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[Help] Condensation nightmare



KZNSeagull

KZNSeagull

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
19,830
Wolsingham, County Durham
Definitely a dehumidifier, they work really well. We had one when we bought a new house when we first got married 25 years ago. I cannot remember how big the water collector was in it (10 to 15 litres) but it filled up pretty much every day in the winter.
 




Super Steve Earle

Super Steve Earle

Well-known member
Feb 23, 2009
8,368
North of Brighton
Lockdown doesn't help. Are you working from home? The problem could be that you are breathing in the flat too much. Can you get out more?
 


DarrenFreemansPerm

DarrenFreemansPerm

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sep 28, 2010
17,335
Shoreham
I have a constant battle with condensation in my house. I try to avoid air drying clothes indoors, we have a condenser tumble dryer which I only run during the day with windows open, I have an extractor in the bathroom and always use the hood and open to the kitchen window when cooking and I crack the windows open during the day to allow circulation, I also have one of the excellent Karcher Window Vacs. My biggest problem is that Mrs DFP doesn’t care about the condensation, when our boy is having his bath before bed time she leaves the door open so steam filters out into the house, she’ll cook without using the hood or opening a window, she loves air drying and NEVER opens a window, she also insists on having the heating cranked right up which is the perfect storm for the dreaded moisture. We had a dehumidifier last winter which made a big difference but it’s packed up now :(
 


middletoenail

middletoenail

Well-known member
Jul 2, 2008
3,571
Hong Kong
Guys, I have lived in the tropics for the best part of 10 years and a dehumidifier is the way to go, if you're facing these issues, and you don't want to spend a fortune.

They're cheap to buy, and cheap to run. I use Phillips which do a decent 2/1 air filtration system.... At the moment I do live in China, where air quality is poor, hence this suggestion.
 


figgis

figgis

Active member
Mar 23, 2012
467
Worthing
Binney on acid said:
I live in a two storey block of 4 flats that suffer from a condensation nightmare. The inside of the windows are invariably covered in moisture and the sills have water on them most of the time. The flats are 30 years old. Obviously I could leave the windows wide open, but that won't be a great option during the winter. I could have the windows replaced with ones that are vented, but that would cost mega bucks, and I'm not sure that it would resolve the problem. Can anyone recommend a local company (BN1) that specialise in resolving a problem of this nature?
Click to expand...

Get trickle Vents retro fitted in all the Windows.
 




yxee

yxee

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2011
2,521
Manchester
Another vote for dehumidifier. We're emptying ours every 2 days. I can't believe that much water is just sitting in the air. It's like ten litres.

Also if you have any particularly bad spots (Windows/walls) try to avoid curtains that are very close and inhibit are circulation. And consider getting a cheap fan to keep your circulated around it. Condensation can only happen when the air next to the cold surface is allowed to sit there
 


figgis

figgis

Active member
Mar 23, 2012
467
Worthing
yxee said:
Another vote for dehumidifier. We're emptying ours every 2 days. I can't believe that much water is just sitting in the air. It's like ten litres.

Also if you have any particularly bad spots (Windows/walls) try to avoid curtains that are very close and inhibit are circulation. And consider getting a cheap fan to keep your circulated around it. Condensation can only happen when the air next to the cold surface is allowed to sit there
Click to expand...

If you get trickle vents you won't need a dehumidifier
 






figgis

figgis

Active member
Mar 23, 2012
467
Worthing
yxee said:
I have trickle vents in all windows and can guarantee I still need a dehumidifier
Click to expand...

The house is getting too hot have you checked the boiler and wall thermostat are working correctly.
 








phoenix

phoenix

Well-known member
May 18, 2009
2,605
Binney on acid said:
I live in a two storey block of 4 flats that suffer from a condensation nightmare. The inside of the windows are invariably covered in moisture and the sills have water on them most of the time. The flats are 30 years old. Obviously I could leave the windows wide open, but that won't be a great option during the winter. I could have the windows replaced with ones that are vented, but that would cost mega bucks, and I'm not sure that it would resolve the problem. Can anyone recommend a local company (BN1) that specialise in resolving a problem of this nature?
Click to expand...

You don't have to leave windows "wide open" as said previously just a little will work wonders. If you can do a couple of windows you will get a good flow.
 








