Inhabiting a new building

New buildings today are "tighter" than in the past, which means that there is no unwanted exchange of air between indoors and outdoors.
The building moisture must be able to escape from the building components so that they can provide their full thermal protection. The first heating periods are not yet a measure of energy consumption. The drying out process depends on the weather conditions and up to three heating periods, i.e. three winters, pass before a new building is properly dried out. During the living-in phase, everything should be done to support the drying-out of the walls. In addition to the new-build moisture, your everyday behaviour in your home can cause further moisture. Cooking, showering or even a large family with many people breathing - a lot of additional humidity is created quickly.
There must be sufficient heating. Only warming air can absorb additional water (as water vapour). The relative humidity content of the air can easily be measured with a commercially available hygrometer. The optimal range for the room climate is 40% to 50% and 20°C to 22°C room air temperature.

Some tips on how to ventilate properly:

  1. Ventilate all rooms regularly and intensively several times a day. To do this, open the windows and doors for 5 to 10 minutes to create a draught. This is particularly effective in the winter months.
  2. Ensure sufficient air exchange in rooms that are used by many people at the same time.
  3. Please note that continuous ventilation (tilted windows) costs additional energy. For this reason, it should be avoided in heating mode. When the window is tilted, the air exchange tends to zero. On the other hand, the interior walls and floors cool down considerably. The moisture remains in the building and becomes a breeding ground for mould.
  4. Do not turn off the heating completely in rooms that are not used much. Keep doors to less heated rooms closed.
  5. For example, avoid long showers with very hot water with the bathroom window closed. Do not let the water boil on the cooker without having the extractor bonnet switched on. When cooking, after bathing and showering, open the windows and keep the doors closed so that the water vapour cannot spread to other rooms.
  6. In winter, do not go below a room temperature of approx. 15°C.
  7. Do not ventilate cellar rooms on hot summer days, otherwise moisture will be transported from the outside to the inside, resulting in condensation on the cellar walls.

Some tips on how to dry out the walls properly:

  1. Ideally, you should also place furniture at a distance of about 10 centimetres from the outside walls. Leave ventilation space.
  2. Arrange larger pictures with spacers about 1 cm. thick (plastic discs, stick on cork discs): In order for the walls to breathe and thus release existing moisture well, it is better to do without wall coverings or attaching large-format pictures during the living-in phase.
  3. Do not apply wall coverings until they have dried out.
  4. It is also better not to use vapor-proof wallpaper or paints during the first few months due to the new construction humidity. For three years, residents should also refrain from moving cabinets or shelves directly against exterior walls. "If the plaster cannot dry and ventilate properly in these places, there is also a risk of mold there.
  5. Do not dry laundry in living areas.

Reset password

Enter your email address and we will send you a link to change your password.

Get started with your account

to save your favourite homes and more

Register with your email address

Get started with your account

to save your favourite homes and more

I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Powered by Estatik
Scroll up