Condensation help!!

valleyboy22

Hi all,

Now the weather is getting colder, the build up of condensation especially in our bedrooms are getting bad again.
We try and leave a window slightly open but don't seem to have much joy at the moment?
Our double glazed windows are 20 plus years old but we are having new ones fitted in a few weeks which we will hope will eliminate how cold our bedrooms are.
Can anyone suggest what we can do to reduce this please or any tips also?
Thanks

Doozergirl

Insulation?

Leaving windows open doesn't help much if the room is cold.

Grenage

Increase the temperature, and decrease the humidity.

Don't try clothes indoors.
Do have an extractor fan in the bathroom; kitchen is a bonus.

TheCyclingProgrammer

We have a similar problem in our bedroom. When we renovated, we insulated the timber overhang at the front of our bedroom - spent a lot of time on detailing, vapour barriers etc. End result is the wall is much warmer so the window (like you, the double glazing units are oldish - about 14 years so probably not very efficient) acts as a giant cold spot when the temperature gets cold over night and we get a lot of condensation on the window as its the only spot in the room cold enough for it to condense (still makes me glad we insulated though as condensation on the walls would have been a lot worse and probably led very quickly to mould problems).

The source of the humidity is probably just our breath - we have good extraction in kitchens and bathrooms, we keep doors closed when using the kitchen and bathroom, we try and keep the amount of clothes we dry indoors to a minimum (normally in the kitchen or conservatory with windows cracked) but our bedroom window can be completely covered in condensation the next morning.

The best solution we've found is to leave the two fanlight windows in our bedroom open an inch or so and close our bedroom shutters with the louvres slightly ajar. This reduces the condensation to at worst a small amount around the edges of the window without making the room too cold. The radiator is under the window so when the heating kicks in first thing in the morning the remaining condensation evaporates pretty quickly (we usually just wipe it off).

I too wonder if replacing the glazing units with modern efficient low-e glass (I think Planitherm was one of the ones I looked at) would eliminate the problem - the low-e glass in our conservatory and composite doors certainly seems to keep the condensation on the outside of the glass - but I'm loathe to spend hundreds replacing the sealed units when they are otherwise fine.

Bubblecat

At our old house we had a horrendous problem with condensation on the windows over the winter. We had to run a dehumidifier continuously and the amount of water extracted from the air was incredible. The windows were old uPVC ones (about 20yrs old) which had no vent settings so we would have to keep the windows closed whenever we went out for security reasons. Our heating system was also very inefficient so the house always felt cold.

We had new double glazing installed and a completely new boiler and central heating system. The temperature difference was amazing and by being able to efficiently maintain a warm house and have the windows on vent meant we never had a condensation problem after that.

ColinFishwick

Having new double glazing wont solve the problem. Get a dehumidifier

valleyboy22

Thanks for the replies so far.

Our house has been insulated but our double glazed window are so old now that's why we are having new ones put in and hopefully keep the house warmer longer.

valleyboy22

Thought leaving Windows open would avoid the condensation because fresh air is circulating

Doozergirl wrote: »

Insulation?

Leaving windows open doesn't help much if the room is cold.

laineyhen

We also had awful condensation due to clothes drying for 5 of us

We live in a well insulated warm house with
Upvc windows

investing in a dehumidifier was incredible

I cant understand how i didnt know about them
Before as once we discovered them
Lots of people said they also had one!

We bought a large stand alone dehumidifier
On castors which can be wheeled from room to room if needed

As opposed to the tiny ones i sometimes see advertised

I think if u r having condensation probs then
Defnitely err on the large side

ColinFishwick

Depends on humidity inside and out. Its hard finding right balance hence a dehumidifier would help keep humidity down

I have two dehumidifiers one downstairs permanently on but rarely comes on and other upstairs I run for a few hours a day after we wake up, rarely get any problems with condensation

valleyboy22 wrote: »

Thought leaving Windows open would avoid the condensation because fresh air is circulating

TheCyclingProgrammer

ColinFishwick wrote: »

Having new double glazing wont solve the problem. Get a dehumidifier

It may reduce the problem to tolerable levels. Never noticed any condensation on the inside of any of the low-e glass in my house, always on the outside.

But yes, if overall humidity is high in the house best to reduce that first.