How do I prevent condensation?
Worried about condensation in your home? Fear not. You can tackle this pesky problem with easy steps like proper ventilation while cooking and doing laundry, keeping extractor fans in check, and maybe giving your windows an upgrade, so you can keep your home cozy and safe from moisture mischief. Find out more in this post.
While it can initially seem insignificant, if left unchecked condensation can become quite a problem for your home. So, it’s best to do your best to prevent it from occurring as much as possible, and if you already have an issue with condensation, take the necessary steps to remedy the problem. Let’s take a look at what can cause condensation and the best ways to prevent it.
What is condensation and what are the signs?
Condensation occurs when warm air makes contact with a cool surface. For example, if you boil a kettle near a window, the steam will make contact with the glass surface and water droplets will begin to form on the window.
Other signs of condensation can be wallpaper peeling back, damp walls in a property, and an overall musty smell throughout your home.
What are the causes of condensation?
Condensation can be caused by several factors. Along with the example of a kettle above, boiling liquids while cooking (especially without an extractor fan) can cause condensation. Other factors include air drying clothes indoors, tumble drying without a working vent, and even showering. In the case of showering, it’s essential to ensure you have a powerful enough extractor fan to vent out the moist air.
It’s also important to be aware of any leaks from appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines, as they can occur behind the appliance and contribute to condensation buildup over time.
Why is condensation worse in winter?
Due to falling temperatures in the autumn and winter months, surfaces are generally cooler so they tend to condense warm air into water much quicker. We also tend to use more heating in the winter, causing a bigger difference between the internal house temperature and the temperature outside. Further, there’s less air circulating the property and most windows are closed in the colder, so warm air has fewer ways to escape. Therefore, it’s important to be extra careful in the autumn and winter months.
What are the effects of condensation?
If not prevented, condensation can cause damage to a property as the hot air makes contact with cold surfaces and condenses into water. As a result, it can cause damage to window frames, window seals, and also cause wood to warp in your home. Not good. For those with wood flooring, it can cause serious damage and, in the worst-case scenarios, could mean having to completely replace the flooring.
Not only can condensation cause problems to a property, it can also have detrimental effects on your health. Condensation causes damp, as well as a rise in the overall humidity levels in your home. It encourages the growth of mould, which can cause serious respiratory issues, especially in the case of young children or babies in the house.
How can condensation be prevented?
Now that we’ve covered the problem, let’s look at some solutions and quick fixes. There are many ways you can ensure that you prevent condensation from building up and causing problems in your home, including…
Opening the windows
While this is not necessarily as feasible in winter months, even opening your window for a short period can help to reduce the humidity levels in your home and allow moisture to escape.
Only air-dry clothes outside
To avoid the moisture from leaving your damp clothes and condensing elsewhere in the house, try to only dry your clothes outside. If you do need to dry them indoors, try to keep windows ajar. If you have a tumble dryer, make sure that it has an external vent and that it’s working correctly, otherwise it’ll just allow warm air to escape back into your home.
Checking your extractor fans
Most properties have extractor fans above their kitchen cooker and in their bathrooms, but if they’re not regularly maintained they can clog up with dust and not work efficiently. Over time, this can cause enough moist air to stay in your home and cause problems. It’s also important to check that they are powerful enough, as some old and cheaper extractor fans don’t have the output capacity to vent the warm air effectively enough. This is even more important for those who take particularly long and hot showers.
It’s also worth considering installing additional vents in other parts of the house as it can help reduce moisture levels across the property.
Opening your trickle vents
Many windows have trickle vents built into them, allowing for warm air to escape, thus reducing the chances of condensation occurring. Even if your windows don’t currently have them, they can be installed into most window frames.
Upgrading your windows
If your home still has single glazing, it’s like that any issues with condensation will be amplified. This is because a single-glazed pane of glass will become cooler quicker when compared to a double-glazed pane, as double or even triple-glazed window panes keep the cool air on the outside and are filled with argon gas to reduce heat transfer. This results in the inner pane of glass being closer to the in-room temperature and the outer pane staying cool.
Summary
Although it may seem harmless, condensation can build up in your home and cause damage to your property as well as pose a health risk. It’s especially important to be aware of this in the winter months when colder windows and surfaces in your home will cool the air quicker. Fortunately, condensation can be prevented by taking simple steps such as making sure you vent your home properly when cooking, when doing laundry, and by making sure your extractor fans are working correctly and are powerful enough.