Condensation - What to do next?

nxdmsandkaskdjaqd

I would appreciate some advice.

At this time of year I get feed-up with having to mop-up condensation from double glassed windows in the house in the morning. As we move into winter this becomes less of a problem as heating is on for 16 hours a day and the house is very dry (50% RH).

However at the moment the house is typically around 70% and I find when the outside temperature falls to below 9 centigrade then moisture starts to form on the windows.

I am very conscientious about humidity in the house. When cooking the kitchen doors are closed and the extractor fan is running. Showers all have extractor fans and the windows are opened when finished. So I do I can to reduce the problem.

The house is modern (12 years old), 12 inches of insulation in the loft, walls are cavity filled, so well insulated. About 1200 meters cubed in size with 3 occupants.

The only thing I don’t do is keep windows open of a night or day. That just seems to be a waste of money, but I have tried it on occasions and it doesn’t solve the problem.

I do have a small 300watt dehumidifier (portable) which I run each evening and collects around a litre of water each evening.

Are there any other suggestions that I might try to solve the problem.

Swipe

There's not much you can do apart from putting the heating on. The cooler the temp in the house the higher the humidity. I suffer from it badly in my bedrooms in the winter when it drops close to freezing outside as I don't heat them while asleep.

whitelillies

Ive had this problem and the only solution i found was slightly opening the windows in the bedrooms on the first latch (if you have them). I dont like heating in my bedroom but when it does fall below a certain temperature i do put it on. My place was riddled with damp when i moved in and a lot of it is condensation. So i open the windows on the 1st latch all year round. I also use a dehumidifier in colder months to reduce the humidity caused by washing, cooking etc.

savemoney

Insulation, heat and ventilation are the key to reduce condensation.

Cooking, bathing, drying cloths on rads and even breathing all contribute to moist air.

During day when its dry open windows to ventilate. Same when you bath.

The warmer the air the more it can retain water

Getting a dehumidifier will help a lot and dont costs a lot to run when on they can use around 200-300w but they not always on 24/7 they come and go on/off

davetrousers

Could the cavity wall insulation be causing the problem?

If your exterior walls are exposed to strong winds and rain then the rain can permeate through the outer brickwor, the cavity wall insulation then acts like a sponge, resulting in damp problems.

ariba10

Have a read of this.

http://www.harfordsonline.com/downloads/condensation%20info.pdf