Ventilation advice

[jamestyler]

Hi

We've recently moved into a new (old) property. We're getting it repointed currently, but there's some very musty smells in some of the rooms.

Having chatted to a very knowledgeable stonemason, he's said that both the rooms we're having issues with don't have great ventilation.

The master bedroom has a walk in wardrobe, with no ventilation inside at all, and the closest window is a stone frame so no openings. The end gable that is against the wardrobes, is stone and cold to the touch to liable to condensation. I need to get air circulating in here to warm it up and reduce humidity.

The utility/study has windows but these don't open often as they can't be locked ajar and we don't spend time in these rooms. There is an extractor in the Utility, but that seems pretty useless (perhaps because it draws air from the ... kitchen!)

So I'm looking to add some more ventilation but would like to hear some ideas on best ways.

My ideas:

1) Add a passive vent/air brick to far end of study, leave extractor in utility on, so it hopefully draws fresh air from study.

2) Or Add a PIV system in the utility (replacing the extractor using same hole in wall) so it pushes clean fresh air into that room which then escapes from the kitchen rather than the reverse. Expensive tho. (Can you just get simple fans which pull air in, instead of extract?)

3) In master bedroom, add a couple of air bricks to the wardrobe and vents in the doors. Not sure how much this would help circulation?

4) Or Remove walk in wardrobe so less dead spots, but end gable stone wall will always be a cold wall I've been told so probably still needs lime plastering perhaps so it's not a prime spot for condensation?

 

[88v8]

So what's happened to the fireplaces?

Ivor

 

[MatthewC]

My first thought is whether you have a dry house? When I started work on mine (now 7 years ago! see http://houseintheenchantedforest.blogspot.com/), there was a musty smell everywhere inside, but it had a lot of water ingress, so I fixed all that first. Then, as I worked on the house over 8 months, it just dried out quite naturally - and then continued drying after we had moved in as well.

Check the roof tiles, flashings, rain water goods and drains for starters; then look out for high ground up against your walls. Then wait for a decent length of time (many months) before getting too worried about adding ventilation - usually, in old houses, the issue is that there's too much and people block it up when they shouldn't!

I did add one floor vent where I had a suspended wooden floor, and unblocked the associated external vent that appeared OK but was blocked inside by a lump of concrete, but that was all in relation to having a real fire.

Matthew

 

[jamestyler]

So what's happened to the fireplaces?

There were no original fireplaces (barn conversion) but we have two woodburners. One is out of action awaiting a new flue and we use one that's in the middle of the house

My first thought is whether you have a dry house?

We're looking at this now. Our utility is about 1 inch above ground, but it's at the bottom of a sloped courtyard and all the water slopes down towards this room. I have a feeling it soaks in between the cobbles outside and then down under the utility which has a solid floor. This would explain the ongoing mustyness. So a french drain is being added, and a drainage channel in the centre of the courtyard.

There's also the gable end on the other end of the house, where the ground level is slightly (2" perhaps) higher, and concrete so sits against the wall. Same treatment planned that end

But upstairs, it just seems like a cold wall with it being a solid stone wall. No dampness as such getting in, but the wall when we measured today was 7c. Easily cold enough for condensation to form and make the room damp

Hence looking at ventilation, as if we can try to reduce the indoor humidity from cooking/washing/etc then there's less chance of condensation. Hopefully after a warm summer, the above drainage will help also by stopping the water sitting penetrating at ground level. But trying to tackle from both ends really.