WHAT IS CONDENSATION PROCESS?

Condensation is a water cycle process where water vapour in warm and humid air transforms into liquid when it comes into contact with a cold surface, like windows or walls. When warm, moist air approaches a cold surface, the water vapour loses heat and undergoes a change of state, turning into visible water droplets. This is because warm air can hold more water vapour than cold air, and contact with a cold surface induces condensation.

CONDENSATION EXAMPLES

To identify condensation issues, it's helpful to look out for signs like:

 Steamy Bathroom Mirror
 Water droplets on the inside of windows
 Visible Breath in Cold Conditions
 Hard to dry clothes indoors

HOW DO I STOP CONDENSATION IN MY HOUSE?

Condensation can lead to property damages. We're talking about the potential growth of mould on walls, increased heating bills, discomfort, structural components damage and even headaches. All these symptoms are quite likely and possible, especially since many structural walls in older homes in the UK were never insulated. Insulating walls or upgrading to triple-glazed windows involves significant costs. Fortunately, there are other more affordable methods to eliminate or minimise condensation. 

Here are 8✅ magical ways to eliminate or minimise condensation in your home:
 

1. OPEN A WINDOW

Open up a window every once in a while and allow some of the dry cold outside air to come in and get some of that warm moist air out. This will help keep the humidity levels where they're supposed to be. This method is going to eliminate your problem pretty easily.

2. INSTALL AIR BRICK INTO YOUR EXTERNAL WALLS

The second most effective method is an air brick. It will allow for a better flow of air throughout your room.

3. PREVENT THE FREQUENT SWITCH BETWEEN HOT AND COLD

Decrease in the temperature of your home can contribute quickly to a condensation problem.
Therefore, it is important to maintain a constant temperature inside the room. Abrupt change lowers the temperature of the outer wall and thus makes it more susceptible to mould. Ensuring an adequate amount of heating in your property will improve the internal temperature of surfaces in the house and reduce the likelihood of condensation.

4. UTILISE MOISTURE ABSORBERS

Using moisture-absorbing products like moisture absorber bags in problematic areas helps absorb excess moisture from the air.

5. USE TUMBLE DRYER MORE OFTEN

Your laundry can also be a big contributor to moisture-laden air, with five litres of moisture per load being released into your home if you dry your clothes in an unvented room.

6. USE CAT LITTER

Cat litter pellets are designed to absorb pet excretions. They will also absorb moisture from the air. Fill an old sock with litter and place the sock on the window sill. Leave them for a while to absorb any excess moisture.

7. FIX UP YOUR PLUMBING

Most leaks are caused by plumbing problems. You need to identify the source of the leak. Leaky pipes can add the humidity in your home. This sitting water eventually evaporates, ending up as moisture in the air. Repair or replace any malfunctioning pipes as soon as possible.

8. BUY INDOOR HYGROMETER

Uncontrolled humidity can make your home more expensive to heat and cool. If moisture levels aren’t well maintained, your home will not only feel uncomfortable, but many other problems can arise from it. Go and buy yourself one or two hygrometers which measure relative humidity. They basically measure how much water vapour is in a water air mix compared to the maximum amount of water vapour that could be in that air at a particular given temperature.
Basically you want the relative humidity in your house to be in the comfort zone of between 30% and 60% 

OTHER FACTORS THAT CAUSING CONDENSATION IN MY HOUSE?

Moisture problems have a variety of causes and can result in major damage to your home. 
If you notice any signs, take immediate action to fix them before they cause further damage or balloon into larger, more complicated issues. Controlling moisture can make your home less costly to heat and cool. Here are the other factors that may cause condensation in your house:

1. WATER LEAKAGE FROM BLOCKED, BROKEN OR LEAKY PIPES OR GUTTERING

It’s not always easy to spot this issue, but checking that water is flowing correctly through gutters and pipes and draining away during heavy rain is a good idea. Additionally, if you notice particularly damp rooms, take precautions to make sure you don’t have a leaky pipe hidden out of sight behind a wall.

