Any tips to stop condensation on windows?

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doyyan

We live in a block of flats which were built in the 30's which means cavity wall insulation is not an easy solution as it needs everyone agreeing.

We have bad problems of dampness in our bedrooms.

Is installing extractor fans in the bedrooms a solution to the problem?

davenpearsall

We have double glazing that was probably fitted some 12-15 yrs ago. Unfortunately it seems that trickle vents were not fitted to these older style double glazing units.

We use the absorbing crystals / moisture traps throughout the house but all our double glazing units are now again starting to be soaking wet every morning.

Trying to avoid another winter of getting the curtains wet every time I open them in the morning. :mad::mad:

budgetdiyer

davenpearsall wrote: »

We have double glazing that was probably fitted some 12-15 yrs ago. Unfortunately it seems that trickle vents were not fitted to these older style double glazing units.

We use the absorbing crystals / moisture traps throughout the house but all our double glazing units are now again starting to be soaking wet every morning.

Trying to avoid another winter of getting the curtains wet every time I open them in the morning. :mad::mad:

You can retro fit trickle vents to UPVC windows. They normally only cost a few quid each and are literally installed with a drill, screwdriver and a couple of screws!

Shimmyhill

we have trickle vents when we put new pvcu windows in, they havent made any real difference - if anything they make the glass even colder internally and attract more condensation!

We are in a 50/60s bungalow and its just not been built with retaining heat, part single skin walls & bay windows that literally have plasterboard and then external pitched roof do not help keep heat in no matter what we do (we have installed celotex into frames on the part of the wall thats single skinned, put loft insulation into the roof space over the bays)

We can try and heat and vent as much as we like but the north facing front of the house is always colder than the rest of the house so attracts the condensation, the solution is a Karcher window vac in the morning at the moment - i think in the end we will need some for of heat recovery/cold air system that runs all the time.

discounter

Just to add to the topic of trickle vents. Just had new upvc double glazing (1.2 uvalue) installed to all of the windows in the house and uncertain about trickle vents as didnt have them before but had major condensation issues, unsure if it was the old original timber double glazed units (40 years old) causing it or lifestyle/over insulating the property.

After now having vents fitted in all windows I have to say they work wonderfully in the downstairs windows at totally elimnating condensation with a noticable constant breeze through them but for some reason still get condensation build up overnight on upstairs windows where there is only any breeze at all though them on a very windy day. Unsure if this is do to the design of the house as tops of frames upstairs are level with the soffits or something else causing it, strange as I would expected them to be more effective higher up.

So to sum up trickle vents are not the perfect answer to cure condensation but just depends on the situation/location. I cant see them being the future in property development tho as the way energy prices keep rising it still seem uneconomical to have frezzing cold fresh air entering your home, give it 30 years and I can see heat exchange filtration system in lofts of all homes becoming a requirement. If only it wasnt so expensive to retro fit Id of had it already.:eek:

BlueScreenEuston

Sorry this thread is so old.

I understand what people say, our house currently running at around 55% humidity which isn't great from what I have read.

Our windows (we have a mix of single and double glazed) all have condensation on, the single are a lot worse. The house is rubbish at keeping heat. We have the combi-boiler set at 55°C-60°C for central heating but after an hour of it turning off, you can feel the cold again. It comes on 2am-4am, 6am-9am, 5pm-9pm with perhaps a little manual work during the day if someone is home. It does go up to 85°C but this would be too expensive for us to run I should think, unless someone suggests the difference between 55 and 80 wouldn't be that much?

I don't mind opening windows and such, the problem then is that the house gets far too cold to live in, especially in this weather. How do I combat this?

Thank you

LateWinterWolf

i assume they are old atleast. Its aprivatly rented house that we have live in since the beginning of Mach this year. This mornign was the first time i nticed condensation this bad ihadto open almost every window in my house just to get rid of it and i was absoloutly freezing.
Would my letting agent be willing to put trickle vents in you do you think they would tell us to do it?

I under stand why it does it in our bedroom because the heat our bodied and breath gives off but i dont understand why its so bad on the landing and stairs window.

Drew210385

I live a brand new super insulated flat and as soon as it gets cold the windows start dripping with condensation. It's just started again this week as it's got a bit colder out. I spent every day last winter mopping up all the windowsills but there has to be another way?

We keep the windows permanently open in the bedroom and spare room as the flat is so warm all year round. We rarely put the heating on. 2 or 3 days last winter. Most people have said ventilation is the key but we can't ventilate any more than we are! Any ideas?

new_owner

Finding the cause of the moisture is the key.

Drying clothes, showers etc...