Guest post: How to deal with condensation in your home

Condensation can cause some serious problems when it’s not quickly dealt with. It can potentially cause damp, which can lead to mould – which isn’t a good look for any home. Condensation usually reaches its prime during the winter, so in our new article we will be covering the following topics:

• What is Condensation?
• Is damp really caused by condensation?
• Insulation reduces condensation
• Control the humidity
• Mould Proofing

To help you deal with all of your condensation problems, read on to find out more!

Why do people hate condensation?

Like mentioned prior, condensation can be a real pain. Excessive moisture and wet surfaces can weaken the foundations of a home, making your home much more vulnerable to collapsing. However, this is an example of a disproportionate amount of condensation and mould, caused by years of excessive moisture and mould.

#1 What Condensation?

This is for those who have no idea what condensation is. According to the Oxford dictionary, condensation is ‘water which collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it’. Condensation is formed when warm, or ‘humid’ air comes in contact with a cold surface, causing the air to cool too quickly, creating small droplets on the cold surface.

How to spot condensation?

Condensation is pretty easy to spot, and there are certain things that indicate condensation, including:

Damp areas on walls
Peeling wallpaper
Mould around on window frames, ceilings and walls
Damp and musty smell

#2 Is Damp really caused by Condensation?

Most people are unsure whether or not condensation is responsible for the appearance of damp. However, there is no easy way to answer this question as there are many different types of damp, and each is caused by various factors.

Penetrating Damp
This kind of damp usually occurs when water gets through the outer barrier of the property. A consistent amount of rain usually causes penetrating damp, but a defective roof, damaged windows and faulty brickwork can also be significant factors.

Essentially penetrating damp can reveal itself in a number of ways, and finding the root problem is beneficial if you want to deal with it. If penetrating damp is your problem, then try and get your brickwork repointed and have your walls, windows and roof sealed, and hopefully that should do the trick.

If not, you could consider getting your property rendered, as it will leave your home with a water impermeable protective layer, keeping your home damp free for much longer.

Rising Damp
Rising damp occurs when standing or ground water rises through the brickwork and into your home through the capillary action. Rising damp usually happens in older homes, which have been around for 100 years or more, as they were not built with a damp-proof course. A damp-roof course is a barrier build into the walls, which prevent water from rising above it.

There are various ways you can deal with rising damp, including, adding a damp-roof course, using a DPC Injection and finally draining the land just outside the building. However, the last option tends to be very expensive.

Condensation
This is the type of damp caused by condensation, and it’s one of the most common forms of damp. This usually appears due to a lack of ventilation in a certain room, and you can contact a specialist to help you identify the source of the problem. However, it’s likely down to excess humidity.

#3 Insulation reduces condensation

There are many ways you can insulate your home to combat both damp and condensation. For damp, installing wall insulation can help as thin un-insulated walls get cold easily, and the moisture from the air resting on them is a perfect breeding ground for mould.

For condensation itself, consider getting Double Glazing Windows. Companies like Click glazing offer great advice on double glazing.
Double Glazed Windows contain two windowpanes with argon gas in the middle. Their components help insulate your home from the cold air outside, reducing the amount of condensation occurring. It’s not a permanent solution, but it definitely helps.

#4 Control the humidity

As we mentioned briefly before, humidity is one of the main causes of damp, which is caused by condensation.

Reducing the amount of moisture built up in the air can potentially reduce the amount of condensation in your home, and there are many ways you can do this, including:

Purchasing a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier does exactly what its name says; it sucks up all of the moisture out of a room, leaving the air dry while reducing condensation. However, they can be expensive and very loud.

Fitting in vents with your windows allows dryer and cooler air to enter the room, diffusing the moist air, which decreases condensation.

You can also try and take fewer showers, or turn on the fan or open a window while you are cooking, as all of these activities produce steam, which contributes to the condensation.

Mould Proofing

Mould is caused by an excess amount of damp, which is caused by condensation, and it can leave your home looking dirty and could cause health problems such as asthma in the long run.

There are some ways you could deal with mould; one way is to use Asanex, this will help get rid of the mould on your wall, and prevent future mould from growing.

You could also try and heat a surface directly, for example, if you notice mould in your kitchen, try using an infrared heater to heat that specific area, and the amount of mould would reduce – A warmer surface means less condensation.

A Quick Recap…

In conclusion, condensation is a huge problem as it can lead to both damp and mould. It’s better to deal with it quickly either by installing double glazing windows, purchasing a dehumidifier, or using a more hands-on approach and opening windows and taking less or colder showers. If you follow the tips we mentioned prior; then you will notice a decrease of condensation in your home, leaving your home much better for longer!

Thank you to Gudideas and Click Glazing for their guest post this week.

If you would like to discover more about energy efficient windows from Noreus, click here or request a call back.