neither kitchen nor bathroom have air extractors

Emily_Joy

As per title, it appears in our new house neither kitchen nor bathroom have an air extractor fan or any system of active ventilation. I currently ventilate both by opening windows and do not observe any apparent issues. Of course, we have been in this house only for about a month and I don't know if the issues have been masked, e.g. by redecoration. 
My question is whether it is likely to cause any problems/damage in long term? 
I have to say I really hate the noise the fans normally produce, so I would prefer not to have them unless necessary. There is no cooker hood in the kitchen either. 

Albermarle

Do you mean an actual new house, or an older house you have newly moved into?
Older houses tend to have more natural ventilation ( or maybe better to say more draughty !) 

Jonboy_1984

Do the windows have trickle vents fitted?

Emily_Joy

Albermarle said:

Do you mean an actual new house, or an older house you have newly moved into?
Older houses tend to have more natural ventilation ( or maybe better to say more draughty !) 

The house was built about 100 years ago.

Emily_Joy

Jonboy_1984 said:

Do the windows have trickle vents fitted?

As far as I can see the windows installed by Anglian in 2019 do not have trickle vents.

tacpot12

The bathroom really needs an extractor as both baths and showers generate a lot of moisture that, if not removed, will start to cause problems such as mould. It's enevitable. Get a quote from an electrician to fit a silent fan that is controlled by a humidistat. They might have to think about how it can be wired so that it also comes on when the bathroom light is switched on but it can be done. (I had this in a rental property I used to own). 

With the humidistat it will run if the bathroom is too 'wet' and will keep running (very quiety) until the bathroom is dry enough that mould will not form. 

Whether you need an extractor fan in the kitchen depends on what you do in there. If you regularly boil items on a hob; paste, rice, potatoes and other vegetables, then an extract fan is also going to be a good investment.
 

DRP

I would suck it and see where you are after the winter. 

I never had a bathroom extractor in my several (Victorian) houses, and didn’t have any problems. There are clearly multiple factors at play. 

Emily_Joy

DRP said:

I would suck it and see where you are after the winter. 

I never had a bathroom extractor in my several (Victorian) houses, and didn’t have any problems. There are clearly multiple factors at play. 

In our previous house it also seemed OK as long as the window is opened regularly. Here I close it only when I have a shower, so we will see.

Emily_Joy

tacpot12 said:

The bathroom really needs an extractor as both baths and showers generate a lot of moisture that, if not removed, will start to cause problems such as mould. It's enevitable. Get a quote from an electrician to fit a silent fan that is controlled by a humidistat. They might have to think about how it can be wired so that it also comes on when the bathroom light is switched on but it can be done. (I had this in a rental property I used to own). 

With the humidistat it will run if the bathroom is too 'wet' and will keep running (very quiety) until the bathroom is dry enough that mould will not form. 

I am still to see a silent fan that I will be able to ignore. Currently I cannot sleep with a ticking clock in the same room. I have to remove the battery when I happen to spend a night in a room with the clock. But more importantly I do not see any obvious place to put the fan on

As for the kitchen - I cook about 2 or 3 times a week and generally in the oven. For instance, last Sunday I made a pie, and today, I baked rye bread and fishcakes. Next time I will be cooking Friday evening.

FreeBear

DRP said:

I would suck it and see where you are after the winter. 

I never had a bathroom extractor in my several (Victorian) houses, and didn’t have any problems. There are clearly multiple factors at play. 

Until recently, my kitchen didn't have an extractor, nor does the bathroom. The kitchen does suffer from a bit of condensation on the windows during the winter months, but a quick wipe gets rid of it. With low-E DG windows in the bathroom, I've not seen any condensation (did on the crappy old ones).

I'd agree with DRP - Wait and see if condensation is an issue, and then make plans in the spring if it is a problem.

markin

Are you also heating that room, bathrooms often don't have a trv to act as a heating bypass.