Condensation issues in new Aluminium conservatory

Travelette_2

Do you mean that if my kitchen was warmer the problem wouldn't be as bad? Sorry I don't follow?
I will check humidity in other rooms now and monitor it
Yes it is all open plan
I don't know if it would help if I turned heating up in conservatory? Underfloor heating is set to 17 overnight and between 17-23 during day.

Travelette_2

I'd be grateful for more advice from you? You seem to know more than anyone I have spoken to who seem to palm me off all the time
I just had underfloor heating (electric) in and have one double radiator in kitchen.
The floor area of conservatory is 15M 2
There hasn't been a lot of ventilation as time of year it was eventually done was cold/Winter.
Can I send you some photos and get more advice pls?

keith969

Travelette wrote: »

Do you mean that if my kitchen was warmer the problem wouldn't be as bad? Sorry I don't follow?

Condensation occurs when air temperature falls below the dew point i.e. 100% humidity. Raising the temperature increases the amount of moisture the air can hold, so humidity decreases. So yes, a warmer kitchen/conservatory would give less condensation. But that humidity level is still very high - you need ventilation to lower it, and find out where its coming from - if existing plaster then you may have to put a dehumidifier in, if you can't leave the windows open.

MallyGirl

We had an orangery built onto the back of our house, knocking through to be open plan with the kitchen. Obviously there was a huge amount of concrete poured for the base. While that was setting we had issues with huge amounts of moisture. At one point I thought we had a leak in the pipework from the boiler to the new UFH as it was dripping from the chimney onto the cooker, enough to make a corrosive puddle. It was just that the chimney was the coldest part and the damp air was going up then condensing out. It did stop eventually. Our build work ran from September to December so we weren't that keen on having the doors/vents open but in the end we had to. That water had to go somewhere and our new floor area was 6m x 4.5m so it was a lot of water.

Travelette_2

Thanks Mally girl for your reply.
Has your condensation gone completely now?
Can I ask what type of heating you've got in there?

teneighty

Has it been signed off by Building Control?

Were all the U value calculations done and necessary insulation upgrades made?

Does the kitchen have the required mechanical ventilation?

shaun_from_Africa

Travelette wrote: »

It backs onto kitchen and there is no door between it and kitchen so open plan.

I might be wrong, but I thought that for it to class as a conservatory, there had to be doors between it and the rest of the house and without these doors it classes as an extension and therefore needs planning permission and full building regulation coverage.

It looks like I was correct.
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/10/conservatories/3

Building regulations will generally apply if you want to build an extension to your home.

However, conservatories are normally exempt from building regulations when:
•They are built at ground level and are less than 30 square metres in floor area.
•The conservatory is separated from the house by external quality walls, doors or windows

TheCyclingProgrammer

Lorian wrote: »

No door between it and the kitchen?

No wonder you have condensation...

We have a conservatory (put in by previous owners around 12 years ago) which is open to our kitchen and we have virtually no condensation issues. A tiny amount near the edges of the roof glass panels in the coldest part of winter which dries by the morning at worst.

However we always keep the kitchen door closed and put the extractor hood on when cooking and use a decent dehumidifier when we need to dry clothes indoors in the winter.

Even with poor ventilation and extraction I wouldn't expect normal kitchen use to result in RH levels that OP is seeing.

That being said, our conservatory is just uPVC, not aluminium. The glass is low-e and we sometimes see condensation on the outside of the glass but almost never inside.

I still think something else is going on with OP.

Travelette_2

It hasn't been signed off at all yet because the issues mean I am still waiting for it to be completed and rectified but the company that installed it don't seem to know why I'm getting these issues hence I'm stuck in this awful situation. I did get planning consent through council and it was all above board. I even got highly recommended the company I used but they now admit they only ever installed UPVC not aluminium and they made a complete mess of the original installation.
there is a solid wall one side and then bi fold doors at front and glass and side door other side.

Travelette_2

I just wonder if this could lead back to poor installation or a technical fault as I have suffered at the hands of very poor installers? They keep telling me condensation is normal when it's cold outside and because it's aluminium it's a product that gets colder hence why it's worse?
I feel so helpless as they keep telling me it isn't an issue and I know it is? They are now suggesting trickle vents which will affect the whole look of the conservatory and all the others I've seen don't have them and don't suffer with condensation?