From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

edinburgher

greenbee said:

I had to change my bathroom extractors not long after moving here, and made the decision to replace them with ones with a humidistat - so they run until the humidity is back to acceptable levels, not for a specific length of time after the light switches off (they also come on automatically without the light being on). As they are always on, it probably adds a small amount to the electricity bill, but it has definitely helped keep the house drier (my bedroom windows still mist up when I have a shower, but they clear quickly even on horrid days like today) and it means I don't have to worry about other people turning the fans off/on - they just do their own thing based on how I've set them up. And the switches are hidden away so it isn't obvious how to turn them off

@greenbee - do you find the humidistat more effective? We're getting bathroom quotes and need one added.

Greying_Pilgrim

Interesting chat about humidity.  It really is a horrible thing.  I was reading about the new 'energy efficiency measures/grants', and at least the reporting is now including the fact that cavity wall insulation is a thing if you have cavities in your walls.  Out Victorian house didn't and it was so damp.  A dehu really would have made a difference there - but we stupidly worried too much about running costs over quality of home environment ☹️  Mind, having said that, the rental, which was a...... 1990's?? build wasn't a whole lot better ☹️ but for different reasons.

I've compromised on the 'curry' suggestion - hopefully not too much..... 😬  I had a look in the fridge to see what needed using and came across a block of feta that is BB today.  Now, i know blocks of feta are inanimate objects and don't know that today is the day that they are supposed to instantly turn green and mouldy, so I just pondered the best use for it.  In looking for recipes, I came across a recipe that called for 'whipped' feta, which I know is a product in it's own right (I watch too many US based vlogs), but in the recipe, conventional 'block' feta was just put into the food processor and blended.  So my brain cells slowly began turning and I came up with the idea to do a veggie dish - based on the South African dish of Bobotie.  I normally do a veggie mince or lentil version of 'just' the curried mince part of Bobotie, and rarely bother with the topping.  But the full version is something akin to mousakka, and has a eggy topping.  So I'm going to do a whipped feta topping (and use an egg for binding), with a lentil and vegetable based 'curried' layer beneath.  I've made the 'curry'.  I have used a small pot of cooked lentils from the freezer, some onion, celery, garlic, and ginger.  I've diced up the last of the carrots and a couple of sweet potatoes and thrown in some of the cooked black-eyed beans from the freezer too.  I've popped in curry spices, used 2 bay leaves, and a carton of passata and emptied the last of the frozen spinach into it too.  I hadn't got any mango chutney or fruit chutney, so I've lobbed in a dollop of cranberry sauce, and a scant teaspoon of sugar (because I'm using passata), and I've also popped in a small handful of raisins.  It's all been cooked up together and then I shall do the topping nearer to tea time.  I'm going to serve it with baked tatties (as I'll have the oven on), some garlic bread, and I hope to make some sort of cake 'for the tin', to make best used of the cooker.  

I don't think it's what LG was minded of, but I might just get away with it.  If they have a baked tattie, I shall make sure it's only a little one - compromise.  We have the blueberry steamed pud to finish off too.  

It's using up what we have and hopefully making something edible.  The crunch will be making best use of the oven, but that's down to me getting my dishes, and pans in order.  

Laundry is as dry as it's going to get after 3hrs dehu use - which is pretty dry 😁  I have put everything back to where it was, but also remembered to vacuum the front of the dehu, and the mesh screen, as dust bunnies do build up on the screen, and presumably affects the suckiness.  Go me! 🤣

Greying X

EssexHebridean

Absolutely make sure that the filter and vents on the dehumidifer are dusted/vacuumed regularly Greying - dust build up can be a fire risk on them! (it's a reason why the fire service suggest they should never be left running when people are out of the house or sleeping). 

Greying_Pilgrim

EssexHebridean said:

Absolutely make sure that the filter and vents on the dehumidifer are dusted/vacuumed regularly Greying - dust build up can be a fire risk on them! (it's a reason why the fire service suggest they should never be left running when people are out of the house or sleeping). 

Whole-heartedly agree EH

Greying X

greenbee

edinburgher said:

greenbee said:

I had to change my bathroom extractors not long after moving here, and made the decision to replace them with ones with a humidistat - so they run until the humidity is back to acceptable levels, not for a specific length of time after the light switches off (they also come on automatically without the light being on). As they are always on, it probably adds a small amount to the electricity bill, but it has definitely helped keep the house drier (my bedroom windows still mist up when I have a shower, but they clear quickly even on horrid days like today) and it means I don't have to worry about other people turning the fans off/on - they just do their own thing based on how I've set them up. And the switches are hidden away so it isn't obvious how to turn them off

@greenbee - do you find the humidistat more effective? We're getting bathroom quotes and need one added.

Yes, they've made a huge difference - particularly in the little shower room ensuite which mists up the bedroom windows. And no need to open the windows in winter (or in our case, when the oil boiler flue is right outside the bathroom window. I mostly leave them on and leave them to it as I know they provide a small amount of ventilation pretty much constantly if the weather isn't conducive to opening windows, and that they'll deal with the steam from showers/baths effectively without having to leave lights on. I turn them off in the summer if all the windows are open all the time. And the switches are hidden inside cupboards so can't be 'accidentally' turned off by anyone else. 

KajiKita

EssexHebridean said:

Absolutely make sure that the filter and vents on the dehumidifer are dusted/vacuumed regularly Greying - dust build up can be a fire risk on them! (it's a reason why the fire service suggest they should never be left running when people are out of the house or sleeping). 

Oooh ... I have never checked this on ours (don't use it that much) and although I can see the vents on the sides of the unit, I wouldn't know where any filters are ... I'd better do a Google this evening / weekend once I can check the model etc.

KK

EssexHebridean

KajiKita said:

EssexHebridean said:

Absolutely make sure that the filter and vents on the dehumidifer are dusted/vacuumed regularly Greying - dust build up can be a fire risk on them! (it's a reason why the fire service suggest they should never be left running when people are out of the house or sleeping). 

Oooh ... I have never checked this on ours (don't use it that much) and although I can see the vents on the sides of the unit, I wouldn't know where any filters are ... I'd better do a Google this evening / weekend once I can check the model etc.

KK

On ours, the mesh filter slips into the side of the machine and has got a little "depression" for you to slip a thumbnail into and slide it out.