Any tips to stop condensation on windows?

dampdaveski

Icey,
have a read of this, it's higher up in the thread, you can get units equivalent to the drimaster for flats without a loft space, imaginatively they are called flatmaster

dampdaveski wrote: »

Hi Fender, everyone,
condensation is a major part of my business
I've answered this quesiotion on this forum a few times
Salt / Washing up liquid / Aunty Gerties socks etc
Salt is hygroscopic i.e. it has the ability to absorb moiture from the air, washing up liquid / shaving foam all they are doing is creating a 'slippery' surface to resist the condensation forming on the glass - None are treating the cause of the condensation
Dehumidifiers
These do work, however they do indeed cost 2-3 pence an hour to run some are a bit more some a bit less, they have to run pretty much all the time, are noisy etc and again they are reacting to a symptom of the condensation problem AFTER it has occurred
Extractor Fans
Helps to have these (obviously) however if you don't use them they are only a piece of plastic sat in the wall
Trickle Vents
These can help but controlling a condensation problem is all about getting the right amount of air changes inside your house / flat, think about how much air is in each room and then think how much air can pass through a trickle vent!
What Do I recommend
Check out the nuaire drimaster, envirovent loft unit, lofty condensation control units (PIV - positive input ventilation )
http://nuaire.co.uk/Product/Residential_Products
www.envirovent.com
Can't find the lofty manufacturers website, but a typical supplier is http://www.breathingspace.co.uk/more_info.php?department=8&product=176
Expelair also have one of these units but envirovent make it for them!

I regularly use www.condensationproducts.co.uk and yes I have mentioned them before on here and yes I've told them and had a bit of discount for doing so, but i regularly get good service, prices etc so what the hey!

Check these peoples websites out there is a raft of information out there and it saves me typing it
I fit these units on a daily basis at the mo and have never taken one out
hope this helps
DD
Update - just realised this post is from 2007 wish i'd saved my fingers- hey ho!

proevofanatik

i havnt tried this but im just thinking that this should work. if you get a big fan that you use to cool the house down in the summer, and have it pointing down to the floor where there is a dish of salt it should suck the moist air into the fan and push it out and down into the dish of salt. i remember a sheet of paper was stuck on the back of my fan when i had it on one day and realised that air gets sucked in from behind the fan and gets pushed out the front. so im only guessing it should do the same with moist air. im not saying it WILL work but well worth a try. my fan is in the loft and i cant be bothered going to go and get it. someone try it and let me know if it made a difference.

cheers

dampdaveski

proevofanatik wrote: »

i havnt tried this but im just thinking that this should work. if you get a big fan that you use to cool the house down in the summer, and have it pointing down to the floor where there is a dish of salt it should suck the moist air into the fan and push it out and down into the dish of salt. i remember a sheet of paper was stuck on the back of my fan when i had it on one day and realised that air gets sucked in from behind the fan and gets pushed out the front. so im only guessing it should do the same with moist air. im not saying it WILL work but well worth a try. my fan is in the loft and i cant be bothered going to go and get it. someone try it and let me know if it made a difference.

cheers

just
please please tell me that you are not being serious?

msw_2

hi,
can anyone recomend a brand of dehumidifier/ good place to buy/ key features we should look for?

chestercityfc

Just looking at this thread and noticed that people are having airbricks blocked up.
If you have a living flame fire you are playing with your life air has to mix in the room with a living flame fire or you are only going to get carbon monoxide build up. Normal bar fires are fine.

Ross_Patzelt

Hi we are getting really bad condensation on the windows too. I have read this entire thread and thank everyone for helping each other out on here.

I am going to try using the dryer outside instead of drying indoors. I never even thought that boiling things on the hob and not using our extractor fan would help so I will be using it from noe on!

Also we are having our loft insulated in January so hopefully this will help a little.

Would you say that it is our double glazing that is broken or just our lifestyle as I do all the things I shouldnt really ie - drying clothes indoors, boiling rice etc on hob with extractor fan off, having bathroom window on when having shower etc?

Any help is appreciated as we have a baby on the way and want to make our house better.

Many thanks in advance.
Ross

Adaline

Just wanted to say thanks to all those who've given advice on this and other threads about dealing with condensation. I've been leaving my bedroom window open a little at nights. The windows were soaking wet in the morning before I did this, but now they're bone dry! It does get cold, but that's what duvets, hot water bottles and snuggling are there to deal with!

yorkshire_scot

Have you considered secondary glazing. Must be with plastic though as the glass type doesn't work for condensation.
We got it from Ecoease and it works very well. Something to do with the
plastic being a warmer material than glass. It helps with the old energy bills as well, but I must admit it was stopping the condensation that made me buy it! Yuo can find them on the internet easily.

Ben84

I wouldn't really blame the windows for condensation. Even the best windows are likely to be the least insulated part of the room so water vapour will condense there before anywhere else.

After much trouble in our house I bought a dehumidifier and that helps massively. I do also try to cook with lids on pans to keep the water from evaporating so much and always shower with the window open and leave it open for a while afterwards as it's a big source of damp in the house. Drying clothes inside is hard to avoid so that's what the dehumidifier is for.

greenlaws

I've already posted a bunch of stuff about condensation on other threads here - most - if not all of it can be found properly illustrated on the following site - I cant post links as I'm a newbie apparently - but if you look at heritage-house dot org, and look at the damp and condensation pages you'll see a load of tips and causes. Don't ever block up vents - they are there for a very good reason - the same thing applies to under floor vents - block them at your peril if you have timber floors. English Heritage have done a guide on energy / heat saving in old houses with single pane glazing - thick curtains, roller blinds and shutters all are just as efficient at keeping heat in the house as double glazing - and they dont then lose their vacuum in a year or two and need to be replaced! Look for the sources of condensation first - where is the humidity coming from - you breathing, cooking, showers etc - so manage that - vents, extractors controlled by humidity and set to about 50% - dont dry washing on radiators, and most importantly, run heating systems at a constant low temperature instead of on/off so the house doesnt swing in temerature - which then causes high / low humidity and encourages condensation.... Hope this helps!