Cheapest Way to Sort Out Condensation

kizkiz

I've used somethign similar to this when my windows were getting huge amounts of condensation
http://reviews.wickes.co.uk/9987-en_gb/210014/reviews.htm
Really cheap andworks brilliantly as a short term hit

george1939

kittycatface wrote: »

We live in a stone wall house (rented) with aluminium framed glass front door, aluminium bay window and two huge aluminium window frames on the first floor. We have had problems with damp and mould ever since we moved in 2months ago. Landlord has been in with experts but the worst thing is the condensation which pools in the window frames to the point where I am mopping up more than twice a day.

All replies given are relevant and weak bleach kills the fungus I am only concentrating on the condensation on the windows and the pooling which occurs Single glazing catches the moisture in the room being cooler and condenses it out as does a de- humidifier and acts like one to but this costs nothing to run the window does it for nothing
{A solution windows only} learning from skilled Builders going back centuries
The Builders of the past and 50 years ago and [to-days buses and trains] they have to protect passengers clothing from water from window condensation which still occurs . What the builders did was in all churches. The stone windows at the sill had a groove straight across inside so water from the windows hit this groove [channel] and to stop it flowing over the groove there was weep holes 5mm taking it outside lined with copper tube All timber windows last century had these weep holes grooves {channels} all glass then being single glazed All train and bus windows have these half circle channels and weep holes otherwise passengers sitting near wet windows could claim compensation if any contaminated water touches their clothing Even double glazing today whether timber, plastic or metal frames will have some protection
[At least] moisture condensing on windows means it is not condensing as much in wardrobes which means people then have odours on their clothing when walking out or producing white mould under beds.

kittycatface

Wow I never thought this would get so many and such varied responses - thank you everyone. Will try and implement as much of this advice as possible. We definitely can't afford either to rent or to buy a de humidifier so I will ask the landlord if he can provide one and see how we get on with that - am a bit scared of the cost implications of running it though - am I being overcautious?

I have lived in a lot of single glaze houses in the past with aluminium frames. I had a v similar lifestyle -drying clothes indoors etc and the condensation has never literally been dripping off the windows like this. Have come home from work and there is a pool of water about 10cm wide on the inside ledge. This makes me think it must have been an issue prior to us living here but landlord says not.
I am still most worried about the financial damage this could cause to us. It's money down the drain - potentially we could lose deposit if window ledges rot/mould damages paintwork etc but also if we are putting heating on for longer to dry clothes/remove moisture from the air. We can't afford to be heating to 20c. We can't dry outside but will try doing so in the bathroom with a heater on.
We are opening windows wherever possible when the heating is not on. Good idea about keeping steam to a minimum whilst cooking - on such a small budget as ours I will literally have to go on freecycle to obtain more than one saucepan with a functioning lid!
I'm now off to buy some bleach to scrub mould off the walls. I will go to wickes on the weekend and see how the secondary glazing film goes down with landlord - they have already asked us to sort out a net that looks "too studenty"!? Also looking forward to purchasing my first ever hygrometer - it's amazing the things you learn on MSE! thanks again everyone

Ben84

kittycatface wrote: »

Wow I never thought this would get so many and such varied responses - thank you everyone. Will try and implement as much of this advice as possible. We definitely can't afford either to rent or to buy a de humidifier so I will ask the landlord if he can provide one and see how we get on with that - am a bit scared of the cost implications of running it though - am I being overcautious?

Initially I worried about the cost to use it, but I'd had enough of the damp and the idea of a dry house convinced me to get it. I didn't notice any significant change in the electric bills afterwards, but someone who is more cautious than us with their energy use might.

Drying clothes inside is a big source of moisture, so try to dry outside if you can. But it's not so easy, I know. So, I try to use the highest spin on the washing machine to get out as much water as possible and I try to avoid doing all the washing on one day as it means all the water is released in to the house at once too.

carefullycautious

Wipe off excess moisture from window and then put a few drops of fairy liquid onto a cloth and wipe over your windows. I know this smears but you will be suprised how this stops most of the condensation. You may find you only have a small amount showing on base of windows each day. I do this every day wipe and use a few drops.

Keep all furniture away from walls allowing an airflow to stop mould growing on walls and backs of furniture. Windows do need to be opened as much as possible to air the house out.

Washing. As above poster said you need to remove as much moisture as possible. What I do for smaller items is roll them up in a dry towel and twist to remove as much moisture as possible. Put on clothes airer by open window if possible. It may be cheaper to take all washing and use a lauderette for drying.

