Central Heating - more harm than good?

[flowera]

As you know by now we've just purchased a victorian brick farm house which is in need of refurbishment. It currently lacks any central heating and we will shortly get a new oil-fired system installed with radiators in all rooms etc.

The house itself is built from 9-inch brick walls which remain bare (painted) downstairs whilst the upstairs rooms have lime plaster. We have a very damp cellar and are currently diagnosing the problem - apart from this the house does not appear to suffer from damp (I might find more as winter closes in).

In addition we're a family of five and what with showers, tumble dryers and everything else I can only assume the moisture content is going to increase further.

In my ignorance I simply thought that new CH would dry the damp air within the building but I sense that I have under-estimated the importance of ventilation and have also scared myself sh*tless reading articles on mold formation due to insufficient airflow etc. in newly heated houses.

So... would I be correct in thinking that CH alone might cause more harm than good? Is it possible that I might give myself one heck of a condensation problem?

To counter this I also believe that opening up some of the boarded fireplaces and installing a wood-burning stove might help pull some of the moist air out of the house. Am I correct?

Does anyone have an opinion on the relative moisture/condensation-reducing benefits of 'normal' radiator convected heating against a woodburning stove in a fireplace. Would I be better off investing in several woodburners to suck out the moisture from air and simply turning down the CH system when able?

I'm new to this site so apologies for multiple questions over my first few days - I do hope that as my knowledge/experience grows I can contribute more in future (I work in IT but have a strong interest in arboriculture so you never know!).


Alan.

 

[Lime]

All houses require ventilation when baths and showers are used. Condensation will form wherever warm damp air comes in contact with colder surfaces. Mould will form if the condensation does not evaporate quickly.
Ventilation removes both the damp air and the condensation.
Open chimneys, in use or not, give good ventilation to a house together with sensible opening of windows when required.

 

[L1zzy]

Hiya - just thought I'd reassure you. Chimneys being opened up is a definite yes - I read somewhwre that a chimney facilitates a complete air change in the room its in every 24hrs. I have a wood burning stove which is excellent but it does heat the cottage up very quickly and my main challenge is to keep the temp comfortable rather than sultry!(but mine is a small cottage rather than a big house) Also if you had woodburners in every fireplace wouldnb't you be in danger of running around refilling them with logs every 5 mins? My suggestion would be 'don't panic' most of all and then gradually as you open up the chimneys you'll be able to gauge if you need to go further. - The cellar may always be damp - in the house I grew up in we were surrounded by springs and this meant the walls of our cellar were always damp - didn't seem to do us any harm and the house is still there mind you maybe I would have grown taller in a dry house I'm only 5' 1"!!!

 

[Nemesis]

You may find at first, once the house is heated, there's a fair amount of condensation as it dries out, but if it is kept sensibly warm and ventilated (sash windows are very good for this...) it will soon achieve some equilibrium.

However oill fired heating is really not a great plan. Environmentally not hot (ouch) and oil isn't going to last forever.

Consider something a little more sustainable if you are starting from scratch. Ground source heat pump for example...

 

[flowera]

Hiya - just thought I'd reassure you. Chimneys being opened up is a definite yes - I read somewhwre that a chimney facilitates a complete air change in the room its in every 24hrs. I have a wood burning stove which is excellent but it does heat the cottage up very quickly and my main challenge is to keep the temp comfortable rather than sultry!(but mine is a small cottage rather than a big house) Also if you had woodburners in every fireplace wouldnb't you be in danger of running around refilling them with logs every 5 mins? My suggestion would be 'don't panic' most of all and then gradually as you open up the chimneys you'll be able to gauge if you need to go further. - The cellar may always be damp - in the house I grew up in we were surrounded by springs and this meant the walls of our cellar were always damp - didn't seem to do us any harm and the house is still there mind you maybe I would have grown taller in a dry house I'm only 5' 1"!!!

Lizzy - thanks for the reassurance. With three kids I naturally worry about the possible effects of damp/mould so wanted to ensure I had the place warm and dry from the outset.

We're going to seriously consider bringing the old kitchen range back in to use - and we'll get the chimney above lined at the same time. I'm also going to get one or two woodburners installed as replacements for horrid 50s style fireplaces. So between them they'll reduce my dependence on expensive oil whilst also helping reduce moisture (I hope).

Alan.

 

[flowera]

You may find at first, once the house is heated, there's a fair amount of condensation as it dries out, but if it is kept sensibly warm and ventilated (sash windows are very good for this...) it will soon achieve some equilibrium.

However oill fired heating is really not a great plan. Environmentally not hot (ouch) and oil isn't going to last forever.

Consider something a little more sustainable if you are starting from scratch. Ground source heat pump for example...

My initial preference was for a GSHP despite the extra cost. However numerous people told me not to bother as my house is so inefficient that the lower heat generated via a GSHP would have little impact on our comfort. Were they talking cobblers? I'd still prefer to take that route (GSHP + radiators)...

Alan.

 

[Nemesis]

Have a look at Jon's house - he has GSHP with boreholes...

http://www.merchants-house.co.uk/

 

[Penners]

Drying out a damp house needs warmth and ventilation in equal measure. Warm air is able to hold more water vapour than cold air, but that's no help if the warm air is trapped inside the house. So you need the warm air to "mop up" the dampness, then carry it outside.

 

[NT]

First of all you dont appear to have a problem to solve.

Tumble driers are worse performers in every way compared to a dehumidified cupboard or wardrobe, and unvented ones add a stack of water vapour into the house.

Most of us run old houses just fine without sprinkling wood burners around the house.


Re heat pumps, the prime issue with renewables is getting them to pay their way properly, and solar space heating has far better figures than heat pumps. So whether you go for heat pumping or not it only makes sense to get solar space heating in first to provide at least some of the heat requirement.


NT