Essential Facts About Condensation

If condensation is making your home damp and humid it needs to be bought under
control to prevent expensive damage to your property.

This useful guide will help you to gain a better understanding
of what condensation is, what causes it, and how reducing or banishing
condensation can help to prevent damp and mould from damaging your home.

What is condensation?

Condensation
is the process of water vapour (water in its gaseous form) turning back into
liquid water. This reaction occurs when warm water vapour in the air meets a
cold surface.

An example of condensation forming is when you breathe warm
breath onto a cold window and it steams up.

In the home, condensation can occur at any time of the year,
but is usually most prevalent during the colder winter months. Typically,
October to March is what we refer to as ‘Condensation Season’.

This is because during the winter, when it is particularly
cold outside, we switch the heating on in our homes. This causes the air in our
homes to become very warm, whilst your windows and external walls remain cold
from the outside air, creating the perfect conditions for condensation to form.

If you have steamed up windows with droplets of water
forming over them, then this is condensation. Whilst your home’s windows may be
the most noticeable place for condensation to occur, they are by no means the
only place it can form.

Condensation can form on any surface, including the walls, doors,
floors, and ceiling. It is even possible for condensation to occur inside the
cavity between your walls, this is called interstitial
condensation.

How to identify condensation

Whilst condensation on glass windows and doors is easy to
spot by the steamed up glass and droplets of water running down them, in other
areas it may not be so obvious that condensation is the problem.

Signs that condensation may be present include:

• Droplets of water on a surface – when
  condensation is present you will often notice droplets of water, water running
  down a surface, or a surface that feels damp to the touch.
• Small pools of water – small pools of
  water forming at the bottom of a surface are often caused by condensation
  running down and collecting.
• Damaged plaster or peeling wallpaper –
  when condensation forms on plaster or wallpaper it can cause it to bubble,
  flake or peel away.
• Black mould – if condensation isn’t dealt
  with quickly, the wet and warm conditions will quickly develop unsightly and
  unhealthy toxic black mould.
• Damage to fabrics – if condensation is
  causing an excessive amount of dampness in the air, then you may notice damage
  to fabrics around your home like furniture, curtains and clothes. Fabrics may
  feel damp to touch, smell musty, or even have mould growing on them.

What are the causes of condensation?

Homes that are particularly prone to condensation usually
have either inadequate ventilation, poor insulation, or both, creating the
perfect conditions for condensation to occur.

If your home isn’t well ventilated, then all the warm damp
air that forms is trapped in your home.

Poor insulation can also contribute to condensation as it can
cause surfaces in your home, particularly external walls and windows to become
very cold.

Damage caused by condensation

If condensation problems are not addressed, then over time
they can cause significant damage to your property and an unpleasant and unhealthy
living environment.

Damage that can be caused by condensation includes:

• Black mould.
• Bubbling paintwork and peeling wallpaper.
• Crumbling plaster.
• Damage to furniture, curtains and other fabrics.
• Structural damage.

As well as damage to your property, condensation can also be
damaging to your health. Some of the moulds that can develop in our home as a
result of condensation can cause a variety of health issues including
respiratory problems and skin allergies.

How to prevent damp and condensation

An excess of warm, moist air within the home makes
condensation more likely to be a problem. It is impossible to completely
eliminate moisture from the air, as even breathing causes water vapour to form.

However, when performing everyday activities that create a
lot of steam and moisture, like cooking, drying clothes, or showering, it can
help to prevent condensation if you take measures to let the steam and moisture
escape from your home, rather than allowing the moisture laden air to travel
around your home.

Showering and bathing

When showering or bathing, keep the bathroom door shut and turn
on the extractor fan if you have one. If you don’t have an extractor fan, open
the windows immediately afterwards to let some of the hot steamy air out and
keep the bathroom door shut even once you’ve finished.

Cooking

The same goes for cooking, shut the kitchen door whilst
you’re cooking to prevent the steam escaping to the rest of the house. Also,
put lids on your pans, turn on extractor fans and open windows to let moisture
out.

Washing and drying clothes

Avoid hanging clothes up to dry inside the house,
particularly putting them on radiators. When you leave clothes to dry in the
house, all the moisture from the clothes is escaping into the air. Hang clothes
outside instead whenever possible. Make sure that your tumble dryer is properly
vented to prevent excess moisture ending up in your home.

Windows

If a lot of condensation has formed on your windows each
morning, use a kitchen towel or a cloth to wipe away the moisture and dry the
surface. In rooms where condensation is a problem, make it a habit to leave
windows open, even if it’s only very slightly, for at least 15 minutes every
day to let moisture escape.

Temperature

Try to keep the temperature in your home constant, with a
minimum background heating of 10 degrees.

Dehumidifier

At times when you cannot or do not want to have the windows
open, turning on a dehumidifier can help to draw some of the moisture out of
the air.

How to resolve your condensation issue

Whilst it is possible to take measures at home to reduce
condensation, it is likely that you will need to make some changes to your home
in order to resolve the problem.

Having work carried out to resolve condensation can help to
create a healthier, more comfortable living environment for you and your family
whilst saving you money on costly repairs later down the line if the problem is
left to worsen.

An expert will be able to assess the extent of your
condensation problem and identify what is causing it before advising you on the
most effective and cost-efficient course of action.

To bring condensation under control you may want to consider
one or more of the following treatments:

• Double glazing
• Extractor fans
• Loft insulation
• Wall insulation
• Wall vents and air bricks
• Passyfier vents
• PIV systems
• Penetrating damp treatment

If your home has already been damaged by damp and mould you
may also require work to have this damage repaired.

To speak to an expert or book an appointment with a
surveyor, get in touch with our team here at Atlantis Damp by calling us on 0800 0988 277.