Can anyone help, condensation is becoming a problem every day when I get up all the windows up stairs is really bad with condensation but the ones down stairs are fine. I keep no washing on the radiators and keep the windows open as long as possible, if there anything I can do or is there a product I can purchurse to help ( not a dehumidifier )
Condensation
- Thread starter Steve46
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You need to increase the ventilation to your home and find out where the humidity is coming from...
If your home suffers from damp then you may find that now your heating is coming on then the heat from the radiators and heating pipes are drying the walls causing the condensation..I noticed increased condensation on my windows this year and tracked it down to a damaged flexible pipe feeding my built in coffee machine..Just a drip now and then makes all the difference
The best way to increase ventilation is to use a heat recovery unit, it takes the warm stale air and passes it through a heat exchanger to transfer the heat to fresh air being drawn in and expelling the stale air
If your home suffers from damp then you may find that now your heating is coming on then the heat from the radiators and heating pipes are drying the walls causing the condensation..I noticed increased condensation on my windows this year and tracked it down to a damaged flexible pipe feeding my built in coffee machine..Just a drip now and then makes all the difference
The best way to increase ventilation is to use a heat recovery unit, it takes the warm stale air and passes it through a heat exchanger to transfer the heat to fresh air being drawn in and expelling the stale air
Do you dry the washing upstairs even if not on the radiators? If the washing dries, the water content has evaporated into the room regardless of whether placed on a radiator or not. Vapour has to go somewhere.
I do dry washing on an inside rack but have to open windows during the day to ventilate.
Another obvious source would be steam and mist from the bathroom arrangements. Is the bathroom upstairs? Is the an extractor fan to vent externally, do you close the door when showering, bathing?
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Why?
Opening the windows only works whilst they are open, and most people won't want them open in really cold weather when you need to control humidity the most. Certain types of properties need more than a few extractor fans on for a little bit and some limited window opening to manage condensation.
Upgrading insulation and the windows will reduce cold surfaces and drastically reduce condensation, and if done properly remove it.
However, a dehumidifier is cheap and quick with the running cost offset by the reduced ventilation required (and therefore heating).
Upstairs there is a problem, but not downstairs. That suggests a pooling of warm moist air at the top of your house.
Is the downstairs open plan, or can doors downstairs be shut during the day and at night? What happens if you keep the doors shut if you can?
Do you shut rooms upstairs during daytime and at night? What happens if you keep the doors shut?
Does "upstairs" refer to slept-in bedrooms or all rooms (e.g. any unoccupied rooms) or windows upstairs e.g. on the landing?
Do you have heating on hot during the evening, but off all night? Can you thermostat your system to keep low level heating at all times, except when you need to increase it during very cold weather?
Do you have thermostatted radiator valves?
Can you reduce the temperature of the heating upstairs using TRV or manually restricting the valves?
Can you keep a desk fan (i.e not heated) at low speed pointing at the worst window for 24 hours, and see what the difference, if any, would be?
Can you ventilate occupied bedrooms for a short period 15-30 min in the mornings by opening windows wide with the door shut, on cold or dry, but not wet or damp weather days? (on very cold days the outside humidity will always be very low, but on mild days the humidity can be high)
To sum up - compartmentalize your house to prevent a convected temperature gradient; heat less but continuously, not intermittently high; keep bedrooms cooler; increase air movement over troublesome condensation areas to prevent those areas from being colder than the rest of the room; ventilate problem rooms when conditions allow.
Is the downstairs open plan, or can doors downstairs be shut during the day and at night? What happens if you keep the doors shut if you can?
Do you shut rooms upstairs during daytime and at night? What happens if you keep the doors shut?
Does "upstairs" refer to slept-in bedrooms or all rooms (e.g. any unoccupied rooms) or windows upstairs e.g. on the landing?
Do you have heating on hot during the evening, but off all night? Can you thermostat your system to keep low level heating at all times, except when you need to increase it during very cold weather?
Do you have thermostatted radiator valves?
Can you reduce the temperature of the heating upstairs using TRV or manually restricting the valves?
Can you keep a desk fan (i.e not heated) at low speed pointing at the worst window for 24 hours, and see what the difference, if any, would be?
Can you ventilate occupied bedrooms for a short period 15-30 min in the mornings by opening windows wide with the door shut, on cold or dry, but not wet or damp weather days? (on very cold days the outside humidity will always be very low, but on mild days the humidity can be high)
To sum up - compartmentalize your house to prevent a convected temperature gradient; heat less but continuously, not intermittently high; keep bedrooms cooler; increase air movement over troublesome condensation areas to prevent those areas from being colder than the rest of the room; ventilate problem rooms when conditions allow.
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