Extraglaze Secondary Glazing is frequently a really excellent system for tackling condensation (Extraglaze Secondary Glazing really works!...). However, please consider that, while it can stop the humid air condensing on your windows, it is not a cure for humid air!
So please take some time to learn more about the root causes of humid air in your home. At the same time you will learn how to prevent condensation manifesting itself in all sorts of other places as well.
Dealing with the causes of condensation
Can you do anything to manage condensation in your home? Well in a word, yes. There are lots of measures, some obvious, some less so.
Firstly, ask yourself why your house gets damp in the first place. The main culprits are these:
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- a busy, steamy kitchen
- laundry hung over the radiators
- long steamy baths and showers
- regular use of a steam iron
- a house somewhat full of people, especially overnight!
- as above, together with cold and draughty spots, usually in corners of outside walls and on windows.
If you recognise any of these in your home then you have a true need for taking precautions, and especially for more ventilation.
As a quick fix the most effective measure to deal with condensation immediately is to use a window vacuum (window vac). If condensation only appears sporadically, this might actually be the only remedy required (although of course it does not solve the need to insulate your windows).
Do you have thermal curtains or working shutters on your windows? If yes, then they are especially prone to collecting condensation because when these are closed the window glass, and even the secondary glazing, is denied the warmth of the room. Consequently the window will get very cold on winter nights. Any humidity near the windows will collect there so, when you open the curtains or shutters, you will see condensation there. A window vacuum is essential here every time this happens. Practiced daily this will help remove moisture from the room permanently, so it is generally good practice. You should not leave condensation to "disappear naturally" (evaporate) through the day, because that moisture will only come back, again and again, unless it can escape the room altogether. After vacuuming, if you have a radiator on under the window (this is explained in our next article, in the link below), then any minor residual smears of water will dry off quickly.
If you are having building works completed in your home then this will likely be the cause of severe condensation, which should go away after a while, providing your rooms are well ventilated for a period. Plastering and screeding especially, tiling and fresh paint on walls and ceilings would be relevant here.
An action list of essential remedies
Condensation is known to be bad for our health if it on surfaces that bring on mould, and it is bad for the health of your home. So here’s an action list you might like to work your way through.
- ALWAYS close doors on the rooms that generate steam
- If any rooms don’t have doors in the doorway (especially downstairs, and the kitchen!) then have doors fitted
- Get better ventilation. Fans should always take the steam OUTSIDE from the cooker and bathroom. Forget the “circulating air filter” type cooker hoods, as they have no effect in tackling steam
- Use lids on pots when cooking, and turn down the heat to a gentler boil
- Use your steam iron in a room with an extractor fan running. If you iron a lot, for example as a home business, then it has to be a good extractor fan
- Swap your extractor fan for a heat exchanger version (such as a Vent Axia heat recovery unit)
- Hang your washing outside rather than inside, whenever practical
- Increase the spin cycle speed on the washing machine if you can
- Use only a tumble dryer that extracts to the outside. Make sure the connection to the outside wall has not come loose, or it will leak into the room
- Add secondary glazing, or even triple glazing. Products like Extraglaze Secondary Glazing, don’t require you to replace your windows, and even pass the test on listed buildings. Tackling the upstairs windows must be your priority, even adding a layer of secondary glazing to a double glazed unit is practical
- Daft as it might sound, don’t seal the house so tight that it never gets a breath of fresh air! You’re maybe trapping all the damp inside, when it needs out! On warmer or sunny days why not let a good breeze come through for a short while
- Tropical fish tanks must be covered
- Wipe your windows dry as soon as you wake up. Don’t simply hang up the cloth to dry indoors – give it a good wring into the sink!
By tackling condensation not only will you live healthier, longer and more comfortably, so will your home!
