Condensation and damp: Why does it get worse in winter?

Posted on February 6, 2012 by admin

Do you have streaming windows, or, even worse, walls? Has the growth of black mould started to appear around your window frames and on walls? These are the tell tale signs which signal that your home may be suffering from condensation.

Unfortunately, homes are prone to condensation even more during the winter months as there is a great temperature difference between the warm interior of your home and the cooler outdoors. Cold weather usually tempts homeowners to conserve as much heat as possible in order to stay warm, which means that the warm air circulating around your home has no way of getting out. Because of this, condensation will begin to form on surfaces that are below the dew point of the surrounding air.

So, what else causes condensation to occur as soon as the weather gets colder?

  • Traditional heating methods such as radiators and fires are a major attribute to indoor humidity. During winter, homeowners are more likely to depend on these traditional heating methods in order to stay warm, therefore producing and transmitting more moisture in the air.
  • Radiators may be kept on during the day in order to dry clothes and any other washing you may have – this adds to the amount of water vapour in the air.
  • Homeowners are more likely to keep the windows closed during winter in order to conserve heat. This means that any moisture, which may be produced from cooking, showering, bathing or any other day-to-day activities, will have no means of escape from the house. As a result of this, the moisture in the air will settle onto cooler surfaces.
  • Draught excluders are sometimes introduced to the home in winter as a handy method of keeping out any cold air from outside. Once again, any indoor humidity will be trapped inside the house, meaning that all moisture from the air will automatically form condensation on any surface that is cooler than the surrounding air.

Read about our ‘diagnosing the damp’, to find out whether it’s condensation that your home is suffering from. One method of dealing with condensation dampness in the home is through Positive Input Ventilation (PIV). Positive Input Ventilation is a technique designed to filter fresh air throughout your property, which will in turn reduce the amount of humidity and reduce the chances of condensation.

So, if you’re looking to reduce the humidity levels in your home and diminish your condensation problems then why not give the experts at EnviroVent a call to arrange a free, no obligation healthy home check.

 

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Have you seen Venty on TV?

Posted on January 17, 2012 by admin

Venty recently made his TV debut in order to inform homeowners that EnviroVent are on hand to help with their condensation and mould problems. Keep a lookout for Venty; he’ll be on MORE4 daily throughout January. We’ve had some great feedback from our new TV campaign and are keen to spread the word about how ventilation solutions can improve air quality in the home. You can also see Venty’s TV appearance online.

If your home is suffering from streaming windows and mould then turn to EnviroVent. We have a whole range of award-winning ventilation products that create healthy, fresh and ideal indoor environments free from condensation and mould. We have 25 years of experience in providing these permanent solutions that cure condensation and mould.

Streaming windows are one of the most common symptoms of condensation and can often lead to further problems if left untreated, such as mould and black mould. Streaming windows occur when the window’s temperature is below the dew point of the surrounding air, resulting in the formation of water droplets, which then trickle down the window. In addition to window condensation, crumbling plaster, visibly wet walls, mould growth and stale ‘mould’ smells are the most common condensation problems.

Unfortunately, mould growth results in the dispersion of mould spores around the home and even though these spores are not visible to the human eye, these allergens can seriously take its toll on the health of those living in the mould-affected property. These harmful allergens are known to aggravate the symptoms of asthma and allergy sufferers, which is why it’s advisable to treat your condensation problems before your health becomes seriously affected.

If you’re unsure about the condensation and mould problems in your home why not give the experts at EnviroVent a call? We can arrange for a free home survey to determine the best product that will cure your condensation problems for good.

Are you curious to know how Venty works his wonders?  Well here’s the science bit, just click on the link below…

http://bit.ly/tqrYVE

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Diagnosing the damp

Posted on January 6, 2012 by admin

If you believe your home is suffering from damp or condensation problems (but you’re unsure of whether it’s condensation, rising damp or penetrating damp) it’s incredibly important that the problem in your home is diagnosed correctly in order to ensure a precise treatment. So, which of the three types of damp is your home undergoing?

Rising damp is one of the most common problems in the home to be wrongly diagnosed. The Building Research Advisory Service stated, “The diagnosis of rising damp needs careful and systematic thought because it can easily be confused with penetrating dampness and condensation. The Building Research Establishment (BRE) has suggested that only 10% of the dampness problems it investigates are attributable to rising damp.”

The best way to diagnose your problem area is to take note of the symptoms and causes of both the damp in your home and decide which type of damp can relate to the problem you are currently experiencing. However, an investigation into the type of dampness is advised in order to avoid misdiagnosis. This should also be done as soon as possible in order to prevent the problem from getting worse.

So, what are the symptoms of your problem area?

