Very bad condensation, please advise

yaubelle

Hello,

I was hoping to get some advice as to how to deal with chronic condensation in my flat.

I have a raised ground floor flat in a mansion block which was built in 1900. The property is currently rented out to tenants.

The property has recently gone through an extensive course of damp treatment as it had terrible damp on the walls, and the problem should now be completely rectified.

I have just received a phone call from my tenants saying they are experiencing really bad condensation on the windows. They do try and keep some of the windows open but because of security, shut them at night.

The heating stays on until they go to bed, and then comes back on an hour before they wake up in the mornings. Apparently the front room (which has double glazing) doesn't seem to experience condensation problems, but all the other rooms (sash windows) do. They have also found lots of mold growing on the back of their new chest of drawers and found their clothes in the wardrobes beginning to smell of damp.

I am completely at a loss as to what to do to sort the problem out. I spoke to one of the other flat owers in the block, who lives on the second floor, and he says he has not noticed any problems with condensation at all.

Are humidifiers any good ? I seem to bounce from one damp problem to another. I would really appreciate any ideas or advice any of you could give.

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Yaubelle

Wickedkitten

Check that there aren't piles of leaves piled up against the outside of the flat

knithappens

i got a dehumidifier it is great, no more condensation downstairs where i have it, get a little upstairs, but am getting another to combat that,

oneeye1

perhaps an air brick or similar would help

prudryden

Also, wipe the windows down. This is Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

yaubelle

Many thanks for your prompt replies.

lilmrsmullen: Could I ask which type/brand humidifier you've got? Are they expensive to run? I will definitely get one.

Yaubelle

pingu2209

When I rented a property with condensation, we were given a dehumidifer for each room that had problems. We ended up with 4, one for each bedroom and one for the hallway. Each dehumidifyer needed to be emptied each day! However, as time went by they didn't need to be emptied as often.

Running_Horse

We get this badly on our bedroom window only, and I just assumed it was our bodies sweating moisture, but would be interested to hear other experiences.

kriss_boy

If you have the heating on all day and its cold outside when of course there will be condensation. Its cold on one side of the glass and warm on the other so naturally water will condense on the window right?

Fire_Fox

Condensation is caused largely by air drying laundry indoors, cooking without lids on pans, breathing and showering - all of which release large amounts of water vapour. Heating does not remove the water, it merely holds it in the air, the water will then settle on the coldest surface. Dealing with condensation involves lifestyle modification, adequate ventilation or using a dehumidifier regularly.

If the damp problem is definitely condensation then it isn't the landlord's responsibility to supply a dehumidifier, tho you may wish to do so to avoid damage to your property from the water. IMHO it's important to communicate what the cause of the dampness is to tenants as some may expect the landlord to pay for their increased electricity bills.

The flats in my block have significant problems with condensation, due to the metal window frames acting as cold bridges. My flat has the least mould of the three I have been inside, as I routinely wipe the windows each morning in winter and open the windows daily year round.

Oldernotwiser

Wickedkitten wrote: »

Check that there aren't piles of leaves piled up against the outside of the flat

They'd have to be pretty deep piles - this is a raised ground floor flat!