Condensation problem

darich

I live in an early 70s bungalow and when we moved in were plagued with condensation. We traced it to a leaking pipe below the floor and a constant supply of moisture which then gave us the problem.
That was fixed over a year ago and the problem reduced.
I recently fitted loft insulation and now in the current cold snap (-6 where i am) i've noticed that there is condensation in one corner of one room where the wall, gable end and eaves meet. There is actually frost on the underside of the sarking in that corner. That frost is helping keep that corner cold and contributing to the condensation.

This morning i noticed that in several places, the ceiling is damp and cold because of condensation. I've done my best to ensure the loft insulation is positioned on the ceiling right up to the edge but it seems there are too many damp patches for me to have missed that many areas.

The loft is always cold in the winter so i don't think too much heat is escaping into it and it seems well ventilated because i can see several points of daylight at vent tiles and at the eaves etc.

We bought a de-humidifer and it's often full or almost full after one night.

Is there something i can do or change that will reduce the condensation on the walls/ceilings and windows?

I'm open to any ideas you come up with!

thanks
D

economiser

Do you have any background heating? Assuming the problem is condensation then you normally need a combination of heat and ventilation to get rid of it. I don't think the frost is keeping the corner cold, its the cold that's allowing the frost to occur. Are you sure its condensation and not a leak. Melting frost penetrating somehow? It seems odd that you should have condensation on an insulated ceiling unless the room is very, very cold.

darich

Thanks eco.
The room cools at night but not to the point that I'd expect that level of condensation. My only guess is that the eaves are cold and that's transferring to the ceiling even though it's insulated. That cold surface is the obvious spot for any condensation.

We have full central heating but it's off at night and comes on around a half hour before we get up.

if i want the heating on even for an hour at night i'd need to buy a replacement control unit for the central heating because it only allows 2 periods of heating.

maninthestreet

I thought that loft insulation should not be placed right up to the edge, to allow air currents to pass throught the roof to prevent condensation forming in the loft space.

darich

Thanks guys
The condensation isn't in the loft - it's in the house.
And the loft does feel and draughty. It's dry in there aswell.

We don't have cavity wall insulation but have spoken about it.
We do dry clothes in the house but make sure the dehumidifer is in the same room, cooking and showering is done with the window open.