Condensation in corners of bedroom

dsw_123

Moist air takes more energy to get warm and stay warm  compared to dry air so removing that moisture will reduce the amount of energy required to maintain a comfortable temperature.  The condensation is caused when moist warm air hits a cold surface  (such as  a single glazed window or a badly insulated wall) and the dewpoint is exceeded  resulting in that water now condensing to liquid. These damp patches will also encourage the formation of mould.  Improved insulation and double glazing will minimise  cold areas surfaces prone to damp.  This should le combined with minimising the amount of moisture in the air and improving ventilation.  If you seal a house up like a box but do not minimise relative humidity and improve insulation then you will have damp.You can get simple temperature /humidity probes to see how "big" the problem is.

Simple solutions

1 Do not dry clothes indoors, all of that moisture goes into the air and will then condense on cold surfaces.
2. When showering or bathing extract the resultant steam and have window open to get rid of it.
3.When cooking put a lid on the pan to reduce the amount of steam produced and extract to the outside.
4. Consider buying a Dehumidifier to reduce humidity and decrease condensation

Effician

_Sam_ said:

Ours too is just the noise of the fan, the air being pushed through, (i.e. there is no engine or motor noise like a generator for example). It's just that you can hear the fan noise and for some people this can be annoying. 

To me I just think great, it's doing its job! We would also have it on max 3 fan setting which is the loudest, but doesn't bother us even in the bedroom at night.

The fan on the dehumidifier was the main reason we were seeing less condensation on windows,  sold the dehumidifier last Nov & just use fans now which means for us  less condensation , not such dry uncomfortable air & cheaper running costs.

_Sam_

Effician said:

The fan on the dehumidifier was the main reason we were seeing less condensation on windows,  sold the dehumidifier last Nov & just use fans now which means for us  less condensation , not such dry uncomfortable air & cheaper running costs.

Since we started using dehumidifier we have no condensation at all. We do use it most every day though.

They were relatively inexpensive (compared to air conditioning units!) so I decided to buy the one with most features Meaco Zambezi. It allows to set a percentage of humidity to be achieved, and once it gets there it automatically stops dehumidifying until it senses the humidity on the rise then it kicks in again. 

After initial heightened activity, now it doesn't kick in all that often. Although I'm still careful to run it when it sunny from solar energy, or at night when the electricity is cheap. (But our dehumidifier is quite hungry electricity-wise because it is desiccant, most people use compressor units which are less demanding.)

The humidity in the house is now around 50%ish, and we set dehumidifier to lower it to 40%. This is a usually recommended range, and they say the air becomes uncomfortable when humidity drops below 30% so we never go there.

Effician

_Sam_ said:

Effician said:

The fan on the dehumidifier was the main reason we were seeing less condensation on windows,  sold the dehumidifier last Nov & just use fans now which means for us  less condensation , not such dry uncomfortable air & cheaper running costs.

Since we started using dehumidifier we have no condensation at all. We do use it most every day though.

They were relatively inexpensive (compared to air conditioning units!) so I decided to buy the one with most features Meaco Zambezi. It allows to set a percentage of humidity to be achieved, and once it gets there it automatically stops dehumidifying until it senses the humidity on the rise then it kicks in again. 

After initial heightened activity, now it doesn't kick in all that often. Although I'm still careful to run it when it sunny from solar energy, or at night when the electricity is cheap. (But our dehumidifier is quite hungry electricity-wise because it is desiccant, most people use compressor units which are less demanding.)

The humidity in the house is now around 50%ish, and we set dehumidifier to lower it to 40%. This is a usually recommended range, and they say the air becomes uncomfortable when humidity drops below 30% so we never go there.

Ours was a ecoair desiccant so similar to the zambezi  in many ways, the thing with the desiccant type is they can raise air temp quite a bit in a medium sized room due to the 300w/600w  heating element  ,this has the effect of lowering RH without even extracting water from the air ie raise the room from 17c at 50% rh to 19c & you're already down to 45% rh.,  combine this heat with a fan & you have essentially a fan heater which will keep internal wall & window pane temps above dew point.

You may not be aware but the humidistats are not that accurate either on dehumidifiers , usually calibrated at + or - 5%rh  when new & can drift considerably over time so not to be taken too seriously . https://blog.meaco.com/why-is-your-dehumidifier-not-agreeing-with-your-humidity-meter/ 

MalMonroe

diego_94 said:

Have terrible condensation in main bedroom on the windows which I wipe off every morning, but what is concerning me more is that it is happening in the corner of the bedroom with some water running down the wall. Its started to go black, and has funnily enough got worse since we had new windows.

