Condensation question

kiki*_2

Hi guys,

I know this isn't the right forum but wasn't sure which to put it in and I've always had good advice from here!

All my upstairs windows get completely covered in condensation overnight. Even the rooms with no one in! Is there anyway to stop it happening?

PasturesNew

Stop breathing, stop showering, stop bathing, stop washing clothes ...... turn the water off and move out. And you'd still get some.

It's because the rooms are warmer than the windows/outside .... so the warm hits the colder windows and turns back into water droplets.

So, even if you moved out, there'd be times when it's colder outside than inside and any moisture in the air (natural humidity even) would turn to condensation.

kiki*_2

But not every house gets it so there must be a way of reducing it?

ceegee

Moisture builds up in the air all the time, through cooking, bathing, clothes drying, breathing. It even enters your house from outside, when you open windows and doors on a damp, wet, foggy day.

It is always being produced and it "flows" around the house.

What you have to do is prevent a build up of this moisture.

Do you have (and use!) extractor fans in the bathroom and kitchen? Do you open doors/windows to let the steam out when you are cooking, bathing, drying clothes indoors? Do you open windows for ventilation on a regular basis? (I know this is more problematical in Winter, when you have the heating on, but you have to find the right balance between heating and ventilation).

A good dehumidifier will dehumidify the whole house, if positioned in a central place, such as the foot of the stairs in the hallway, and if all internal doors are left open.

kiki*_2

I have and use extractors in kitchen and bathroom but it even builds in spare bedroom! Admittedly we aren't opening windows much at the minute though

G_M

Wjilst agreeing with the explanation I too wonder why some properties suffer from this worse than others.

I never get internal condenation on the windows....

-Jay-

have a look here they have been discussing the same subject

forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=3616329

wellused

I used to be plagued with this problem, in a previous residence we used water retentive strips to soak up the water that ran off of the windows and towels on the window sills to collect the water which the strips wouldn't hold, in the end we resorted to using a cellophane product which we stuck to the inside of the window frames and when heated with a hair dryer became taught, this solved the problem but meant that we couldn't open the windows. Even now we have double glazing we still get the problem when the temperature drops in the evening, the real answer is to either have your heating on high all of the day and night to keep the inside of the glass warm or to open the windows to increase airflow, neither of which is totally practical.

ceegee

Kiki, do you have any damp issues in the house other than the condensation? I only ask because they could also be a source of moisture in the air.

I have suffered greatly with condensation in my home, but now I have it much more under control. I used to go around all the windows every morning and regularly collected nearly a pint of water off the windows and sills.:eek: Then I would still have to go around later to de-mist them....several times. Condensation would even pour off the toilet cistern in the bathroom and make puddles on the floor!

It really is a case of reducing the amount of moisture you "put" into the air by as much as possible, and getting the heating and ventilation balance right.

Have you always had this problem in your home? Have you had loft insulation fitted recently? Or cavity wall insulation?

Problem condensation needs daily attention. It is not something to ignore as it can cause other problems........respiratory problems, damage to decorations and plasterwork, mould on soft furnishings etc.

If you are really doing all that you can to keep it at bay, eg. using extractor fans when bathing, showering, cooking, keeping lids on pans when cooking, opening windows when drying clothes indoors, opening windows for30 minutes every day to ventilate all rooms (keep all internal doors open when doing this, to create an airflow throughout the house), the my suggestion really would be to buy a dehumidifier.

I took all of the action mentioned above and condensation has been massively reduced. I have had extractor fans installed in kitchen and bathroom and I ventilate my house for a minimum of 30 minutes every day, by opening windows and doors in every room. I also purchased a de-humidifier to help things along. If I can't hang my washing out, I hang it on clothes horses in a room with the dehumidifier and close the door. It is astonishing how much water it collects in it's tank.

I use the dehumidifier now on a regular basis....a few hours at a time for a couple of times a week. Obviously not so much in the Summer, as the windows and doors are open as much as possible anyway when the weather is warm and dry.

I know I keep on about the dehumidifier, but it's one of the best things I've ever bought. Try Argos...they've got loads. I bought the DeLonghi one for about £140.

marleyboy

A slightly ajar window upstairs and a ceiling fan\fan is a cheaper option, or you could invest in a dehumidifier. The air needs to circulate and vent in order to reduce condensation from gathering.

BigAunty

Here is a full explanation of the causes of condensation (and thus mould which is the next step if the high moisture is not tackled). There are building maintenance and design issues which can cause and aggravate it but also tenant behaviour is a major factor. So if there are no defects in the plumbing, etc, then you have to heat and ventilate the property better, reduce the moisture you create. An AST will often make clear the tenant's obligation in that respect which is why some landlords will make deductions from the deposit to tackle mould/damp issues caused by the tenant.

http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/pdf/Mould.pdf

"Causes of mould growth from straightforward building defects are without doubt the landlord’s responsibility in a residential property.

However, by far the most common cause of mould growth is [FONT=AJGPEA+TimesNewRoman,Bold,Times New Roman][FONT=AJGPEA+TimesNewRoman,Bold,Times New Roman]condensation[/FONT][/FONT].
The true cause of condensation-based mould growth is often complex and a combination of things. It is sometimes caused by inadequacies in the building but [FONT=AJGPEA+TimesNewRoman,Bold,Times New Roman][FONT=AJGPEA+TimesNewRoman,Bold,Times New Roman]very often the main cause of mould growth is the lifestyle of the occupants [/FONT][/FONT]– the tenants.
In addition to this, with lifestyle causes, once the mould growth has been [FONT=AJGPEA+TimesNewRoman,Bold,Times New Roman][FONT=AJGPEA+TimesNewRoman,Bold,Times New Roman]allowed to take hold [/FONT][/FONT]at some point in the history of the property, say with a tenant who lived with inadequate heating and ventilation, and produced excessive amounts of moisture (steam) through cooking, washing, internal drying etc, it can reoccur again and again.
Even years later, once the conditions are allowed to deteriorate again, without the property having undergone thorough eradication treatment, the mould can quickly re-appear. In other words, the mould spores can lay dormant when the conditions are against them, but will be re-invigorated once cold, damp moisture laden conditions are allowed to re-appear.
Older properties, especially those with solid walls (no cavity and no cavity wall insulation) are more prone to condensation problems. It is not incumbent on the landlord to bring an old property up to modern standards, but merely to show that all reasonable precautions have been taken. This may include educating the tenants as to how to avoid creating condensation conditions."