Avoid damp andcondensation in your home

HELPFULHINTS ON HOW

TO CONTROL CONDENSATION

IN YOURHOME

What is Condensation?There is always some moisture in the air, even if you cannot see it. If air gets cold, it cannot hold all the moisture produced by everyday activities and some of this moisture appears as tiny droplets of water, most noticeable on windows on a cold morning. This is condensation. It can also be seen on mirrors when you have a bath or shower, and on cold surfaces such as tiles or cold walls.

Condensation occurs in cold weather, even when the weather is dry. It doesn’t leave a ‘tidemark’ round its edges on walls. If there is a ‘tidemark’, this dampness might have another cause, such as water leaking into your home from a plumbing fault, loose roof tiles or rising damp.

Look for condensation in your home. It can appear on or near

windows, in corners and in or behind

wardrobes

and cupboards. Condensation forms on cold surfaces and places where there is little movement of air.

DO NOTDRY CLOTHES

ON YOURRADIATOR

WHEN USINGYOUR TUMBLE

DRYER, USEPROPER

VENTILATION

COVER BOILING PANS

WHILSTCOOKING

COLD AIR FROM OUTSIDE

CONDENSATION OCCURS WHEN

COLD AIR MEETS WITH WARM AIR ON WINDOWS.TRY OPENING

A WINDOW!

What causes condensation?There are four main factors that cause condensation

• Too much moisture being produced at home

• Not enough ventilation

• Cold surfaces

• The temperature of your home

You need to look at all of these factors to cure a condensation problem.

Problems that can be caused by excessive condensationDampness caused by excessive condensation can lead to mould growth on walls and furniture, mildew on clothes and other fabrics and the rotting of wooden window frames.

Also, damp humid conditions provide an environment in which house dust mites can easily multiply. The presence of mould and dust mites can make existing respiratory conditions such as asthma and bronchitis worse.

WARM AIR FROM INSIDE

Plus Dane Housing

Moisture produced in the homeOur everyday activities add extra moisture to the air inside our homes. Even our breathing adds some moisture (remember breathing on cold windows and mirrors to fog them up?). One person asleep adds half a pint of water to the air overnight and at twice the rate than when active during the day.KEEP YOUR

GUTTERS FREE FROM LEAVES AND DEBRIS Reduce the potential for condensation by producing less moisture.

To give you some idea as to how much extra water this could be in a day, here are a few illustrations:

2 people at home for 16 hours - 3 pints

A bath or shower - 2 pints

Drying clothes indoors - 9 pints

Cooking and use of a kettle - 6 pints

Washing dishes - 2 pints

Bottled gas heater (8 hours use) - 4 pints

Total moisture added in one day =26 pints or 14.8 litres

CLOSE THEDOOR AND OPEN A WINDOW WHENHAVING A BATH

OR SHOWER

TURNKETTLES OFF

AFTER USE

First steps against condensationYou will need to take proper steps to deal with condensation, but there are some simple things you should do straight away.

Dry your windows and window sills every morning, as well as surfaces in the kitchen or bathroom that have become wet. Wring out the cloth rather than drying it on a radiator.

Condensation isn’t the only cause of dampThere are many causes of dampness that are not related to condensation. These include:

• A damaged roof

• Cracked or leaking pipework

• Blocked guttering

• Defective brickwork or rendering‘Rising damp’ can occur throughout the year and can often be identified by the ‘tide mark’ that it creates.

Have you got mould?As mould is a fungus that develops from airborne spores, it is able to grow in rooms where moisture isn’t present. Mould is often found on cold mornings around windows, most commonly between the months of October and April.

If there is mould in your home, it can be washed off by using a spray containing diluted bleach. You can also use a fungicidal wash, available from most hardware stores. When using such products, always follow the manufacturer’s health and safety instructions and consider wearing a face mask.

REMEMBERTHE ONLY LASTING CURE FOR SEVERE MOULD IS TO GET RID OF THE MOISTURE

LEVELS IN YOUR HOME

DRY CLOTHESOUTSIDE IF

YOU CAN OR INTHE BATHROOM

WITH THE WINDOW OPEN AND DOOR

SHUT

IT IS BETTER TO HAVE A

MEDIUM-TO-LOW LEVEL OF HEAT

THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE - TYPICALLY

BETWEEN 18 - 21 DEGREES

Is it Damp or Condensation?Does it leave a tidemark? If so, it is not condensation, the source of a leak or dampness needs to be inspected. This could be from rain seeping through windows or rising dampness due to a defective or missing damp proof course.

How to minimise CondensationProduce less moistureOrdinary daily activities produce a lot of moisture, often very quickly.

• Cover boiling pans and turn kettles off after use.

• Avoid paraffin and portable gas heaters as these add moisture to the air.

• Dry washing outdoors or in the bathroom with the door closed, window open or fan turned on.

• Avoid drying clothes on radiators/heaters.

• Vent tumble dryers using correct vent kits. Self-condensing types reduce the amount of moisture, but they are not as good as a vented type.

Ventilate to remove moisture• Keep a small window or trickle vent open when the room is in use.

• In particular, ventilate kitchens and bathrooms when you are using them.

• Prevent damp air spreading by keeping kitchen and bathroom doors closed when the room is in use.

• Do not completely draught-proof windows, especially in the kitchen or bathroom as this assists airflow.

• Open curtains for at least 4 or 5 hours each day, this allows moisture to get through any window vents.

• Do not blank off vents.

The temperature of your homeWarm air holds more moisture than cooler air which is more likely to deposit droplets of condensation round your home.

Air is like a sponge; the warmer it is, the more moisture it will hold. Heating one room to a high level and leaving other rooms cold makes condensation worse in the unheated rooms. That means that it is better to have a medium-to-low level of heat throughout the house. Keeping the heating on low all day in cold weather will help to control condensation, but keep a check on your meter to see how much it’s costing you. If you don’t have heating in every room, keep the doors of the unheated room open to allow some heat to circulate into them.

To add extra heat to rooms without any form of installed heating, it is better to use electric heaters, for example oil-filled radiators or panel heaters,on a low setting.

Remember, you should not use portable bottled gas heaters in homes suffering with condensation as they give out a lot of moisture whilst in use - it is actually cheaper to heat a room with on-peak electricity than by using bottled gas heaters.

MAKE SURE THAT ACCESSIBLE WINDOWS WILL NOT CAUSE A SECURITY PROBLEM -

REMEMBER TO CLOSE THEM WHEN YOU GO OUT!

Every home suffers from condensation at some point and you can help reduce the causes of this and damp by following the guidance and tips in this leaflet. By not acting on trying to reduce the causes this can lead to bigger problems within your home. If you are still having problems with condensation and damp, there may be other issues within your home that are the cause.

Contact us for further advice on

0800 169 2988 [free from most UK landline phones & mobiles]

PREVENTDAMP!

GET RID OFMOISTURE LEVELS IN

YOUR HOME

OPEN YOURCURTAINS FOR

AT LEAST 4-5 HOURS PER DAY

Remember• the only lasting cure for severe mould is to get rid of the moisture levels• make sure that if you have opened any windows

for ventilation, you close them when you go out and at night• be careful not to ‘over-ventilate’ your home

when it’s cold, as it will cause the temperature inside to drop and make condensation more likely

– it will also increase your heating costs