Real Bad Condensation Issues during Winter

jakejake

Hi Everyone,

I really need some advice please from anyone really as I'm really stressed out about an ongoing problem to do with condensation.
Basically we're having an issue in an upstairs box bedroom (quite small 2.5m x 2.5m) for quite some time now.
We've had the house for 30 years +, never once had a problem to do with condensation, until it started appearing badly 3 years ago.

I'm no expert when it comes to these types of problems, but am trying to figure how to cure or at least temporarily fix the problem during winter.
The issue is when the temperature is cold outside, the bedroom wallaper is soaked completely (bottom half (on the walls facing externally),
literally where beads of water are now appearing and the wallpaper completely damped up. This happens only at night.
Thankfully I have been told to open the windows a bit during the day, and close during the night. The issue is the condensation appears at night,
literally at 9:30PM while watching tv, you can see the damp wallpaper and trickles of water falling down. I notice it's also doing it in one of the
left corners from the top of the ceiling to the floor.
On top of that in the mornings the window is dripping with condensation by the time you wake up and open the blinds.
We also have a dehumidifier thats on during the day when the windows are closed but the issue occurs at night when it's off (as it's noisy)

What I think are the causes:
-A few years back the room was striped down and redecorated, but one thing I noticed is the decorators put in a cover over an old vent (in the bedroom)

- pretty sure it was a airbrick going outside but is locked shut. Do you think this has something to do with all the water on the wallpaper? Should I attempt to
take the cover out and put a grill back in myself as I don't think those guys new what they were doing, Although the room is a bit warmer as there is no draught.

-We also took the plunge to get new loft insulation put in by a goverment backed scheme, and not sure if this has anything to do with it?
Will this increase the amount of condensation in a room? I got told by the energy company that its not the primary cause, yet asking a few locals think that it
may not be allowing the room to breath and said just to strip it back in that area?

Our loft space is ice cold and is not been converted or anything, just the same as how it was probably 80 years+ so not sure if this has anything to do with it?

I went up there myself a year back or so, pulled up the insulation and found the bottom of it soaked. Should it be doing this?

So do you think these are what are causing the problem?

I notice the room is quite cold though still, do you think I should buy like an oil heater to keep it warm most of the day? Will that dry of the condensation from the walls?
There is a radiator under the window but that seems not to be keeping the place very warm and only on during the night, off overnight, and back on in the morning.

I preferably need solutions that I can do myself. I had a surveyor in who confirmed it was condensation, but said I needed cavity wall insulation which is going
into the hundreds. Plus he said I will lose out some room as they have to bring the walls in as I think our house is just purely brick, no gap inbetween.

This isn't an option as the room is small as it is, and I'm tired of re-wallpapering it due to the previous mould issues we've had.
We do have mild condensation in other rooms upstairs, but they are not as bad as the small room, so just need any advice.

Many Thanks in advance,
Jake

bryanb

Yes re-open the vent.
Don't use oil heaters, they cause condensation.
Investigate the wet loft insulation.

jakejake

bryanb wrote: »

Yes re-open the vent.
Don't use oil heaters, they cause condensation.
Investigate the wet loft insulation.

Great, Thanks for your reply. I will do that today. However, now the vent will be open it will get even colder than usual, is it ok to use a fan heater than an oil heater? or just try and bear up with the radiator that's there?


I also cant seen why the loft insulation is wet when its pulled up, im guessing its the heat rising against the cold loft which is making it condense? Just didn't know if this is normal as its not soaked but is damp.

Horizon81

To be honest there's so many schools of though on this that it's difficult to know who to believe. Your 'surveyor' said it was condensation and recommended cavity wall insulation to make it better? To me that's pure nonsense, especially when you haven't even got cavity walls in the first place!

The problem as I see it is houses used to be quite draughty, whether that be due to non double glazed windows, voids under floors and in walls etc. Although the draughts caused heat loss, they helped carry warm moist air out of the house. Nowadays the advice is to insulate as much as possible which keeps heat in, but also keeps moisture (moist air) in the house. If you get cavity wall insulation done then your house will be even more air tight, so how is moist air from your house meant to escape? I've seen cavity wall insulation fitted and the fitters silicone up any air bricks to prevent the insulation from oozing out! Fitting it makes any existing air bricks redundant and will only increase the build up of warm damp air in your house having nowhere to go.