If all else fails then I would be moving into somewhere newer and dryer especially as the fuel bills have risen so much.

I live in a post war flat that if left would soon become damp so apply the above and dont have any problems.

sashman

the experts are right. if you dont have any heating on the air is cold. cold air cannot retain moisture so it has to deposit it on the coldest surface (currently the windows) If you changed the windows without increasing the heating the condesnsation will appear on the next coldest surface (walls etc). breathing, washing, steam creates moisture, bucket loads.

My sales director when I started in windows in 1972 said the only way to cure condensation is to turn up the heating and ventilate the room.

I understand it sounds a waste of heat/fuel etc the other solution is to mop up the excess moisture from the window cills as you at the moment

DocProc

A dehumidifier is DEFINITELY what you need.

Every day it will take water out of the air and fill the storage bucket inside the dehumidifier.

Every day you will need to empty this bucket. The quantity of water it collects will utterly astound you!

You will always get condenation if there is moisture in the air. You will always get condensation on the coolest surfaces inside the house. In your case, it sounds like this is on the aluminium frames of the doors and windows, which themselves have absolutely no insulation inside.

It isn't helping the problem when you keep doing things like filling the rooms with moisture from such things as the drying of clothes. If you can't stop doing this, then either do it elsewhere or alternatively, use a condenser drier so that the moisture from the drying condenses and collects in a container or is taken outside through a piped vent.

In summary:

1. As soon as possible, definitely get a dehumidifier. Ask the Landlord if he will cough up for one or at least contribute towards the cost. Tell him that if he doesn't, then threaten that there is so much condensation being produced from the uninsulated cold aluminium frames on the doors and windows, that you are going to have to move out at the end of your tenancy period.

2. Stop drying your clothes inside the house! Where on earth do you think the water from the wet clothes is going? Correct. It's condensing on the cold uninsulated aluminium surfaces.

3. Improve ventilation if you can. Your house has such variously very bad cold surfaces that you are still going to get condensation on them. This is the hard bit for you so I really think you should remove the probl;em by removing from this house and go and live somewhere else.

4. Stop making the air inside this house as moist/wet as you are making it! Change your current practices, procedures and habits in this respect.

5. Oh, and just in case I forgot to mention it..... GET A DEHUMIDIFIER!

grahamc2003

kittycatface wrote: »

. We can't dry outside but will try doing so in the bathroom with a heater on.

This is a major contributor to your condensation problem. Worse still, I think it's understandable that your landlord (or anyone else for that matter, like the CAB/council/elfnsafety) won't help you while you still dry clothes inside.

Drying inside with a heater will certainly dry your clothes, but all it does is put all the water from your clothes into the air, and as the air cools when you turn your heater off, or it hits a cool surface, then it will condense out again. The dew point could be very high - say you have 90% RH at 25C say due to your heated clothes drying, then the dew point (the temp at which the water condenses out again) would be around 23C.

If you stop drying clothes inside, and the condensations continues (as it likely will, but at a less intense rate), then it should be up to your landlord to sort something out, and the CAB/council/elfnsafety may help in that if you have a bad moulod problem.

A dessicant dehumidifier would cost your landlord peanuts compared to the rent - he'd likely reclaim the 20% vat, and it would be a business expense to write off against his tax, making the £110 retail cost a cost to him of about £50.

The running cost of a 400w dehumidifier would be the same as a 400w oil heater, and would be about 6-7p/h, but as I said before which might not have clicked, a dehumidifier is a better heater than your oil heater, so for the same running costs, you get more heat, plus you solve your damp problem (or at least improve it no end).

tubbee2

I live in a very old house with single glazing (listed windows) and until recently had three children at home who showered at every hour of the day and night, heated rooms, left kettles and lidless pans boiling on the aga for hours on end, tumble dried single t-shirts/boxers/sock and generally created an indoor fog. For the first time ever last year the larder windows did not drip with condensation throughout the cold months and it was by accident that I discovered a cardboard cannister of Saxo table salt had turned into sea water.

My supposition is that the moisture in the air (and there was a lot) was absorbed into the table salt, and I am testing this hypothesis by keeping small cardboard boxes of salt near all the windows this winter. I can't state categorically that this will solve the condensation problem you describe but our cast iron single glazed oak mullion windows are for the first time ever not dripping and mouldy, so it may be worth the cost of a container of table salt and a cardboard box to see if it works for you. (I also dry the salt out weekly and break the lumps back into grains) sad but true! It seems to be working!!

CarineG

I would try a deshumidifier and if that doesn't work - move out. Mould is nasty and can bring all all sorts of illnesses