Talk to me about condensation

[HeyMacWey]

Since autumn has appeared overnight I woke up this morning to find condensation on all the windows.

How can I minimise it?

Central heating is not yet on. House is double glazed bar two windows and generally warm in the mornings.

Have a woodburner and the last few days have been putting it on about 2ish and then putting load of coal on at about 5pm so it simmers gently all evening and ensures that it's warm when dh gets in about 11ish.

Today I've kept the upstairs windows open a few cm to keep air flowing to see if that makes a difference.

Should I keep them open all night?

Clothes have been line dried and then finished off on an airer in the bathroom with the extractor on (door closed).

I've been squeegeeing the water off first thing and then noticed condensation building up on the unglazed windows when it gets dark.

Should I put the central heating on for an hour or would that not make a difference?

Any tips most welcome

Has anyone had any good experiences using window insulation film? Have been looking on Amazon, but the reviews seem rather varied.
Our home is Victorian mid-terrace, listed, so we can't put in double-glazing. We had our windows draught-proofed this summer, but it doesn't seem to have the cut the condensation much. Not sure if the insulation film is great on wooden sash windows - also I'm worried if it doesn't work/or in summer when you remove, does it damage the window frames?

I have used the film, and it is very effective for cutting heat loss.

The tape is likely to mark the paint if you pull it off in summer. It might be possible to clean off the adhesive with Sticky Stuff Remover, but I have not tried that. It will not damage the woodwork.

p.s.

you might get permission for secondary glazing. It does not damage or involve removing the original windows, and can be very inconspicuous, especially in windows which have net curtains.

I live in a Grade 2 house and we put up secondary glazing in the winter. It works a treat. The perspex was delivered cut to size and very reasonable. The windows don't get damp at all with it on (but I guess the damp air goes somewhere else).

We also have a dehumidifier which I'll pop on for a couple of hours if we've been doing a lot of cooking/drying things on radiators.

You might find this leaflet helpful
www.spab.org.uk/downloads/warmer_bath_june2011.pdf

To quote: "Temporary, seasonal solutions to secondary glazing do not need listed building consent because they do not result in any permanent change to the character of the building, are easily reversed and have no impact on the fabric of the original window".

The local museum/art gallery (also listed) was allowed to installed permanent secondary glazing (which a take a good look at to see how it is working because we might just splurge)

Oooh! Thank you to both Mausmaus and PigletJohn. That makes sense, but I wouldn't have been able to work it out myself. Every day's a school day.

Millais I've found a solution to the extractor switching off. Ours only works when the light is on, so if I have loads of condensation in the bathroom I switch the light off, remove the bulb, then switch the light back on so the fan runs without powering the bulb. I'm sure people will throw their hands up in horror at me doing this but it works for me.

I was just wondering...pigletjohn has asked a few people if they have water meters,I do and we have bad condensation in my ds bedroom which means me wiping the window most mornings in winter and I often have to remove mould from the walls around his window.we have the same problem in our bedroom but not as bad,we live in a 1980 wilcon detached house with cavity wall insulation and we have fitted triple glazing,we don't hang washing around the house to dry.what I would like to know is how having a water meter could cause damp?we can't smell damp in the kitchen where the water meter is located,what should I be looking for?

And also we open the windows daily.

water meters don't cause damp, but they can help find hidden leaks that add/cause damp.

if you have a water meter, and the bubble is moving after all taps are off, it shows that water is still flowing, so you have a leak. The speed of spinning shows how severe it is. Old pipes often leak.

An experienced plumber can detect a leak even if you have not got a meter.

If you have a bathroom fan which only works when the light is on, make sure you have an energy-saving lamp, and leave it on until the room is dry. This will make the cost of electricity insignificant.

The run-on time of timed fans is usually adjustable. You probably need to disconnect it and remove from the wall. A good time to adjust it is when you are fitting a new, better, fan and have the instructions to hand. Electrical understanding and care is required.

Ah iv got it I don't think anything is leaking but will check and we've had the guttering and drainpipes checked and they're ok but we have no extractor in the bathroom so will look at getting one fitted although we do open the window when we have baths or showers.we are using moisture traps at the moment but we are looking at getting a dehumidifier,thanks for this thread iv learnt some interesting stuff.

The windows are in a right state so we're just in the process of getting double glazing quotes... will this make a big difference with regards to the condensation?

I think it will make a difference to condensation, but not humidity.

condensation problems occur when humid air hits a cold object.

agree, no condensation on the windows doesn't mean that airing isn't neccessary any more. quite the contrary actually.

Thanks for all the advice on this thread - hugely useful.

I think that someone further up may have asked this question but I couldn't find the reply. I hang my washing on clothes airers around my house as I haven't got a tumble dryer. What can I do to reduce the risk of condensation?

Hanging it in the bathroom is not a solution as mine is tiny and the clothes takes around 2 days to dry.

get a more powerful bathroom extractor. If you have room above the ceiling for a ducted inline fan you will be astonished at its power.

If you have a utility room or a kitchen with an extractor, that will do.

Spreading washing round the house is just delivering water to your walls, and heated airers are even worse.

I know that people have differing budgets, but see if you could manage a drier.

Thanks PigletJohn. We can actually afford a dryer but have no space in our kitchen to put it in - I live in a small house without a utility room :(

Dryers can get stacked on top of washing machines btw. They can also go in cupboards. The perceived wisdom on this thread would seem to be your is to limit how far you spread the washing and buy a dehumidifier.

A dryer can also be put in some other room. I like vented driers, but a condenser can be put in a room where you have the ability to empty out the water vessel, or plumb it to a drain. They can even go in a bathroom but must be wired without a plug and socket (unless you have an enormous bathroom where it can be three metres from the fixed bath or shower). Condenser driers need ventilation as they emit a small amount of steam.

If you have an airing cupboard, it might fit in there, especially if the cylinder was removed when you bought a combi.

I have my condenser dryer in my bedroom (I know it seems odd!) moved it there when I was having a new kitchen fitted -and actually love it! Don't want to move it. Warms the room, I can use the bed to smooth and fold (I don't iron) and to sort piles for going away, and lots of stuff can go straight into the drawers (after a brief airing)...
We bought a freezer to fit in its space in the kitchen (lots of freezer space - added bonus!)
We have a new house we are renovating with a utility - so keeping in a bedroom would be REALLY odd - but tempted!
If you do need to go for a condenser - as I said up thread - some are better than others at not producing condensation - 'Which' I think did a review - cheaper ones seemed to be the worst culprits for letting moisture escaping into the air...

Since my op I think I've got the condensation under control. I think the first few nights were just the house drying out as it seemed to get cold almost overnight.

Line drying as much as possible and in the bathroom. Bathroom door closed when showering etc so not so much warm damp air circulating round the house.

Upstairs windows open first thing then just open a few cm to keep air flow. Wiping down any condensation asap. Haven't bought the karcher window vac as it seems under control. If the windows were sopping I'd definitely get one as it's such a faff with a squeegee and rag.

Still just using the woodburner mainly for heat but might pop it on every now and again to air /dry off clothes quickly.

Am dreaming of a utility room complete with tumble dryer but that's never going to happen.

Which dehumidifier did you buy? I'm confused by the choice available.