LG John

In my flat we get condensation on the windows really bad - we are talking small puddles of water forming here! The windows are generally closed and the heating is still off just now. Preventative advice appreciated

Andy McCord

The only real answer is a de-humidifier, but theres the old trick of wiping almost neat washing up liquid on your windows which stops the water forming.

Andy

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

What causes it? It's the moisture in the air, from you breathing out, sweating, cooking etc etc. In warm conditions, the air can hold lots of water as VAPOUR, (invisible water, as a gas, like steam). When the air cools, it can no longer hold so much water, so some of the water CONDENSES, ie: turns from vapour back into liquid water.

Since the windows are probably the coolest part of the house, the condensation occurs mostly here.

How can you stop it? Keeping the house warmer will do it. If the air is warmer, it'll hold the moisture as vapour, it won't condense.

I've recently bought a pretty good dehumidifier for our French property, and it works a treat. LITRES of water a day, for the first few days, then not so much.

Mine came from Wickes, cost around £120, and I'd recommend it.

Alcazar

David Lock

Keep the window/s open slightly.

dashpig

Piles of salt on plates in rooms also works very well for reducing moisture in the air - this is the method that's used for over-wintering caravans/motorhomes when not in use

DCI Gene Hunt

Rice also works......... salt is also good against slugs and demons (Miss Kinky will be the best person for further info on demons etc...)

TopBanana

You're talking to a Scot remember!

The Snug Rhino

open your windows...get some fresh air in!

SWRTWannabe

You could try holding your breath....

LG John

He's got a point!!

The house has double-glazing!! Might borrow a dehumidifier to take the worst of the water out of the house and then generally keep it warmer. We are redeveloping the flat at the moment which will involve the installation of new heaters anyway.

WHEELSHOP0_0

If its not too bad you can get a bowl with some rock salt crystals in fancy colours from most health food shops that can sit on window ledge this works, every now and then take them out pop them in microwave for a couple of mins and they work all over again, hth.

Dream Weaver

Ours is bad also, UPVC double glazing but it still puddles, and we have no heating downstairs (still waiting for plumber to quote us after 2 months!!).

We bought an Ebac dehumidifier last year, but it died after a month so they sent us another, and that ones about to die as well I think

Luckily its under warranty for 3 years, so they can just keep fixing it for us or sending us a new one.

SirFozzalot

The only problem I found with a de-humidifier was if it was left on over night i would wake up with a killer sore-throat as so much of the moisture in the air is taken out....which of course is the point of a de-humidifier , my point was to maybe turn it off over night.

LG John

Mines is bad enough to puddle and you can even hear it dripping onto the window ledge during the night - it can keep you awake!! Any links for these fancy salts? (also how do they do their job?)

WHEELSHOP0_0

Hi, they were bought by my wife, I will find out where she got them (she shops in flowery/pot pouree type shops) so I am not sure.
As for how they work they are just salt (hydroscopic) which just absorbs moisture from the air, then the microwave just evaporates the gathered moisture off again.
Plain salt works but my wife would not like a bowl of saxo on display for the neighbours!!! (you could just put a bowl of salt out and cover it with a cloth, not waterproof obviously).HTH

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Caravan dealers also sell special kits for moisture absorbing, like a rectangular box with a grille lid, containing, I think, Silica gel crystals, which are better than salt for water absorbancy.

They can also be regenerated in an oven/microwave(??) but remember that this will just have the effect of putting the moisture straight back into the air.

Bite the bullet, get a Wickes dehumidifier, and turn it down at night: they have variable levels of humidity. Mine is set to 70% and neither I, nor my wife, suffers from sore throats etc while in France.

Mine is reliable too: I left it going all last winter to keep the house damp-free, with the drain openn and passed into the sink drain outlet, then blocked off with paper towel, so it wasn't just sucking in it's own moisture. It worked perfectly..

Oh, and when the drain on the dehumidifier is closed, it collects the distilled water it absorbs, which is used for the wife's steam iron............thus producing even more condensation

Alcazar

Lydia72

The fancy salts you can usually get in places like Woolworths or Lakeland Limited

Apparition

Best way is to stop breathing. Biggest generator of condensation known to man.
Yve

Shark Man

You can usually blame UPVC windows, unless the problem was there beforehand.

Most people fit these with no regaurd to the fact that the better sealing restricts the ventilation throughout the house. Causing a build up of stale and damp air. Simple science...humid air meets cold glass = condensation

Modern "good" UPVC windows will have vent slats at the top, but most do not, and without them your liable to get condesation problems in a badly ventilated house (i.e a flat, as they rarely have any form of decent through-ventilation ).

The cure is fresh air ventilation. So open a few windows, or at least leave a few on the the vent catch. Or knock in a few airbricks

LG John

Cheers for the advice - I'll look into the ventilation since we are redeveloping the place anyway. I'll also try to open windows more often, to have more heat in general and some fancy salts Failing that I'll get scuba gear

ru'

Wouldn't the steam then just go from the microwave back out into the room?

Can't see where the water is actually removed from the house using this method...

GazTheHat

You learn something new everyday!

LG John

I guess you could close the kitchen door and keep the kitchen window open during and for some time after microwaving. That way you isolate the moist air to one well ventilated room. Could be a winner

WHEELSHOP0_0

I think the idea is that the kitchen usually has better ventilation than the living areas when the microwave is on we usually have the kitchen window open but then I was never claiming to be a ventilation expert,just making a suggestion to a common problem. (which I know works btw).
If you dont want to microwave them, you could just throw them out and buy new ones every time but as both myself and Saxo are Scots.

SirFozzalot

or take the salt stuff to a friends house and borrow their microwave!

Leslie

Stopping breathing would reduce CO2 levels too, so you would be very green if you did that.

Les

WHEELSHOP0_0

Blue surely?