Is this drip okay - photo included

[SkyAbove]

New kitchen with boiler behind cupboard unit, vent leading out to soffit.

It's dripping when the heating is on, and creating a pool on the patio.

Is this normal and to be expected? I know the flume from the vent is bound to result in condensation but I’ve never seen pools of water where it drips from above.

Hmm, actually, I realise it’s not the boiler at all - that’s round the side of the house. This is from the bathroom. I don’t use the extractor because I don’t use the main light, yet this is dripping! Is that a way to allow the house to breathe and not build up damp and condensation, and if So, is it okay to just be pooling like that?

HI, you'll get more answers if you ask MNHQ to move this to Property and DIY.

Okay thanks

@mumsnet would it be possible to move to property and diy please?

Are the drips outside?

I think the fact you're not using the extractor fan might be at least part of the problem - the fan may force the warm moist air out of the duct before it has a chance to cool and condense.

If the fan never runs because it's activated from a light you never use, I would change the wiring of the fan so it's activated from a different light, or runs independently of any lighting (you can also get extractor fans with humidity sensors so they will keep on running until the humidity drops below a certain level).

The way the ducting is run in the loft(?) may also be an issue.

If this has only started happening since you got your new kitchen and boiler and nothing has changed with the bathroom and its extractor and duct, then I honestly don't know what the connection is.

Yes, the drips are outside and the reason the kitchen is new is because the whole house is completely a new build and this is the first winter that it is experiencing, with people living inside the building, that is. I'm so much one of those kind of people that loves no light and there is a light above the sink that is so gentle I use it morning noon and night, the overhead one is so extremely bright is too powerful and I don't ever want to use it! Is that going to be a problem?

If it is dripping outside I wouldn't worry about it. However you will need to run the fan occasionally if you get damp issues indoors.

It’s not a problem to use the small light, but check it doesn’t get hot as it might be an expensive bulb if so!!

you could take the bulb out of the main light and just remember to turn it on after baths or showers, or change the wiring. I think it will be a problem if you are not extracting damp air from the bathroom.

I would definitely agree that not running the fan is going to be a source of issues, and you need to get it re-configured so it runs independently of the large light being on. The humidity sensor option is worth looking at as well, although that might entail changing the fan for a different model.

Have a look in the loft and photograph the duct and the bathroom fan please.

Condensation can form inside a duct when steamy air passes through it if the duct is cold. This can usually be prevented by flopping loft insulation over the duct. You can also buy a ready-insulated version.

Air might be rising out of the bathroom by natural convection or air currents, though I am a bit surprised there is enough to drip.

I am pleased that it is dripping outside the house rather than running back to the bathroom.

Your photos will explain what is happening.

Here are more pics

Just change the bulb to a lower wattage one in the main light if its too bright, then the extractor will work.

That's a good fan. Very quiet and will run for a hundred hours on one unit of electricity. It is not very powerful so you need to run it plenty. You could buy a roll of loft insulation and flop it over the duct to reduce condensation.

I agree, if you don't like the light bulb, change it for one you do, and run it during and after every bath and shower.

Will running the fan stop the drops o the patio downstairs? Oddly, it seemed only to drip when it was freezing cold outside and I had heating on. The rest of the year has been perfect, but then again, I’ve had the window open all the time too, which is now closed.

Unrelated to the fan but I've no idea what the insulation is doing, there seem to be two sets of timbers with insulation between, and then a gap between the two planes. I'm not sure if the photos are sideways, but one set of insulation is either redundant or not buttered up to the other. The insulated envelope should be continuous.
Regarding the drips, condensation is always worse when it's colder outside, I would guess it is just natural convection taking the air outside.