Air at 50°C carries about 10 times more vapour than air at 15°C.
So 90% of the water evaporated from drying clothes by a radiator will condense on a cold wall and cause mould, unless clothes are dried in a ventilated room with the door closed.Contents hide
A hermetically sealed humid environment at a relative humidity of say 80%RH, with evenly distributed heat is less likely to suffer from condensation and mould, than a dryer environment of say 60%RH, but a temperature difference between the centre of the room and surfaces of 6°C.
Tips to balancing heat
- Temperature differences to consider are both across the property and across the course of the day and night.
- Maintain an even distribution of heat across the property and minimum nighttime temperatures within about 5°C of the normal temperature.
- Modern thermostats such as the Hive and Nest, allow for multiple temperature so that the thermostat is no long just on or off. The cost of maintaining 12°C at night is very little compared to the cost of heating at 18°C.
- Radiators work in a series. The first radiator has the potential to be the hottest.
- Balance heat by turning down the values on the hottest radiators, increasing the valve settings on the coldest radiators.
- Measure the heat of the radiators with a laser thermometer.
- Check that radiator doesn’t have air or sludge – use a laser thermometer, see https://youtu.be/sjyEkLwHtTc
- Set-up the thermostat, so that it is far from a warm radiator, with a minimum night-time temperature.
- Measure the difference between the cold damp or mouldy wall and the thermostat, with a laser thermometer and increase the thermostat temperature accordingly.