This is probably one of your home’s most common types of dampness. As winter arrives, it brings our attention to the dampness and Mould problems lurking in our homes. Damp patches appear on walls and a build-up of moisture on your windows and ceiling. It will cause the wallpaper to lift. We must Reduce Condensation In Your Home to prevent ceiling mould.
If this Condensation is not treated, mould growth will occur, which is potentially harmful and can lead to health issues and breathing difficulties.
The reality is that four people living in an average home can create as much as 8 Liters a day of Condensation in your home. We also generate condensation by bathing, boiling a kettle, and cooking.
Condensation On The Ceiling
Condensation on the ceiling is not healthy. We need to find and fix the problem as soon as possible. It will eventually lead to mould, which is harmful to the family. If you see moisture on your ceilings or walls, be warned: You are facing Condensation in your home. It is time to prevent further damage as soon as possible.
HOW TO Reduce Condensation in your home?
Regularly clean the walls and ceiling to avoid mould growth and use a dehumidifier. This is time-consuming and relatively expensive. The best option is to get rid of the problem rather than try to make a plan to get through winter after winter.
Start looking at ceiling insulation, such as Isotherm Ceiling Insulation or Aerolite. Thermal Insulation will make the home or room warmer, reducing condensation. Also, ventilation in the house should be looked at to allow better breathing. When Insulating your roof, use the correct Ceiling insulation with the recommended R-value for your region. The Western Cape, Johannesburg, and Pretoria R-value 3.70 is essential. Read the insulation specifications page to make the correct decision.
What is Condensation, and How Does it Form?
Let’s first define condensation and what causes it. Water in the air as the water settles on much colder surfaces like windows, walls, and ceilings and makes them wet, very much like a glass filled with cold water sweating on the outside.
If moisture is left unattended, this will eventually affect paintwork wallpaper and ceilings.
Like older wooden windows, metal windows are well known for creating more Condensation in the home.
Dampness also encourages the growth of mould spores that thrive in moist areas. This mostly leads to black sooty mould on windows, but you might also notice mould on walls, even on curtains, where cold has been allowed to build up over time. This mould will also have a strong odour.
How Condensation Forms
All air contains water vapour, but the amount of water it carries is affected by its temperature. This is called Relative Humidity.
Hot air carries more moisture than cold air. As the air rises, it can maintain a higher volume of water.
Once the air is saturated with water vapour (at any given temperature), it will deposit water beads (Condensation) on any cold surface. The surface temperature at which this moisture will form is called the ‘dew point. (For example, take a cold glass bottle out of the fridge. The glass will immediately sweat on the outside.’
Most Effective Way to Reduce Condensation in your home
In most cases, an insulated roof will reduce the cold in the home. A well-insulated home will retain heat much longer than an unprotected home, so heating throughout the house should reduce Condensation in most homes. If the air in the home is freezing, remember that if the dew point is low, you will have Condensation when cold air meets warm air from breathing, bathing, or cooking. If the air is warmer, then there is less of a problem.
Alternative ways to reduce Condensation.
- Washing machines and tumble dryers must be in a well-ventilated area.
- Hanging wet clothing outdoors is the best option. If this is not possible, leave doors or windows open.
- When cooking, bathing, or showering, close the doors. Also, look at the extractor fan to remove some of the moist air.
- When cooking, cover your pots and pans with a lid to reduce moisture, open a window, or use an extractor fan if you have one fitted. Don’t turn off the extractor fan or close the window when you finish cooking. Leave it open for 15-20 minutes afterwards to clear the air.
- If you are taking a shower or bath, make sure that you switch on an extractor fan or open a window. This will eliminate the steam from running warm water in a cold room. It will help reduce moisture, but it will not eliminate the problem.
- Portable gas bottles and paraffin heaters produce a lot of moisture and toxic fumes. This form of heat causes excessive Condensation in your home, which is also a health and safety hazard.
More Ways to Reduce Condensation in your home
- Most homes have dogs, cats, and plants that produce moisture. If you have fish tanks, make sure they are covered. When you are suffering from excess Condensation, look to move your plants outdoors as well.
- If you don’t have an extractor fan in your bathroom or kitchen, ensure you wipe down all walls and ceilings after a bath or shower.
- Do not pack too much clothing into bedroom wardrobes, etc. This will help mould grow in these areas. If there is no space for airflow, the clothes will become mouldy.
- For the same reason as above, ensure that your furniture is at least 50mm away from all walls so that airflow can move around the room. Also, wardrobes should be put against internal divisions rather than the colder external walls to create mould in the clothing. A very musty smell will develop.
- Ensure your home has enough heating, as a warmer home will reduce moisture.
- If a few people use a lounge on a cold day and have a condensation problem, remember to open a window to help with airflow and reduce it.
- Insulating the roof space with Roof Insulation and Double-glazed windows will make the room warmer, reducing Condensation.
- Ensure your home can breathe. Check all vents and extractor fans. Roof extractor whirlybirds greatly help specific applications.
- These symptoms are listed in the order they are most likely to occur. In other words, in the places most at risk of condensation forming.
Other Areas Contributing to Condensation
- Window condensation – Beads of water on windows
- Pools of Water on the windowsill
- Beads of water on external walls
- Patches of dampness showing on exterior walls
- Damp patches on ceilings
- Another area is damp patches in the corners of rooms
- Damp internal walls
- Black mould on window frames, window recesses and windowsills
- This black mould in cupboards is easily visible
- Black mould on curtains and clothes
- Wet internal walls
- Black mould on carpets can be a symptom, but it is more often a sign of penetrating dampness, especially if you don’t have any of the symptoms above.
- Black mould on walls – mainly corners and recesses with little airflow
Diagnosing Condensation
Is it rising damp or Condensation? Let us look at the rising damp myth; all damp at a low level must be rising damp. Let us be clear here: It rarely rises damp. It is usually Condensation, although it can also be penetrating damp. Water is getting in through damaged or shoddily built areas, such as a roof leak. Cracks render failed wall ties, damaged brickwork, or poorly fitted window frames. Rising dampness may occur in certain circumstances, but it is rare in modern housing.
Rising Damp or Condensation – Busting the Rising Damp Myth
Essential Questions and Answers on Condensation
Question – Wet walls below 1 Mtr. Is this Condensation or Rising dampness?
Answer – Heat rises, so the lower part of the wall is where the surface is calmer and more likely to suffer from Condensation. Also, water always tries to travel down to the lowest point. So, if the condensation runs off the walls, the lower part of the wall is most affected.
Question – “I have black mould on my external walls and not on the internal walls in the same room, so it must be coming in from outside”
Answer—The interior surface of external walls tends to be the coolest in the room, so they naturally attract Condensation.
Question – “My walls are wet, not damp or mouldy, so it can’t possibly be just condensation”
Answer—Yes, it can! There is no such thing as ‘just condensation’. If allowed to continue unchecked, it can cause significant structural damage and damage to paintwork, soft furnishings, and clothes.
More Important Facts
Answer: Warm, moist air meets cooler surfaces than dew point temperatures. When it meets the cold glass of your bedroom windows, the air cannot hold so much moisture, which condenses. The problem with heating some rooms and not others is that the warm air in the heated rooms will absorb water vapour and then migrate throughout the house.
The best option is to warm the home and increase the dew point.
Plastic, double-glazed windows can often make Condensation worse because they are airtight. Old metal windows leak air, which has helped get airflow and move out warm air rising. This fix could be more straightforward because vents are installed above window height.
Refer to Insulation products that will give you the right R-value. Products like the Isotherm 145mm thick and the Aerolite 135mm thick are ideal. Remember to use a fireplace or heater.
