Hello Forum,
We have been living in our house (newly built, timber frame construction) for 9 years now, and we have had a severe dust problem almost from the beginning. You can see dust particles floating in the air when sunlight shines through, and if I cleaned now, I would see it settled again the next day. I am not talking about large dust flakes but rather the fine dust particles.
We heat the entire house with underfloor heating. Recently, we also installed air conditioning units (split systems) in the rooms, and since then we sometimes use these units for heating as well, but only to a small extent. All the beds are quite new, there are not many pieces of furniture, and instead of curtains, we have blinds. We have also tried ventilating by fully opening the windows for fresh air multiple times, but this did not significantly improve the situation. So it should not be due to any of these factors.
As a layperson, I would assume that the air humidity is too low, if it were not for my other problem: mold growth on the silicone seals of the windows. It is not uncommon for water to form overnight on these silicone seals. We always try to wipe it dry, but apparently without success. Slowly but surely, mold is starting to appear on these seals, especially in the corners. Our windows are double-glazed.
Could it be that the house is simply too well insulated? (Even if that may sound odd).
As I said, I am a complete layperson in this field and would appreciate any advice!
Kind regards,
Fabian
We have been living in our house (newly built, timber frame construction) for 9 years now, and we have had a severe dust problem almost from the beginning. You can see dust particles floating in the air when sunlight shines through, and if I cleaned now, I would see it settled again the next day. I am not talking about large dust flakes but rather the fine dust particles.
We heat the entire house with underfloor heating. Recently, we also installed air conditioning units (split systems) in the rooms, and since then we sometimes use these units for heating as well, but only to a small extent. All the beds are quite new, there are not many pieces of furniture, and instead of curtains, we have blinds. We have also tried ventilating by fully opening the windows for fresh air multiple times, but this did not significantly improve the situation. So it should not be due to any of these factors.
As a layperson, I would assume that the air humidity is too low, if it were not for my other problem: mold growth on the silicone seals of the windows. It is not uncommon for water to form overnight on these silicone seals. We always try to wipe it dry, but apparently without success. Slowly but surely, mold is starting to appear on these seals, especially in the corners. Our windows are double-glazed.
Could it be that the house is simply too well insulated? (Even if that may sound odd).
As I said, I am a complete layperson in this field and would appreciate any advice!
Kind regards,
Fabian
Yes, you are living in a plastic bag without any forced ventilation. Install trickle vents in your windows and mount an exhaust fan in the bathroom on each floor. What will happen? The fan, which runs continuously, draws air out of the house, and fresh air will always flow in through the trickle vent slots. You will no longer have mold spots around the windows. Dust? No idea. My wife has a Dyson vacuum, and we don’t have any dust. Karsten
So, if mold forms in the seals around the windows, I assume there is a thermal bridge there. Inside, we haven’t finished the “seal trims” yet, and I noticed that with compression tape in particular, there is a significant draft. Even with foam-sealed joints where the foam didn’t reach everywhere, air leaks through. Also, at the bottom, where there is only a plastic strip supporting the windows, there is a draft.
We also have timber frame construction (built in 1976). The windows are triple-glazed and only fog up on the outside, with no mold anywhere. Inside, we still need to complete the window connections (interior insulation with a full-surface vapor control layer, tape over the window joints, and wooden battens with wood fiberboard insulation).
We also have a lot of dust, but I’m not surprised since we have rabbits, and their bedding, hay, and straw are scattered everywhere. Plus, ash and sawdust from the wood stove, and of course dust from the ongoing construction work throughout the house.
We now have an air purifier on each floor (around 50 euros), which helps a lot. It was actually bought because my husband switched from smoking to vaping, and the vapor fogs up the rooms. Still, every time, for example, when moving the bed covers, you can see actual dust clouds rising. For summer, I plan to get a traditional carpet beater and a rod for the garden to regularly beat the blankets outside.
We also have timber frame construction (built in 1976). The windows are triple-glazed and only fog up on the outside, with no mold anywhere. Inside, we still need to complete the window connections (interior insulation with a full-surface vapor control layer, tape over the window joints, and wooden battens with wood fiberboard insulation).
We also have a lot of dust, but I’m not surprised since we have rabbits, and their bedding, hay, and straw are scattered everywhere. Plus, ash and sawdust from the wood stove, and of course dust from the ongoing construction work throughout the house.
We now have an air purifier on each floor (around 50 euros), which helps a lot. It was actually bought because my husband switched from smoking to vaping, and the vapor fogs up the rooms. Still, every time, for example, when moving the bed covers, you can see actual dust clouds rising. For summer, I plan to get a traditional carpet beater and a rod for the garden to regularly beat the blankets outside.
B
Blankenhuter14 Jul 2019 16:57Although we have only recently started building our new home, we have purchased two items:
a) One dehumidifier per floor costing approximately 180 euros each (for up to 72m² (775 square feet)):
These are mainly used in central locations. On other days, they are placed in individual rooms with closed doors. They are set to automatic mode, so the devices start running when humidity levels exceed 65%.
b) A powerful air purifier costing 230 euros that is said to filter pollen, mold spores, and fine dust from the air. The sensor is quite effective: whenever I need to shred something and the air purifier is nearby, it immediately detects the increased pollution and boosts its performance. We frequently move the air purifier to different locations. We might consider buying a second unit.
P.S.: If anyone finds this setup problematic in any way, feedback or criticism is welcome.
a) One dehumidifier per floor costing approximately 180 euros each (for up to 72m² (775 square feet)):
These are mainly used in central locations. On other days, they are placed in individual rooms with closed doors. They are set to automatic mode, so the devices start running when humidity levels exceed 65%.
b) A powerful air purifier costing 230 euros that is said to filter pollen, mold spores, and fine dust from the air. The sensor is quite effective: whenever I need to shred something and the air purifier is nearby, it immediately detects the increased pollution and boosts its performance. We frequently move the air purifier to different locations. We might consider buying a second unit.
P.S.: If anyone finds this setup problematic in any way, feedback or criticism is welcome.
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