  • If your problem area consists of decayed skirting boards, crumbling plaster, peeling paint or peeling wallpaper then it may be due to rising damp. The most obvious indication as to whether the problem really is rising damp is whether the water in the structure of the walls appears to have advanced in an upward movement and left a ‘tide mark’. It may also leave the occasional musty smell.
  • If your home is suffering from damp patches on the floor, ceiling or walls then this may be subject to penetrating damp. Long terms effects include damage to decoration, decay to timber and plaster and possible mould growth as well. These problems occur as a result of water soaking through into the perimeter wall, floors and ceilings, usually from defective guttering, cracked rendering or faulty window joints.
  • If streaming windows and walls, deterioration in decoration or the growth of black mould is apparent in your home then your home may be suffering from condensation. Condensation is usually caused by everyday activities such as bathing, washing, cooking and even breathing. Affecting 1 in 5 homes in the UK, condensation is the most common form of dampness but can be easily resolved with the help of EnviroVent.

If you’re experiencing condensation problems then turn to EnviroVent’s energy efficient ventilation solutions. EnviroVent have a whole range of ventilation products that are designed to minimise the amount of moisture in the home. Positive Input Ventilation (PIV), a concept designed to filter fresh air throughout the home, can completely diminish your humidity-based problems. Why not check out EnviroVent’s video which discusses the advantages of PIV?

 

 

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Condensation and Mould – the Landlord Curse

Posted on December 16, 2011 by admin

It’s that time of year again when Landlords, Letting Agents and Environmental Health Officers start receiving numerous telephone calls from tenants complaining about damp and mould problems in their properties.

As a landlord myself, I have been on the receiving end of such a complaint just 3 months after finishing the refurbishment of my first HMO.

My tenant phoned me on the 23rd December just as she was preparing to go away to enjoy her Christmas break, stating that her bedroom walls were damp and mouldy and so were her clothes and shoes in the wardrobe. Guess what my partner Steve and I spent the Christmas break doing whilst my tenant enjoyed her Turkey and Christmas Pud! (I am sure a number of landlords will be able to tell similar tales.)

Naive as I was at the time being a relatively new landlord, I educated myself pretty quickly and established that the damp and mould was not because of rising damp or penetrating damp, but due to condensation. I never knew that when temperatures drop in an occupied property, the air can no longer hold onto all the moisture that has been generated; it will migrate to the coldest parts of the house and condense onto the windows and walls.

It also fascinated me that if the humidity level in the property is at 80% or above for 6 hours or longer over a prolonged period of time, then mould can occur leading to the dispersion of mould spores and various other mould problems that are known triggers of asthma, dust allergies and hay fever. High internal relative humidity in a property is the result of poor ventilation.

It is often argued that tenant lifestyle is to blame, but the truth is, most of us create at least 4 pints of moisture per day just by breathing, cooking, bathing, washing and drying clothes, normal everyday activities that everyone performs at home. This means in my 8 bedroom HMO a whopping 224 pints of moisture was being produced every week! Seeing as an extractor hood above my cooker and inadequate extractor fans in my bathrooms were my only sources of ventilation, no wonder I had condensation problems.

We must remember that as Landlords we have a responsibility under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) to assess hazards and risks within our rental properties.  Local authorities are under a duty to take action against category 1 hazards. Hazards in Group A, are classed category 1 which include Damp and Mould Growth hence why we need to take seriously any complaints we receive from our tenants.

So how do you spot condensation?

  • Streaming windows and walls
  • Damp areas can appear on walls, especially behind furniture and in corners
  • Wallpaper can start to peel
  • Mould growth, usually black mould, starts to appear on window frames, walls and ceilings
  • Soft furnishings and fabrics become prone to mould and mildew
  • There is a constant musty damp smell in the property

Tips for tenants on how to reduce it….

  • Try to keep the inside temperature reasonably constant for as much of the time as possible
  • Avoid drying clothes indoors.  If you have no choice place the clothes rack in a well ventilated room keeping the door shut
  • Do not dry clothes over radiators
  • Ensure that any tumble drier is property vented or the condensate reservoir regularly emptied
  • Do not supplement heating with paraffin/Calor gas type heating
  • Keep furniture away from walls
  • Do not disable any extraction units

As a responsible landlord, I solved the problem for good by installing EnviroVent Filterless Extract Fans in the bathrooms and an EnviroVent Loft Mounted Positive Input Ventilation Unit (PIV).

How does the PIV work? By gently introducing fresh filtered air into the home at a continuous low rate, the relative humidity levels are reduced as the moisture-laden air is diluted, displaced and replaced.  Condensation cannot form and mould spores dry out to a powder which can be cleaned off. The visible condensation problems are gone for good and improving the indoor air quality reduces the invisible problems caused when relative humidity levels rise.

I am pleased to say that ever since that first Christmas as a landlord my properties have been condensation and mould free.

Since my first experience with condensation and mould I have gone on to share my knowledge and experience with many NLA landlords, who have also suffered from the ‘Landlord Curse’.

Kim Thorogood

Specialist Ventilation Adviser

EnviroVent Cardiff, Bristol & Bath

Accredited Landlord and NLA member since 2007

 

 

 

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