Window Condensation

Skyline

Skyline

Emmet Brickowski
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On all the back windows to our house the sun never hits them. So this time of year the condensation gets bad. Is there anything you use to help get rid of it?
I've got those Dehumidifier that fill up with water but they don't take away half of it. Rest of the time is a every wipe with a towel.
 
Point a fan at the window in question? air flow is key to keeping condensation down.
 
Steep said:
Point a fan at the window in question? air flow is key to keeping condensation down.
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Patio, kitchen. 3 upstairs windows all get it. They're the ones that no sun never hits.
 
Ah...at last- something I know about- I can talk all day about construction, not so much about photography. Don't use the radiator in the room to dry your washing, make sure there's a free flow of air through the room and a dehumidifier is always a good answer but there are good ones and bad ones.

As you're doing now- keep wiping the condensation, don't let it build up.
 
Skyline said:
Patio, kitchen. 3 upstairs windows all get it. They're the ones that no sun never hits.
Click to expand...

As Justine says, air flow is the key.
 
Applemuncher said:
Ah...at last- something I know about- I can talk all day about construction, not so much about photography. Don't use the radiator in the room to dry your washing, make sure there's a free flow of air through the room and a dehumidifier is always a good answer but there are good ones and bad ones.

As you're doing now- keep wiping the condensation, don't let it build up.
Click to expand...

Cheers. Free air flow might be hard this time of year but I can do the rest :)
 
If the dehumidifier isn't touching it then essentially you either have shocking airflow or there is some source of moisture .

Do you get damp too walls too?

Do you dry clothes inside? Do you run extractor fans when washing up/in the bathroom etc?
 
I hate (with a passion) a stuffy house so my windows are rarely closed except in the coldest of weather and I still get condensation on (some of) them. A strategically placed fan cures it, ok it's not the most noise friendly piece of equipment but I run it during the day when no-one is home.
 
We have a very good dehumidifier and alternate it upstairs and down. It always suprises me how much water it pulls out of the air.
 
I suffered pretty bad at my old house a 1930`s double brick no cavity
It has all been pretty much covered Air Flow is key
Lagging in the loft and Cavity Wall Insulation will help usually free from British Gas if you Qualify
Dont dry washing on the Rads if you can help it
When Bathing or cooking Open the window in that room and close the door
The dehumidifier will always help
Breathing at night causes moisture in the air so airbricks will help or a window opened on the vent option
If you have UPVC windows you can have the vents retro fitted
If your windows are soaked in the morning my advice is to buy a Karcher Window Vac its much easier than using a shammy
Regards Craig
 
I have to say just this year I bought a condenser tumble dryer for the kitchen (always used a normal dryer out in the shed) and I am amazed at the amount of water that comes out of a load of clothes.
 
neil_g said:
If the dehumidifier isn't touching it then essentially you either have shocking airflow or there is some source of moisture .

Do you get damp too walls too?

Do you dry clothes inside? Do you run extractor fans when washing up/in the bathroom etc?
Click to expand...

Tumble dryer in the garage.

No damp walls.

extractor fan runs when in the bathroom.

It's just the back windows of the house. Patio doors and our rear bedroom window get it the worse (the rear one, front one is fine. We have 2 windows in the our bedroom).
 
neil_g said:
youre sure you dont have an exterior damp issue coming through?

just sounds like an abnormal build up of moisture in the air to me.
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Not that I know of. The 2 windows that get it the most get cold this time of year. The back of my house (not the garden, just the house) is in shadow all year.
 
Skyline said:
The back of my house (not the garden, just the house) is in shadow all year.
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The front of ours is North facing, but don't have a problem. Are yours D/glazed ?

Might be worth checking troughings etc.
 
I live in a bungalow, notorious compared to a house for condensation. Over the years we have tried everything known to man to keep it under control. The only thing that works is a large dehumidifier running 24/7. We have got that used to it running to the point that when it knocks off because it's full its a rush to empty it as the silence is deafening .
 
RIR said:
+1 for the Karcher window vac
Click to expand...
I use one on a north facing, box bay window in my bedroom this time of the year. Great tool to remove excess condensation. As has been said, improved ventilation is key to reducing condensation.
 
we are the same it is a window squeagie and a shammie.
we also have a dessicant dehumidifier which we move about.
 
I use the karcher window vac. We have an ensuite and the extractor fan is pretty rubbish so we need to replace. I keep the bedroom door closed to stop the cats from sleeping in our bed so airflow is an issue too.
 
Air flow! What are windows made of? PVC or Ali ? Trickle vents installed and used properly?
 
Craig1969 said:
I suffered pretty bad at my old house a 1930`s double brick no cavity
It has all been pretty much covered Air Flow is key
Lagging in the loft and Cavity Wall Insulation will help usually free from British Gas if you Qualify
Dont dry washing on the Rads if you can help it
When Bathing or cooking Open the window in that room and close the door
The dehumidifier will always help
Breathing at night causes moisture in the air so airbricks will help or a window opened on the vent option
If you have UPVC windows you can have the vents retro fitted
If your windows are soaked in the morning my advice is to buy a Karcher Window Vac its much easier than using a shammy
Regards Craig
Click to expand...

