Persephone

Our house in Chch had a HRV system in it when we moved in and rarely had any problems with weeping windows. On the few occasions it did happen it was very minor and cleared in a couple of hours once the sun came out.

Our previous house was terrible for it, we had a constant battle with mould That was an old Lockwood with no insulation and a tin roof. It creaked like crazy as well and used to freak me out when I was home alone as it often made banging sounds. Never again!!!

planty

I've just fitted one of those shower domes, cost around $300, but I would estimate that has cut out 90% of the weeping windows problem.

I was running a dehumidifier on the colder nights and wiping the windows most mornings, and now I'm happy to say that most mornings since there's been no condensation at all.

Gill and Rob

HRV I swear by ours.

Gill

chez7

Welcome to the world of condensation damp and Ashma you are in N Z now and it can get worse if you don't sort it.Double glazing helps but aluminium frames still transmit cold and condensation occurs still even in double glazed windows ,the air gap also between panes is less than the uk windows we now have .I Lived in Upper Hutt on the valley side and we had to have a dehumidifier and also HRV fitted to help stop the wet windows but it did work so don't give up ,only prob is its another running cost on the leccy bills .UPVC cant be beat and its time NZ sorted it out and joined the modern world of building insulation and ventilation

chez7

My dehumidifier was $160 and the Mitsubishi Lossnay HRV cost $3000 fitted so it wasn't cheap initially to install but in my opinion worth the dry windows

MrsFychan

I agree, double glazing here is not fit for purpost

Mark Smith

A couple we know have UPVC double glazing, its made in Germany and assembled in Chch. Still looks brand new after 11 years. http://www.consumer.org.nz/reports/d...azing/r-values

Snap Shot

We had UPVC double glazing installed a year ago. Made in China, assembled in Auckland installed at home. All good.

Upstairs and downstairs heat pumps working well, both operate on timer devices so we wake to a warm house then the heat pumps switch off as programmed. In the evening, we come home to a warm house and the heat pumps switch off later in the evening as programmed by us.

That's the closest to normal I can get in NZ i.e. how we used to live in Britain.

I'm not so determined to 'fit in' that I walk around barefoot outside in winter just to prove some sort of point. To whom ?

MrsFychan

we will have to look at getting "proper" double glazing at some stage but guessing it's gonna cost a bomb

Snap Shot

Yup, the cost will make you go . You got your heat pump installed in record time. Getting our heat pump installed seemed to take forever, despite it being done by a professional company.

The upstairs heat pump is in the loft void with vents to each bedroom and the linen cupboard which becomes the airing cupboard in the winter. NZ Bro !

southerner

We've just tried that - its cheap, and it works really well.

LittleMonkey

Hello everyone,

We are currently having a prob with damp and mould in the property we rent...any advice would be most welcome....the problem is in all three bedrooms and we have had upwards f $2000 damage to our personal belongings due to mould, including bed frame, mattress, clothes and bedding. It's also affecting the wardrobe doors and internal doors in the property...

We have since it started over a month ago bought and run a dehumidifier for at least 12 hours a day rotating which room it's in and open the windows in the morning and evening to allow for ventilation. In addition to this we leave 7 out of the 10 openable windows cracked 24/7, with the windows in the worst affected rooms open more...however every week we are cleaning mould and finding more ruined clothes etc...you can also imagine how cold this makes the house in the middle of winter and with only a gas fire in the lounge, the other end of the property to the two worst effected bedrooms, we have been eating through electricity with additional heaters.

We raised the issue immediately with the landlord requesting a ventilation system and after a month long battle, they are only prepared to fit security latches so we can open all 10 windows wider and have them all open whilst we are at work!

We are now being told we are breaching our contract - which we are fixed in for another 3.5 months ish - as we are not ventilating the property adequately...

Finding the situation rather stressful and would appreciate any advice...I don't think it's helping that I am sick with a cold at the moment and have been for the last 3 weeks...it comes to something when your sick and could do with time off work but going to work is a better option because its a more healthy environment than home!
:-(

MrsFychan

how awful for you
read through this but try and see if there is anything you can do

http://www.cab.org.nz/vat/hle/rt/Pag...landlords.aspx


theres a clause in there under the landlords section that:
comply with building, health and safety requirements

perhaps you could look into that and see if that covers mold

You can get Tenancy advice from 0800 83 62 62 or www.dhb.govt.nz or email [email protected]
If I was you and there is only 3.5 months left try and get a rental that does not have these problems as soon as possible and maybe just take the fact you might have to pay til the end of the contract on this one but make sure if there is anyway you can stop the landlord from renting out to someone else until the problem is fixed do so

Bo-Jangles

The trouble is that heating and ventilating often don't reach the parts most needed, such as in in your wardrobes and cupboards. Once you have the mould spores they will multiply; suggest you put some white vinegar in a spray bottle with a few drop of tea tree oil and spray and wipe everywhere that you have had the problems. Some of the Dettol aerosol disinfectant spays and Oust 3 in 1 air fresheners claim to kill mould spores too.

On sunny days strip your bed off and give the mattress a turn and a good airing.

I have these things in my wardrobes: http://www.damprid.com/ you can get them in Bunnings or Mitre 10 and try also to leave the wardrobe doors ajar to get some air in there. You only have to buy the Damprid, Hippo container things once and then you can buy the granules to refill them.

Still I have to be constanly vigilant, as I recently found a bag of old momentos, photos and such like that was tucked away in the spare room and had to chuck a coat that had got the bot.

Bo-Jangles

What sort of gas fire is this? If it is LPG bottled gas then this will be adding to the problem.