We are an Semi detached and the bedroom is on the outside corner, so 2 of the walls are external, these are extremely cold to touch especially in the cold weather we are having this week, and the cold weather we had before Christmas. There is no cavity wall insulation in the house, we looked to have it and were advised against it by the surveyor. As a result it is a cold house, and with the energy prices the way they are, we try to keep the heating off as much as possible. The bedroom gets down to about 12-13 degrees overnight

I open the windows every morning for 15 - 20 mins but it just gets wetter when I do this, I cant keep them on vent lock overnight as its so bloody cold and I'm not keeping the heating on all night. The windows don't have trickle vents. We do dry clothes inside, but this is in another bedroom (not no a radiator) and we keep the windows on vent when clothes are drying.

At a loss, what else can be tried? Thinking of a dehumidifier and maybe internal wall insulation? Any advice appreciated.

Hello, going back to the water in the corner of the bedroom, have you had your gutters checked? Sometimes they get blocked and the result is water inside a property. In the corners of rooms is a very common thing when gutters need clearing or replacing (I only know that courtesy of Homes Under the Hammer!) - especially on outside walls.

I honestly would not be able to live in a house such as yours. It does sound as if something needs to be checked, double-checked and put right. If the problem has worsened since the windows were fitted, then I'd have to have the window fitting company back to check that they have been installed properly.

Why on earth did the surveyor advise against wall insulation? I'd have someone else round to give me proper advice - or at least a better solution than 'no'.

Living in a cold, damp atmosphere is certainly not good for anyone. Whether you're under an electric blanket in bed (with a cold nose???! Just - no!)

My daughter and I are just coming to terms with our flat being heated to only 18C after having been used to 20C in the past and while we find it quite bearable when we use comfy throws when we are sitting, it's not as cosy as it used to be in here. Anything lower than that would be a very miserable existence and I do feel for you.

I'd definitely look into getting gutters and windows checked, seeing about that external wall insulation and maybe having a dehumidifier (not sure how much they cost to run, though, I have to say). 

There's some information in this link - https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/fixing-damp-and-condensation/

And a recent report by the UK's Housing Ombudsman (relating primarily to rented accommodation but in part relevant to everyone) states that damp and mould issues are 'not related to lifestyle' - as is usually assumed. So it's not about where and how you dry clothes or open windows and/or doors or use dehumidifiers because it's not always an occupier's fault. Sometimes there are definite faults in a building that are not addressed or which are overlooked. There is a lot of information about that online.

And if you google something like "free advice about damp and condensation", links pop up of companies who offer free surveys and advice. They may be wanting to sell you something afterwards but of course you can say no.

I do hope you manage to get this sorted though because it's an ongoing, horrible problem and you do deserve to be warm - yes, even in bed. Cold and damp are not your friends.

This is, of course, just my own opinion but I hope that some of it is helpful. 

Eldi_Dos

_Sam_ said:

There is also something inherently satisfying when you empty the tank and litres of water go down the drain and you appreciate this water is no longer in the house!

If you live in a area with hard water the water from a dehumidifier can give you a better shave or shampoo.

Emmia

Eldi_Dos said:

_Sam_ said:

There is also something inherently satisfying when you empty the tank and litres of water go down the drain and you appreciate this water is no longer in the house!

If you live in a area with hard water the water from a dehumidifier can give you a better shave or shampoo.

But, it will be cold... Personally it just goes down the drain in our house. 

_Sam_

Eldi_Dos said:

 If you live in a area with hard water the water from a dehumidifier can give you a better shave or shampoo.

I've read that it can be full of bacteria, not sure if true but apparently it's not even recommended to water the house plants with (which I was first planning to do!)

Eldi_Dos

Yeah would not recommend drinking it but if in a hard water area will give you a better lather.

Hermann

Start with the basics, the water that condensates on the windows and walls comes from somewhere. It's transmitted by the air, warm air carries the water which then condenses on a cold surface.

Whilst you can't eliminate all sources of moisture you can substantially reduce them.

Drying clothes indoors is big contributor, every drop of water that was in the clothes is now floating around in the air ready to be water again as soon as it hits a cold surface. Vent any such air outside or use a dehumidifier that has drying clothes mode in a closed room.

Showers and baths add large volumes of water to the air in the house, combat this by keeping bathroom door closed and venting the room, ideally with an extractor fan on a timer or at the least with an open window.

Cooking also adds moisture, combat by keeping kitchen door closed and venting with an extractor fan or open window.

The less moisture you store in the household air the less there is to condensate.

An efficient dehumidifier can be a real boon as a compromise and many find they don't add hugely to the energy bills but give a noticeable benefit.

You should also check the outside of the house for any defects that allow penetrating damp, failed gutters, failed roofing, failed window cill, failed flashing/trims, failed pointing etc etc. 

Cavity wall insulation isn't suitable for all houses/locations but it's worth establishing the reasoning for it being refused. It could be that defects allowing damp through to the cavity were found and if so that's worth correcting. 

Reduce the moisture input.

Ventilate the unavoidable moisture input to the outside.