Avoid damp and condensation in your home

Transcription

1 Avoid damp and condensation in your home HELPFUL HINTS ON HOW TO CONTROL CONDENSATION IN YOUR HOME

2 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. COLD AIR FROM OUTSIDE CONDENSATION OCCURS WHEN COLD AIR MEETS WITH WARM AIR ON WINDOWS. TRY OPENING A WINDOW! WARM AIR FROM INSIDE 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. 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 condensation Dampness 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. COVER BOILING PANS WHILST COOKING DO NOT DRY CLOTHES ON YOUR RADIATOR WHEN USING YOUR TUMBLE DRYER, USE PROPER VENTILATION

3 First steps against condensation KEEP YOUR GUTTERS FREE FROM LEAVES You 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. Moisture produced in the home Our 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. AND DEBRIS Reduce the potential for condensation by producing less moisture. TURN KETTLES OFF AFTER USE Condensation isn t the only cause of damp There 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. 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 THE DOOR AND OPEN A WINDOW WHEN HAVING A BATH OR SHOWER REMEMBER THE ONLY LASTING CURE FOR SEVERE MOULD IS TO GET RID OF THE MOISTURE LEVELS IN YOUR HOME Plus Dane Housi

4 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 Condensation Produce less moisture Ordinary 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. DRY CLOTHES OUTSIDE IF YOU CAN OR IN THE BATHROOM WITH THE WINDOW OPEN AND DOOR SHUT 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. MAKE SURE THAT ACCESSIBLE WINDOWS WILL NOT CAUSE A SECURITY PROBLEM - REMEMBER TO CLOSE THEM WHEN YOU GO OUT! 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 home Warm 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. IT IS BETTER TO HAVE A MEDIUM-TO-LOW LEVEL OF HEAT THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE - TYPICALLY BETWEEN DEGREES 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.

5 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. OPEN YOUR CURTAINS FOR AT LEAST 4-5 HOURS PER DAY 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 [free from most UK landline phones & mobiles] Remem PREVENT DAMP! GET RID OF MOISTURE LEVELS IN YOUR HOME the only lastin ber g cur severe m ould is t e for of the m o get rid ois make su ture levels re have op that if you ened an y windo for vent ws ila them wh tion, you close en you g o out and at n ight be care ful over-ve not to nt when it s ilate your hom e c cause th old, as it will e tempe rat inside to drop an ure d make condens at it will ion more likely also inc rease yo heating ur costs