That pretty much sounds like our house and what we do to combat condensation!

The only place the walls get wet are in the corner of the hall which is the north east corner of the house.

Just started running the dehumidifier again and have it running whilst we're in the bathroom in addition the the extractor fan and having the window open a little.

Our windows don't have trickle vents but I think they're quite old so it's possibly a case of making do until the windows need replacing.

Wouldn't be without the Karcher window vac either...... plus it's a lot easier to remove the water from the bathroom floor that my two year old decides she doesn't want in the bath :LOL:
 
Get new windows! I've been doing them 24 years!!
 
Mark twiglet said:
Get new windows! I've been doing them 24 years!!
Click to expand...

I would love to, however as they're still functioning there are other things that are waaaaaay higher on the priority list for repair/replacement that we don't have the money for :LOL:

I'd dread to think what replacing all the windows would cost :eek:
 
Craig1912 said:
We installed one of these and cured the problem-much cheaper to run than a dehumidifier

http://www.nuaire.co.uk/our-products/Residential/products?pt=1685
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define cheaper? would be interesting to know some figures.

for example we have a £130 Meaco 10L dehumidifier which came highly recommended turned on 24/7 (kicks in and out when it detects a certain level) and its not really noticeable on the electricity bill compared to all of the other stuff that is plugged in.
 
neil_g said:
define cheaper? would be interesting to know some figures.

for example we have a £130 Meaco 10L dehumidifier which came highly recommended turned on 24/7 (kicks in and out when it detects a certain level) and its not really noticeable on the electricity bill compared to all of the other stuff that is plugged in.
Click to expand...
Well a nuaire will cost around 1p a day to run- a Meaco dd8 costs 5p an hour. It is not just cost though-the nuaire gives you better air quality without overdrying and once installed other than changing the filters every 5 years you can forget it.
 
Craig1912 said:
around £250 to buy dep nding on model. http://www.i-sells.co.uk/nuaire-dri...pgrXvkv7D6VPtnmR_xyiZwvANDRhigQL9gBoCkfvw_wcB

I got a local electrician to install mine -think it was a couple of hours work. You could DIY if you are handy enough to cut a hole in the ceiling and electrics
Click to expand...

This sounds like something that could work for us, thanks for the information. One question, does it make much noise? The worse room in the house for us is the kids bedroom but it might not be suitable if it's to noisy, we have a dehumidifier but that is to noisy to run while they are asleep.
 
SteveSc said:
This sounds like something that could work for us, thanks for the information. One question, does it make much noise? The worse room in the house for us is the kids bedroom but it might not be suitable if it's to noisy, we have a dehumidifier but that is to noisy to run while they are asleep.
Click to expand...

It's something I'm now definitely considering, the house we're in is likely to be our "forever" house (provided we don't win the lottery :LOL: ) so a few hundred quid spent now might be a good investment.

However as you've said Steve, the noise would have to be a consideration before getting one installed although I guess a low constant hum (I'm assuming that's the sort of noise one of these produces) would probably fade into the background over time?
 
The human body expels about 1/2 pint of fluid a night in breath vapour and sweat alone! If you sleep with windows shut and door shut where does all this vapour go? Also having a room with a radiator NOT under the window causes cold areas in window area! Warm moist air hits cold glass window....... condensation forms!
 
Mark twiglet said:
The human body expels about 1/2 pint of fluid a night in breath vapour and sweat alone! If you sleep with windows shut and door shut where does all this vapour go? Also having a room with a radiator NOT under the window causes cold areas in window area! Warm moist air hits cold glass window....... condensation forms!
Click to expand...

We have three kids in the same room and generally have the window open and sometimes the door as well but condensation still builds up and through the winter we often have issues with mold on the walls and window.
 
Suffering from the mould in corners or around windows I recommend a spray bleach (use with caution) when its clear use Tompsons damp seal and then paint or paper over
regards Craig
 
SteveSc said:
This sounds like something that could work for us, thanks for the information. One question, does it make much noise? The worse room in the house for us is the kids bedroom but it might not be suitable if it's to noisy, we have a dehumidifier but that is to noisy to run while they are asleep.
Click to expand...
We used to have a dehumidifier and agree that is quite noisy and couldn't be left on the landing at night. The Nuaire is virtually silent. Some useful stuff here

http://www.drimaster-piv-condensation-system.co.uk/nuaire-drimaster-piv-condensation-heat/

oh and it is normally installed so the outlet is in the landing ceiling not in any bedroom. If there is any downside it is that when it is very cold outside the landing can feeler cooler, but a small sacrifice to get rid of condensation.
 
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Craig1912 said:
We used to have a dehumidifier and agree that is quite noisy and couldn't be left on the landing at night. The Nuaire is virtually silent. Some useful stuff here

http://www.drimaster-piv-condensation-system.co.uk/nuaire-drimaster-piv-condensation-heat/

oh and it is normally installed so the outlet is in the landing ceiling not in any bedroom. If there is any downside it is that when it is very cold outside the landing can feeler cooler, but a small sacrifice to get rid of condensation.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that sounds great. Will look into some more but seem just what we need.
 
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