a look at various types and will have a chat with her about it, as she only needs it for getting the washing dried a bit more rapidly.
The flat is really well insulated, so the heating has hardly been on until this recent week, so it's not ideal for opening the french doors to get some airflow coming through. That's worked well for her up until now.

 

It's interesting about the double glazing getting condensation. We have single glazed wooden windows and they get very steamed up, but later in winter it's not so bad. I think the house dries out after a month or so of CH. As I say to hubby every house has moisture in it and our windows are effective dehumidifiers. So if modern (slim) double glazing steams up then I don't think we'll bother changing ours. Then I have suddenly remembered seeing different gaps offered somewhere. Something to look into.

 

The amount of moisture on the inside of double glazed windows also depends on how warm you keep the house/room @On the Levels. Warm air retains moisture (think tropics!) and there will be less condensation on a window in a warm room. Even if you have an extractor fan in the bathroom, opening the window after showering for a few minutes to reduce moisture levels helps. I get a headache when the air gets too dry inside the house and have a small reservoir of water attached to the main radiator in the living room to humidify the air.

 

You're welcome @fairygirl. We've found that the running cost is offset by the reduced need for heating and the healthier atmosphere is beneficial. Some dehumidifiers can also be used as an air purifier too although you can't do both at the same time.

 

We had double glazing and always got condensation on the windows especially in winter, we don't have the heating on all of the time, just comes on twice a day for 20 minutes. A few years ago we changed the double glazing to triple glazing and never have condensation on them anymore.