Wet Windows

[brat]

Probably just breathing and insufficient ventilation. Open the bedroom window in the morning after throwjng back the bedclothes so they can air.

You could open the door a crack or open the window the smallest amount overnight. But check other rooms early in the morning.

If there is a source of damp in the house such as a bathroom without good extraction, or wet washing draped around, fix it. Less often there is a tiny leak from a radiator or water pipe.

Water vapour is lighter than air so will rise within the house.

It's an old house, fitted with modern appliances so i don't think it's designed with all the upgrades in mind. We keep a small window open most nights but in winter we keep them closed so the problems arise from there. The trickle vents really helped cut down condensation and i understand have become mandatory in the last couple of years, so i wish i hadn't had new ones fitted before then.

 

[RrogerD]

It's an old house, fitted with modern appliances so i don't think it's designed with all the upgrades in mind. We keep a small window open most nights but in winter we keep them closed so the problems arise from there. The trickle vents really helped cut down condensation and i understand have become mandatory in the last couple of years, so i wish i hadn't had new ones fitted before then.

I am guessing that you may be of 'the younger generation'.
Those of us 'of a certain age' ie over 50, tend to be used to sleeping cold. We were brought up in houses without central heating and would be the norm to find ice on the inside of a window in the morning.
We sleep with a window open all year around, even in winter and no c/h on at night, ever. Yes, we still get some condensation on some mornings but it's certainly not pouring off the windows.

 

[JohnD]

It's an old house,

Have the fireplaces been bricked up?

 

[Koolpc]

I remember when i was younger i used to take a car door with me onto the beach in summer....

When it got too hot i would just wind down the window!!

 

[brat]

Have the fireplaces been bricked up?

Yes they have. Should i ventilate them?

 

[JohnD]

Absolutely yes. Top and bottom, each flue.

When making the hole, look inside with a torch and mirror. Lazy builders often throw rubble into the cavity, and it holds damp, so needs clearing out.

 

[robinbanks]

So that's the answer

There are better answers, but most would moan at the price

I do that a couple of times a week around the house and find it takes out a litre in around 8 hours. Is that normal?

It's not a surprise. Do you think it's a lot or not enough?

Yes they have. Should i ventilate them?

You just asked whether it's sensible to bash a 6 inch hole in the wall.. It'll certainly help let out the moisture building up in your deh, at the same time as letting out an appreciable proportion of the warmth you've paid for

If nothing else, stick with your deh, rather than your sledgehammer/drill

modern houses with wet slime on the walls

Houses (especially those newly built) should be (seldom are) fitted with heat recovering ventilation systems

They should also be fitted with humans that know how not to load up the air they breathe with excess moisture and mould spores

 

[brat]

Absolutely yes. Top and bottom, each flue.

When making the hole, look inside with a torch and mirror. Lazy builders often throw rubble into the cavity, and it holds damp, so needs clearing out.

They're bricked up under an alcove where the fireplace used to be but the chimney is open. Wouldn't rain come through? I don't know how a vent could be cut into the plasterboard and keep it dry. The fireplaces upstairs have been bricked up. Would i have to vent into the chimney breast or through the wall? It all sounds like a lot of work, and expensive.

 

[JohnD]

Not difficult. Typical is a brick shaped hole above the skirting. It can have a grill fitted

Upstairs and downstairs have their own flues so each fireplace needs its own vent.

 

[davidm1969]

Open the windows! But some condensation on inside of windows even double glazing isn't a problem really. Just shows a sig difference in temperature between outside and inside

You can use a dehumidifier

You can use thick curtains so more warmth is inside the room

Other thing is most double glazing windows can lock shut about 1/4- 1/2 inch open...this will give you more ventilation than the vents on modern windows but at no cost (and closed enough so you won't really lose lots of heat)

 

[scbk]

We're in an old stone house, with very little insulation (~one day!). We kinda have 2 "modes" 6months at a time, summer mode is windows open 24/7, no heating. Winter mode is windows closed to preserve heat, but a dehumidifier running. Main heating is a woodburner which is a very dry heat.
Have a covered washing line area outside, but half of it still seems to end up hanging in the house.

 

[StephenStephen]

You really just need to plan ahead better - do enough breathing in the summer so you can just hold your breath through the winter

 

[scbk]

You really just need to plan ahead better - do enough breathing in the summer so you can just hold your breath through the winter

Yes I do that with showering anyway!

Cheap as chips:

 

[ottosump]

What size is the bedroom?

 

[brat]

Not difficult. Typical is a brick shaped hole above the skirting. It can have a grill fitted

Upstairs and downstairs have their own flues so each fireplace needs its own vent.

It sounds invasive and i'm not sure the wife would be happy to knock holes in the walls through, so i'll stick with a new dehumidifier and crack a window to help out. Wouldn't a vent in the underside of the old fireplace be better?