B

Binney on acid

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Nov 30, 2003
2,498
Shoreham
Thanks so much to all of you for your constructive input. The flats ere constructed 30 years ago to a really high specification, but somehow no ventilation bricks were installed. I wonder whether this could be done retrospectively ? The problem is so severe, I don't think there's a cheap, easy solution. I was using a towel to wipe the windows and window ledges down, but putting a wet towel on a heated radiator just ensures that the cycle continues. Putting the towel in a tumble dryer only exacerbates the problem. I'm not in a desperate hurry to crank up the heating and have the windows open. It's neither environmentally or wallet friendly.
 


B

Billy the Fish

Technocrat
Oct 18, 2005
17,503
Haywards Heath
Binney on acid said:
Thanks so much to all of you for your constructive input. The flats ere constructed 30 years ago to a really high specification, but somehow no ventilation bricks were installed. I wonder whether this could be done retrospectively ? The problem is so severe, I don't think there's a cheap, easy solution. I was using a towel to wipe the windows and window ledges down, but putting a wet towel on a heated radiator just ensures that the cycle continues. Putting the towel in a tumble dryer only exacerbates the problem. I'm not in a desperate hurry to crank up the heating and have the windows open. It's neither environmentally or wallet friendly.
Click to expand...

Blimey, have you spoken to any other residents to see if they've got the same issue? If it's every flat in the building you might all be able to go the the freeholder and get it corrected.

As a short term fix a dehumidifier and a decent humidity monitor would definitely help you've got to wonder if there's mould growing in places you can't see.
 


WATFORD zero

WATFORD zero

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 10, 2003
25,876
Another vote for dehumidifier, it actually takes the moisture out and leaves the air in the house drier.

Got ours out the loft a week ago. When the weather turns cold (as it has in last week or so), condensation gets worse. This happens even though we have extractor fans in bathrooms and kitchen, but this time of year we always get a little on the windows overnight, the first few cold nights.

Run the dehumidifier for a few hours a day, in different parts of the house for about a week and Bob's your Auntie's live in lover :thumbsup:

(Also put it on Xmas day in the kitchen when eveything's going mad for hours).
 


Bold Seagull

Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
29,808
Hove
Binney on acid said:
Thanks so much to all of you for your constructive input. The flats ere constructed 30 years ago to a really high specification, but somehow no ventilation bricks were installed. I wonder whether this could be done retrospectively ? The problem is so severe, I don't think there's a cheap, easy solution. I was using a towel to wipe the windows and window ledges down, but putting a wet towel on a heated radiator just ensures that the cycle continues. Putting the towel in a tumble dryer only exacerbates the problem. I'm not in a desperate hurry to crank up the heating and have the windows open. It's neither environmentally or wallet friendly.
Click to expand...

You shouldn't need the windows open constantly. A couple of 'purges' a day will help. A window open during cooking and showering will also help, if you're drying anything too, even if just a bit. The building regs is 5000sq mm background trickle ventilation to a habitable room. If that trickle vent is 500mm wide, it only needs to be 10mm high. So it isn't very much. If you look at a window opening, like a small vent window, and it only needs to be open a fraction to give you close to that 5000sq mm.

At night might be worth trying leaving say a kitchen or living room window open a fraction and see if it makes an overall difference to the condensation before you go to works expense like retrofitting wall vents (which can be fairly simple to install).
 




Arthur

Arthur

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
8,577
Buxted Harbour
Binney on acid said:
Thanks so much to all of you for your constructive input. The flats ere constructed 30 years ago to a really high specification, but somehow no ventilation bricks were installed. I wonder whether this could be done retrospectively ? The problem is so severe, I don't think there's a cheap, easy solution. I was using a towel to wipe the windows and window ledges down, but putting a wet towel on a heated radiator just ensures that the cycle continues. Putting the towel in a tumble dryer only exacerbates the problem. I'm not in a desperate hurry to crank up the heating and have the windows open. It's neither environmentally or wallet friendly.
Click to expand...

If you want a cheap thing to try give one of these a go https://www.amazon.co.uk/AERO-Ultra...G6VCATKEA4W&psc=1&refRID=WW2THFPG4G6VCATKEA4W

Might not have enough grunt for your problem but they have worked well for me.
 


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