Should the landlord fix windows not fit for purpose?

fairy_lights

I don't understand people who don't open their windows in winter. Even if you don't care about condensation surely you don't want your house stinking of foods smells etc? And this winter has been so unusually mild that it's not cold enough to need to be shuttered up all the time.

macman

Spot on. The warmer the air, the more water it will hold as vapour. Reduce the room temp and it condenses out-that is why condensation forms near windows and outside walls where the temp is cooler, especially at night.

Heliflyguy

HappyMJ wrote: »

Raise the temperature of the air and the Relative Humidity (RH) reduces.

Whilst it is currently 86% RH outside it's also 11°C outside.

If indoor humidity levels are 86% at 21°C then that's far too high. Exchanging the air with the outside air reduces the RH of the indoor air. Raise the temperature of the air by 7°C and you double the amount of water vapour the air can hold and the RH is lower.

Exchange the air and raise the temperature to just 18°C and indoor RH goes down to 43%.

:embarasse
Although I now have more questions and will probably spend more time on Google but thanks for the lesson.

http://blog.meaco.com/how-to-cure-condensation-should-you-just-open-the-windows-rather-than-use-a-dehumidifier/

SnooksNJ

fairy_lights wrote: »

I don't understand people who don't open their windows in winter. Even if you don't care about condensation surely you don't want your house stinking of foods smells etc? And this winter has been so unusually mild that it's not cold enough to need to be shuttered up all the time.

Why exert energy opening up a window when it's a lot easier sending off an email demanding your landlord spend thousands of pounds for new windows.

PeppaPig101

Heliflyguy wrote: »

The "open the windows" to fix it doesn't really work.

Currently where I live the humidity is 86% so what you will have is a room full of cold wet air and so when you turn your heating on all that water will condense on your windows and its going to take more energy to get the room up to a comfortable temperature.

Open windows will only help if you dont turn the heating on, even our double glazed windows will have condensation though not as bad as single glazing.

The best option is to just mop it up every morning, maybe get one of those water vacs you can sometimes get a good deal on them and will make the job easier.

Crickey, 86% humidity? Are you living in trainforest or something?

86% humidity is far too high for the UK.

Your health could be severely affected by such a high humiditiy level since mould starts to grow at 65% RH.

Have you ever tried a dehumidifier to bring the humidity level down?

For optimum health your home humidity levels should be around 45%-55% falling down to around 40% in winter.

Edit: The OP said that he doesn't open the windows and keeps the curtains shut. In this case, as previous posters have said, if he does open the windows and curtains and lets the house breathe then the condensation problems will lessen considerably.

If condensation still occurs then he could just run a dehmuidifier. If I have condensation I just run my dehumidifier on Laundry Mode (ie full power) for 10 minutes and the condensation is gone.

In addition the dehumidifier releases warm air so the room warms up and I run the ioniser at the same time which results in a cleaner air.

PasturesNew

Get a dehumidifier, which you'll then have for donkeys' years ...

Pixie5740

PeppaPig101 wrote: »

Crickey, 86% humidity? Are you living in trainforest or something?

86% humidity is far too high for the UK.

Your health could be severely affected by such a high humiditiy level since mould starts to grow at 65% RH.

Have you ever tried a dehumidifier to bring the humidity level down?

For optimum health your home humidity levels should be around 45%-55% falling down to around 40% in winter.

The Relative Humidity in the UK is higher than you think. Today in Aberdeen it is 81% but it is only 11 degrees Celsius outside so although the relative humidity sounds high (like a rainforest) there isn't as much water in the air as a rainforest has because Aberdeen is colder than the lovely Costa Rican rainforest I visited. My home is warmer than it is outside so the relative humidity inside my home will be less than 81%.

G_M

PeppaPig101 wrote: »

Crickey, 86% humidity? Are you living in trainforest or something?

G_M

As others have explained, there is no law requiring a landlord to upgrade his property to 'modern' standards (double glazing, fitted kitchen, attic insulation, central heating etc).

There are laws requiring he 'maintain' the property. So if the windows are faulty he has to fix them.

As a student decades ago, I used to use gaffer tape to fix clingfilm across some window as a form of cheap double glazing in winter - leaving some windows of course for ventilation!

GwylimT

I hope your landlord gave you permission to use mastic on the windows.

If you have your windows shut in the winter you are going to experience damp caused by a lack of ventillation, your home will also stink. So open your curtains and your windows on a daily basis. Our windows are open all day every day.