Condensation: A Year-Round Problem

Condensation: A Year-Round Problem

By Ruth MacEachern

Product Manager

Although you might associate problems with condensation with colder weather, it can occur all year round, and lead to major problems in your home.

As summer comes to an end and the cooler autumn weather starts, now is the time to take steps to prevent condensation causing damp or mould in your home during the winter.

What causes of condensation

Condensation forms on cool surfaces when the air cools.  Air at normal room temperature can hold approximately 17g of water vapour per cubic metre, while at 15C, the temperature you find around windows or draughty corners, the water can only hold 13g of water vapour.  This might not sound like much, but in an average sized room, the difference can be the equivalent of a glass of water.

As the water vapour condenses out of the air, it will form droplets.  Condensation is most noticeable on windows, but it will form on any surface, and it is the condensation that you don’t notice that tends to create bigger problems.  When condensation forms on porous surfaces such as wood or walls, it can soak in and create damp patches where mould will start to grow.

Condensation forms throughout the year

In late summer and early autumn, the temperature difference between the daytime and night-time is at its largest, and as a result, changes in humidity can cause a lot more condensation to form at night.

Condensation in warmer weather is more likely to form in areas that are less visible.  Places like cupboards, exterior walls and behind furniture will often attract moisture that causes damp.  You can reduce the risk of condensation and damp forming behind furniture by improving the airflow to these areas.  Leaving a 5cm gap between large items of furniture and external walls will help to ensure that the air moves and does not cool too much.

Reducing Condensation

The main contributors to condensation in our homes are bathing and cooking.  Both can release large amounts of steam into the air that can be carried to other rooms if you do not keep doors closed.  There are several ways to reduce the amount of humidity in your home and as a result, have less condensation:

• Using pan lids when cooking
• Running extractor fans when bathing or cooking
• Avoiding opening the dishwasher until it has cooled
• Starting to fill the bath with cold water and topping up with hot
• Not drying clothes or towels on radiators

Making small changes like these will reduce the risk of condensation, but they will not stop it totally entirely.  To do that you need to improve the air flow around your home so that humid air is removed quickly and does not have the opportunity to come into contact with cool surfaces.

Ventilation can stop condensation for good

Fitting modern extractor fans in your kitchen and bathroom will help stop condensation.  Fans such as the EnviroVent Cyclone 7 feature a humidity sensor which detects the amount of moisture in the air and adjusts the power level to ensure that the water vapour is removed as quickly as possible.  If you have found condensation in other rooms around your home, you might consider a whole house ventilation system.  Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) like EnviroVent ATMOS draw air in from outside through a central unit.  The fresh and filtered air is gently distributed throughout your home and displaces the humid air and stops condensation from forming.

Find out more

Our local ventilation specialists operate across the whole country.  If you are worried about condensation leading to damp or mould in your home, book a FREE home survey to find out how you can stop condensation for good.  Enter your postcode below to find an expert near you.