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C
O N D E N S A T I O N
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One
the major complaints from a tenant is to contact the Landlord
or agent and say they
have a
damp problem. Quite often they have not opened windows
or turned extractors on whilst washing or cooking, they live
in a property without
a chimney, that has double glazing and now fresh air
is getting in. They dry their clothes over a heater in the
living room or bedroom and before long there is water running
down the glass on the windows, black mould occurring on walls,
corners of ceiling and in built in cupboards.
Above:
Black
mould all over curtains and around window frame and wall.
Problems
do occur because of problems with a building, however many
people just do not make sure the property is properly ventilated.
The
following notes provide more
information about condensation
Next
to shrinkage, condensation is the most common problem in houses.
Condensation occurs when warm moist air meets a cold
surface. The
water in the air then either settles as water droplets on
the surface (as it does on windows for example), or, if the
surface is absorbent, it soaks into the surface.
In the latter case condensation is often not noticed
unless or until mould appears.
Mould
tends to appear on surfaces where condensation takes place
regularly. Because
the external walls of a room are usually the coldest they
tend to be most affected by condensation (and as a result
of mould) particularly at the corners of the room.
Mould is often found in cupboards, and behind furniture
which is pushed close up against a cold wall, this is because
there is poor ventilation in cupboards and behind furniture
so that any condensation there gets little chance to dry off.
Left
and below: Typical condensation situation where the windows
have not been opened.
The
moisture can come from cooking, bathing, washing and drying
clothes as well as from paraffin heaters and flue-less gas
heaters - even breathing produces condensation.
However there are ways of controlling condensation.
One way is to reduce the amount of moisture in the
air (the "humidity"), or another is to increase
the warmth of the surface of the walls or other areas affected.
Reducing condensation is the best way of controlling
mould but it is possible to use fungicidal washes and paints
also.
WAYS
TO CONTROL CONDENSATION
-
See
that your rooms are always warm and properly ventilated.
Too much ventilation in rooms can carry away too
much heat and this can cause wall surfaces to get so cold
it will actually encourage condensation rather than reduce
it.
-
When
cooking, keep kitchen door shut and window open.
-
When
bathing, washing or drying clothes, keep the room door
shut and the window open. Tumble driers
produce a great deal of moist air and this should, ideally,
be ducted directly to the outside of the house.
If condensation is very bad in the house you should
consider drying your clothes at a launderette if you can't
dry them outside the house.
-
If
you use a paraffin heater or flue-less gas heater, be
sure the window is open a little. Remember that every gallon of paraffin burnt produces 10 pints
of water*
-
(*
One gallon of paraffin when burned produces water vapour
which turns into water as soon as it touches cold walls
and windows. The
amount of water is often rather more than the original
amount of paraffin, because of existing moisture in the
air.)
-
In
cold weather, keep some heating on all the time, i.e.
for 24 hours a day.
The warmer a house the less condensation will occur
- providing that the level of humidity is controlled too.
INCREASING
WARMTH: HEATING AND VENTILATION
A
house can be made warmer inside by increasing the level of
heating or by increasing the insulation.
It must be remembered, however, that if there is not
heating at all in the house then improving the ventilation
won't make it any warmer.
Loft
insulation is the most cost-effective way of improving the
insulation of a house and a grant may be available from the
council towards providing it in certain circumstances and
if you are on supplementary benefit, family credit or housing
benefit and if the house has less than 3mm of loft insulation.
There
are other, more expensive, ways of improving the insulation
of a house but loft insulation is the one to start with.
The other ways include; cavity wall insulation, double
glazing, internal dry lining of walls and external insulated
rendering. A relatively cheap way of providing a little extra insulation
to a wall is to put expanded polystyrene behind the wallpaper
(you can buy this in rolls).
SPECIAL
MEASURES AGAINST MOULD
-
General:
- The
most important action to take against mould is to try
and reduce the condensation in the ways described earlier.
In particular if you have mould behind furniture
or in cupboards then move them away from the cold outside
walls if possible and put ventilation holes in the top
and bottom of cupboards if necessary
-
Cleaning:
- Cleaning
away mould is best done using an anti-mould solution or
wash and there are a number of different brands now on
the market. A
little while after using them the surface should be scrubbed
clean with a stiff brush.
These washes kill the mould and it's spores and
does provide some short term protection against the re-appearance
of mould.
-
Paints
with mould inhibitors: - Longer
term protection against the re-appearance of mould can
be gained by redecorating the area affected with a mould
inhibiting paint.
A number of firms produce these (e.g. Macphersons,
Bio Kil Chemicals, Glixton, Signpost Paints and Liquid
Plastics Ltd).
Several
companies produce machines called "dehumidifiers".
These machines remove water from the air and produce
heat too. They
cost about £1 - £2 per week to run.
They work best in well heated rooms where the humidity
is high. In poorly
heated rooms they have little effect.
The machine has to have a large capacity (an extraction
rate of 2-4 litres per day is needed). Some models are ineffective.
In short these machines may be very helpful in some
cases, but are not a sure fire cure for condensation.
Left: Condensation like this will often cling to higher
area exposing the black mould
N.B.
This information should not be relied on for accuracy and
is presented here without the responsibility of jml Property
Service and the website it is being displayed at. ©jml
property Services 09-04
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