With winter now well underway, condensation becomes more of a problem in our homes but also in our conservatories. Below, we explain a little about why this happens and what can be done to try and prevent it.
What causes condensation?
When the air cools outside you are at more risk of getting condensation in your conservatory. With little ventilation due to the door often being shut, moisture can build up in the air as water vapour, condensing to water as it hits the cold glass surfaces in your
conservatory. While it can look like the conservatory is causing the condensation, it is actually just making it more visible.
Your conservatory is built to be air and water tight, which is great when faced with rain outside; however, it can cause ventilation issues which are the main cause of condensation. When left, condensation can cause problems in your home, creating mould which can damage fabrics and have a detrimental effect on you and your family’s health.
Unfortunately, in our efforts to be more environmentally friendly, houses have been built to be more airtight to stop heat escaping. This has come at the expense of the ventilation in homes and can lead to problems with condensation. While it’s nice to not have to deal with draughty windows and doors, these draughts could actually help combat condensation in your home.
We produce water vapour constantly in our day to day activities. Just breathing produces half a pint of water an hour, and then when you factor in cooking, cleaning, and worst of all, drying clothes, the water that we produce every day saturates the air until it reaches dew point, where the vapour has to turn back to moisture. It does this on the coolest surface, which in winter is invariably the windows.
How to combat condensation
Ventilation is key to reducing the build-up of condensation in your conservatory and throughout your home. While it seems contradictory, opening a window slightly and having the heating on in the room will ensure that air flows properly around the room.
Have windows opened when bathing and washing up is highly recommended as this can significantly reduce the amount of water in your home. Use ventilation such as cooker hoods where possible, vent tumble dryers outside, and keep your home warm to prevent condensation forming on walls.
Window coverings can make the problem worse by trapping the moisture against the window. Make sure blinds and curtains allow for airflow.
You can have trickle vents installed in your
windows as they can help to let air flow in and out of the room. Keep doors around your house open to let the air flow around your house.
For very moist areas, consider investing in a dehumidifier. These devices draw the moisture out of the air, stopping it forming on the windows. They can be expensive to buy, but you can also hire them over the winter months and just have the windows open wide in the summer.
Choose a conservatory and windows from Kingfisher
For conservatories or windows that boast fantastic thermal performance and will remain condensation proof for decades, explore our rage. We are experts in
double glazing and only ever use the best materials - this guarantees little maintenance and more time for you to enjoy your living space.
