Guys, how do you ventilate your apartments during the winter time? I’ve found some nice guide [here](https://www.bmuv.de/themen/gesundheit-chemikalien/gesundheit/innenraumluft/richtiges-lueften-und-heizen). So basically it should be quick and intense, with radiators turned off. Seems to be logic right? And this is what I’ve heard all my life, to turn the heaters off like 15 minutes before ventilation starts. However the administration of the building stated that the heaters should never be turned off, even during the ventilation process. Any reason for that controversial statement?
Definitely we have the problem with the humidity in the apartment, because above method is not very effective. The humidity level goes nice down during and right after the ventilation, of course with the temperature. However it get’s back pretty quick to the same level from before the ventilation. We also don’t dry laundry inside and removed most of the plants…so maybe walls are getting moisture from the ground?
Another issue is that there is almost no night during the winter when there is no condensed water on the windows, sometimes even walls, especially in the bedroom. It happens also during the day, despite that we ventilate the flat 3-5 times a day. It also happens despite of having the radiator there on or off. It doesn’t help this room is above the garage which is not underground, so it’s pretty cold.
I’ve heard the ventilation problem and related to it humidity and mold is common issue in Switzerland. How do you deal with this?
2 comments
If there humidity problems and mold in your apartment, you should contact the owner… There’s a insulation issue and they need to deal with it.
If the building is not too old, there shouldn’t be any issue… I don’t need to ventilate my apartment. It’s always between 20 and 24 degrees and humidity around 50-55.
First thought is that the administration might not be talking about turning the radiator down, but off completely (“0” on the dial), which can lead to frozen pipes?
Other than that: I don’t think turning off the radiator in a apartment building will do much. Not only is everyone above and below you still heating and your pipes will stay warm from that, I also assume the lag in the system will cause it to not really do much at all. Yes it would safe energy in theory, but I’m very skeptical of how much that would be.
It sounds to me like you’re living in an old building. I assume you made a spelling mistake and *do* dry your laundry outside, else start with that. Other than that, it’s a question of how many people are in the room and how big the room is. How high is the humidity after an hour or two in the room? My first assumption would not be moisture from the ground, but from people living in the room, plus maybe air circulation from other apartments. Having moisture on the windows in the morning adds up with this, during night the human body loses a lot of water, which will condense on windows if they are older/poorly isolated. If the room is cool, but warmer than outside, this can happen even more quickly, since cold air can hold less water.
I would suggest measuring the humidity in the room first and then get a dehumidifier if it bothers you or is a health hazard. This is btw not a Swiss problem, it’s just the weather in winter plus the fact that some of our buildings are