2. DAMP GROUND UNDERNEATH YOUR HOME

This could also be a cause of excess moisture contributing to condensation.  Install polythene sheeting as a ground moisture barrier to make sure the air between the ground and your home’s floor doesn’t get damp.

3. NEW HOME’S BUILDING MATERIALS, SUCH AS TIMBER FRAMING, CONCRETE FLOORS AND PLASTER

New houses can experience high internal moisture levels for up to two years after construction.

TOP 2✔ STRATEGIES FOR ELIMINATING CONDENSATION

In addition to all the described methods, there are two fundamental rules that must be followed if we want to get rid of this problem once and for all.
There are 2✔ways that condensation can be controlled:

REDUCING HUMIDITY

Ensure your home is well ventilated. You can start by setting aside five to ten minutes per day to open windows and doors and air out your house. Ventilating like this allows stale, moisture-laden air to escape and fresh, dry air to enter. However, areas such as the kitchen and bathroom need extra ventilation, so making use of extractor fans or rangehoods is good practice.

RAISE THE TEMPERATURE

Having a well-insulated nad heated home is the best way to reduce condensation. By insulating ceilings, floors and walls of a home, the internal temperature of your house will be raised. This means cold surfaces where condensation may have previously occurred will be warmed up, preventing the process from happening. Windows are also more likely to have condensation on them if a home isn’t properly insulated. Double glazed windows can help to prevent this, but a cheaper option is always good thermal curtains, along with effective ventilation.

HOW DO I GET RID OF CONDENSATION IN THE BATHROOM?

Each one of us produces around 1.5 litres of moisture per day. Therefore, the bathroom is a hot spot for condensation. This is because it’s a space that sees a lot of water in both liquid and vapour (steam) form, thanks to showers, baths and sinks.
The bathroom is, therefore, the most likely place where condensation will occur quickly in your home. To prevent this, the only and best solution is to ensure better air exchange. Bathroom fans are used for this purpose, which are relatively inexpensive and easy to install. 
They should be mounted on the opposite side of the window, and the diameter of the opening should not be less than 120mm. To prevent condensation in the bathroom, an extra fan providing air exchange of around 50m3/h should be used. This may be associated with additional noise in the bathroom, but it is important to remember that this noise will subside once the fan sensor detects the correct humidity level in the bathroom.

HOW DO YOU GET RID OF CONDENSATION ON WINDOWS?

Condensation happens more in winter because it's warmer inside your cozy home, and the cold outside makes your windows chilly.
If you have single-glazed windows, you can almost be certain that condensation will occur on your windows sooner or later. It all depends on how long the cold temperature persists outside.
The only method that minimises but doesn't eliminate the occurrence of condensation on windows is to use thick window curtains that will separate the high temperature from the window. However, this is associated with blocking access to light. The best solution is to replace the windows with double or triple glazed ones. Double or triple glazing lowers the U-value of the window, making it more resistant to external conditions and preventing direct contact between cold and warm temperatures, thus eliminating condensation.

DOES A COLD HOUSE CAUSE CONDENSATION?

Considering the fact that condensation tends to occur in the presence of a significant temperature difference, it should not be an issue in a cold home. When referring to a cold home, we mean a home left without heating for a period longer than 20 days. In an unheated home, the interior temperature is only a few degrees higher than the external temperature after an extended period. However, it often happens that these temperatures equalise, and it turns out that our home has the same temperature as the outside. The interior temperature of a home does not change as rapidly as the exterior temperature, so it is possible that the temperature inside the home may even be lower than outside. This phenomenon is quite likely, and under such conditions, condensation and mould on the walls may occur. It is not uncommon to hear about someone leaving an unheated home for an extended period, only to return and find the walls covered with mould, accompanied by an unpleasant musty odour.

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