Your loft insulation should not be wet on the bottom. After I had it done, I looked in my loft and there were droplets of condensation on the sarking/felt under the tiles. This is quite a common problem. Moist air from the house has to go somewhere so it goes up, and condenses on the coldest surface, which is the roof tiles. Newer houses are looking at putting insulation inbetween the roof battens, instead of on the loft floor, effectively making the loft a warm area rather than a cold area, but the problem remains that the moist air has to go somewhere.

In your house, is the problem wall facing north? For some reason this must be the coldest wall if this is where the condensation is forming. If it were me I'd look to eliminate the cause as much as possible, so open windows when boiling/steaming when cooking, same goes for bathing. I invested in a dehumidifier which does take a lot of water out of the air that would otherwise condense in the loft. I still get plenty on the windows on a morning but that is due to breathing overnight, and like you I don't leave the dehumidifier on overnight due to noise.

peachyprice

You need to leave the window open 24/7, if you close it at night you are trapping the moisture caused by you whilst inhabiting the room.

Horizon81

The above post proves my point exactly regarding the conflicting advice on the subject of home insulation. I agree keeping the window open 24/7 would help with condensation but then why cover your loft in insulation, fit cavity wall insulation etc etc only to resort to leaving your window open?! It's madness.

peachyprice

Horizon81 wrote: »

The above post proves my point exactly regarding the conflicting advice on the subject of home insulation. I agree keeping the window open 24/7 would help with condensation but then why cover your loft in insulation, fit cavity wall insulation etc etc only to resort to leaving your window open?! It's madness.

The heat from the entire house isn't going to escape through that one open window.

The amount of heat lost in one room through one small open window overnight is negligible compared to the heat that would be lost during the hours the heating is on in an uninsulated house.

Not madness at all, totally logical.

lee111s

The other option is to buy a dehumidifier.

WestonDave

Horizon81 wrote: »

The above post proves my point exactly regarding the conflicting advice on the subject of home insulation. I agree keeping the window open 24/7 would help with condensation but then why cover your loft in insulation, fit cavity wall insulation etc etc only to resort to leaving your window open?! It's madness.

Because there are two separate issues that need addressing separately.


The energy saving lobby quite rightly tells people to shut off draughts, and insulate to avoid heat loss. What they don't mention is that in a house where people live, you need changes of air in order to remove the water vapour that we generate by living. Often we end up cutting heating bills but wondering why we now have a mould problem. Its because you need to look at the other half of the equation - the humidity.


Firstly reduce humidity creation - shower with the door shut and a vent on or window open. After showering leave the bathroom shut with the vent or window still "venting" until all steam has cleared and then some. Cook with lids on pans, don't dry clothes on radiators as these both put moisture into the air. You can't stop breathing so you will still be putting some moisture into the air.


That means you still need a means of either removing moisture from the trapped air or changing the air. Leaving a window open changes the air (so sleeping with a window open or having an open vent in the room works) but at an energy cost. There are heat recovery systems available but they are hard to retro fit and are most often used in new build eco houses which are designed to be air tight for efficiency. The only remaining option is to run a dehumidifier.


Beyond that reducing cold surfaces by insulating where appropriate, and running the heating rather than sitting there with the house at 10C trying to see who can put the heating on last will help avoid moisture condensing. If you wipe down condensation on windows, don't just put the cloth etc on the radiator to dry as that just puts it back into the air!

Horizon81

2 separate issues but inextricably linked. I find opening a window while bathing makes little difference to the steam escaping. Ideally you need an extractor that pushes the moist air out. In the end I bought a dehumidifier which does help but if houses weren't so airtight these days I doubt I'd need it.

jakejake

Thanks for all your comments everyone.


I will open up the blocked air brick and I hope that will reduce it. I have like I mentioned got a mini dehumidifier which picks up a bit during the day, I was just concerned about the drips on the wallpaper as it was bit of a shock when I investigated last night. Will continue to open windows too.


Horizon81 - yes you are right, its the north facing side which where is where the bedroom window faces. I also agree with your comments as Its hard to trust and find reliable people too to get advice from such as the so called "surveyor" who came from my energy supplier. I'm pleased you too called it pure nonsense because things that he were saying just didn't sound right anyway, not sure if these people are even trained or just a money making thing.


Anyhow, thanks for all your suggestions.


One thing that did crop up in my mind that could be causing it is the bathroom just across the landing. We have an old airbrick vent right near the shower, but other than that, I always wanted an extractor as I find the vent isn't doing much. I find like I just wish I could fit one of these myself successfully. Found it hard to find an outlet from the roof, most of the soffits are just blocked / hard to reach


Thanks anyhow,
Jake