Cut back heating mildew Risk

[justasking111]

Twice I've lost all my leather shoes handbags due to mildew. Once when we moved to a doer upper, once when we moved to a rental between House.

Fast forward to today. We have an under bed storage area lift up. I lifted it up, there was that smell of damp. He won't have heating in bedroom. Otherwise heating comes on 7-10 4-9 in hall bathroom and kitchen. Lounge log burner. We both received £250 each as pensioners aibu to ask for bedroom radiator on . I can't bear to lose a third lot of footwear and bags

Random suggestions here: do you qualify for pension credit or attendance allowance? It may boost income. Also look up ECO4 and local authority energy grants as many people qualify for housing renovation work such as cavity walls, solar panels etc. If you have older double glazed windows, they may not have vents and that helps with air flow. Look up consumer energy solutions who are based in Wales, and give them a call for information on what you could be entitled to. You need a dehumidifier for your house. It is super cheap to run and will work wonders on condensation and moisture issues in your home. Get a full size unit and you can see the amount of water collected in the container. If your shoes are damaged, the mattress maybe damp too

You need to check all your plumbing work, and stop tap for leaks. Small water leaks can cause mould, and it was one issue I had. I only found some of the leaks by monitoring the roadside meter after overnight period of no-use. I went over the house forensically looking at all pipework, opening outside drains and so forth. I found the leaks and got a plumber to cap off the offending toilet, and adjust stop tap. I live in a Victorian house with lots of issues, and dehumidifiers have made the place smell better, and less water issues causing mould. I had house insurance that covered call outs to trades to get repairs fixed, and paid a plumber to do some extra jobs as well. It made such a big difference to the property that I definitely recommend it.

Stand up for what you want and your comfort. There is no reason that you should be that cold and your belongings ruined. I know a couple of friends, who are suffering like this and I know they can heat their home to a comfortable level.

Call plumber and ask for an appointment to assist you with the temp setting. If you pay they will show you. Or if you can’t get on with it have another fitted that’s easier to use with a on and off. Longer term it sounds a miserable way to live. Do you have to? Go your separate ways live happily with heating on.

@scoobydoo1971 they have a joint income of £70K so I bloody hope they’re not entitled to Pension Credit 😳

The current cost of energy, I wouldn’t want to be heating the bedroom for the sake of your shoes and bags, which could be moved to the hall.

I have rooms I’m not regularly heating at the moment, like my hall, but I rotate them to have a radiator on once a week to head off damp.

You work out how to use the app, you can buy a plug in heater so you don’t have to, you can just tell him to put it on. Tell, not ask.

The issue here is: can you do those things?

If he over rules you generally, then getting access to the app isn’t going to fix your relationship.

Get some 1kg reusable bags of silica gel. They are perfect for small storage spaces (and stopping car windows steaming up!)

Offhand there's a few £k in value of shoes and handbags in the storage space under the bed, more than one radiator would cost certainly. The hall has one small cupboard for all his coats, jackets, a carpet cleaner and some beers and ciders. Otherwise a small hall table.

The spare room is for the grandchildren who sleepover and all their toys are in there. Plus a wardrobe for my coats and jackets. That's not heated either

That sounds like a good plan. Thanks. Where do I get those from

Put a photo of your thermostat on the thread. Ours can still be controlled manually and I bet there will be a way for you to do this. Someone on MN will know how.

Hillington Reusable Car Interior Dehumidifier Bag and Dashboard Mounting Anti-Slip Mat - Ideal for Use in Vehicles to Prevent Damp, Moisture, and Condensation (2 x 1KG) amzn.eu/d/7dcmT1u these are the ones I got although they were on offer at around £10 cheaper a few weeks ago

My husband and I earn well but have cut back on heating and we are not the only ones. We trialled leaving the heating on at 18 and it racked up nearly £30. We now do one hour in the morning and 3 and a half hours in the afternoon and this comes out at about £15 a day. We don't have the heating on unless the kids are here. Not saying your husband is right but I think everyone is worried about the cost and justifiably so

Tell him unless he puts the e hearing in you’ll be taking your half of the cash and checking into a hotel with your possessions. What an absolute d&vk.

Post a picture on the thermostat I’m sure someone else has one

Can I suggest an actual dehumidifier? Silica gel can absorb about 40% of it's weight in water, so 1kg can absorb 400ml.

A decent dehumidifier can extract several litres of water every day, it will do the whole house and speed up drying clothes for a fraction of the cost of tumble drying.

Here's an example, though not an endorsement of the vendor/brand:

www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/cd10l/electriq-cd10l-dehumidifier

Alternative is to buy one second-hand if you're on a budget, I got ours for £30.

“Offhand there's a few £k in value of shoes and handbags in the storage space under the bed, more than one radiator would cost certainly”

It doesn’t matter that the value of the shoes and handbags is more than the heating. The point is, if it costs you £1 a day to heat that room for a period, that’s £90 for the winter. £90 “maintenance” that could be avoided by placing them somewhere else. Heating the room isn’t the only solution.

But that opinion doesn’t mean he’s not an arsehole and you don’t have the right to be part of the decision.

Is he your master?! 🙄

Yes, Greta is loving the fact that we're all paying more, but it's not worth scrimping on your energy. You'll end up with mildew and damp on the walls and this will cost you more long term in maintenance/repairs than raising your current energy direct debit.

You mentioned that is a wireless thermostat. Turn on that radiator and put the thermostat in the fridge when you're cold.

It seems abusive to me. Tell him to stop being a twat. It's probably choosing more money anyway.

www.heatgeek.com/stop-turning-off-radiators-in-unused-rooms-it-costs-more/

My grandad was the same. He had my grandmother living in a freezing house while they sat in front of a two bar gas fire watching a black and white TV. When he died (1990) he had £500k in stocks and shares.

www.halfords.com/motoring/car-accessories/interior-car-accessories/air-dry-classic---car-dehumidifier-170096.html

I use this in my car and think it's great. It should help if left near your shoes and bags.