How to live without heating - save £000s

HertsLad

I just saw the following article. It mentions mental fortitude as part of the issue in being prepared to live at lower temperatures. The Belgians are also handing out duvets, a bit like my suggestion that the UK Government and councils should hand out Thinsulate jackets and trousers:

https://www.euronews.com/2022/12/21/europes-energy-crisis-living-without-central-heating

Max68

Some interesting points about ventilation etc which has helped me possibly understand my house better.  I don't get condensation downstairs but the walls are brick, and a recent survey I had re one of these warmer homes grants suggests I could have cavity wall insulation downstairs (was advised years ago the walls were too thin!).  Obviously you get some condensation when cooking in the kitchen but the large lounge window there is never a problem although it does have a vent.  Upstairs obviously the bathroom is an issue as I don't have any vent or fan.  The spare bedroom is ok unless I am drying clothes in there, but it's the main bedroom that has the problem.  All upstairs the walls are solid concrete and cannot have cavity wall.  Downstairs therefore is more breathable.  I did have a patch of damp/cold on a wall in spare room but that seems to have dried since I pulled the bed away from the wall, also mentioned in a previous post about furniture close to walls.

Swipe

Max68 said:

Some interesting points about ventilation etc which has helped me possibly understand my house better.  I don't get condensation downstairs but the walls are brick, and a recent survey I had re one of these warmer homes grants suggests I could have cavity wall insulation downstairs (was advised years ago the walls were too thin!).  Obviously you get some condensation when cooking in the kitchen but the large lounge window there is never a problem although it does have a vent.  Upstairs obviously the bathroom is an issue as I don't have any vent or fan.  The spare bedroom is ok unless I am drying clothes in there, but it's the main bedroom that has the problem.  All upstairs the walls are solid concrete and cannot have cavity wall.  Downstairs therefore is more breathable.  I did have a patch of damp/cold on a wall in spare room but that seems to have dried since I pulled the bed away from the wall, also mentioned in a previous post about furniture close to walls.

Unless you stop breathing while sleeping, the main bedroom is always going to get the most condensation 

wild666

HertsLad said:

If I wore only as much as you seem to, I would freeze at 12C during the daytime and at night I would be even colder, I reckon, if I was using only a duvet of 10.4 tog. As I said before, my duvets add up to 27 tog. You must be made of hardier stuff than I am.

During the recent cold spell, I made nights even warmer by starting to sleep in a sleeping bag, with the duvets over the top. My problem is/was when the duvets end up on the floor. The sleeping bag helps prevent me from getting cold.

A couple of days ago, I first heard about Chinese diesel heaters. I will now consider one of these as a potentially low cost way of heating my bathroom.

My quilt is 4.5 TOG and I put a blanket over the top in winter, last night I threw the blanket off in the middle of the night and I wasn't cold when I woke up 

NannaH

If burning gas releases water vapour,  why did we dry our old damp married quarter house out with a couple of calor gas fires in the 1980’s and why did I have a permanently dry throat and sinuses whilst doing so?  I don’t ever remember condensation being a problem either.   We had a parkray type coal fire / back boiler in the living room and no radiators anywhere else in the house. 

We also removed the ancient gas fire in this house around 10 years ago because it dried the air/ my skin out so much.  Is modern gas a different mixture or something?  

hardergamer

NannaH said:

If burning gas releases water vapour,  why did we dry our old damp married quarter house out with a couple of calor gas fires in the 1980’s and why did I have a permanently dry throat and sinuses whilst doing so?  I don’t ever remember condensation being a problem either.   We had a parkray type coal fire / back boiler in the living room and no radiators anywhere else in the house. 

We also removed the ancient gas fire in this house around 10 years ago because it dried the air/ my skin out so much.  Is modern gas a different mixture or something?  

If you combust (burn) any hydrocarbons, long or short chain Ie: Gas, oil, hydrogen, Petrol, Diesel, Paraffin etc the main by-products are Co2 and H2O (water) it's of the most basic of science reactions.

By cleanly burning a gas fire like propane, you get: C3H8 + 5 O2 = 4 H2O + 3 CO2. Water+carbon dioxide.

I'm sorry to tell you this, but the dry throat and sinuses you had, was from a mix of C02 and C0 from incomplete combustion, which was giving you carbon monoxide poisoning, carbon monoxide gas which binds to haemoglobin in your red blood cells, preventing them from carrying oxygen to the cells in your body, early sines are a dry throat and sinuses which can be like sinusitis. Carbon monoxide is colourless and has no smell, so it is very difficult to tell if you are breathing it in, this is why we now have monoxide testers/alarms in every home with gas or oil etc.

Monoxide carbon poisoning can cause many health problems because it irritates the lining of the lungs and heart which infects the brain, and if I remember correctly? It is the most common type of fatal air poisoning in western countries.

If you do not believe me, please look up, If you need more info you only need to ask.

Sea_Shell

hardergamer said:

NannaH said:

If burning gas releases water vapour,  why did we dry our old damp married quarter house out with a couple of calor gas fires in the 1980’s and why did I have a permanently dry throat and sinuses whilst doing so?  I don’t ever remember condensation being a problem either.   We had a parkray type coal fire / back boiler in the living room and no radiators anywhere else in the house. 

We also removed the ancient gas fire in this house around 10 years ago because it dried the air/ my skin out so much.  Is modern gas a different mixture or something?  

If you combust (burn) any hydrocarbons, long or short chain Ie: Gas, oil, hydrogen, Petrol, Diesel, Paraffin etc the main by-products are Co2 and H2O (water) it's of the most basic of science reactions.

Is that what Matt Damon did in The Martian, to grow his potatoes?? 😎

hardergamer

Sea_Shell said:

hardergamer said:

NannaH said:

If burning gas releases water vapour,  why did we dry our old damp married quarter house out with a couple of calor gas fires in the 1980’s and why did I have a permanently dry throat and sinuses whilst doing so?  I don’t ever remember condensation being a problem either.   We had a parkray type coal fire / back boiler in the living room and no radiators anywhere else in the house. 

We also removed the ancient gas fire in this house around 10 years ago because it dried the air/ my skin out so much.  Is modern gas a different mixture or something?  

If you combust (burn) any hydrocarbons, long or short chain Ie: Gas, oil, hydrogen, Petrol, Diesel, Paraffin etc the main by-products are Co2 and H2O (water) it's of the most basic of science reactions.

Is that what Matt Damon did in The Martian, to grow his potatoes?? 😎

Yes that's right, as he has Oxygen and Methane fuel tanks, which he burns as he needs water and Carbon Dioxide C02 to feed the plants,

It's why you see water dripping out of car exhaust, or mostly stream on cars with catalytic converters.

HertsLad

I have been thinking about the best place to put my 5kw Chinese diesel heater, for heating the bathroom. With 5kw output, it shouldn't take long.

My first choice is to install it in the loft, complete with the fuel tank. The two air hoses will poke through the ceiling, as far apart as possible. The exhaust and combustion air tubes will be routed towards the eaves and outside air.

Qyburn

hardergamer said:

If you combust (burn) any hydrocarbons, long or short chain Ie: Gas, oil, hydrogen, Petrol, Diesel, Paraffin etc the main by-products are Co2 and H2O (water) it's of the most basic of science reactions.

By cleanly burning a gas fire like propane, you get: C3H8 + 5 O2 = 4 H2O + 3 CO2. Water+carbon dioxide.

Which equates to 1.6kg (1.6 litres) of water and 3kg of Carbon Dioxide for each kilo of propane burned.