DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Morning,

We have always had condensation issues within the house, with runny windows and occasional mould in the wardrobes - we have combated this to some degree with the installation of additional air bricks, a better extractor in the bathroom and also a dehumidifier.

One of the main areas of condensation has always been the large aluminium-framed patio windows we have in the lounge, which are regularly running with water (frame AND windows) every morning. We are considering replacing these with a new windows, my question is will this assist the dampness throughout the house, or will the water that was in the air simply and running down these windows simply find another surface to run down instead (i.e. could replacing the windows cause the issue to worsen in other areas of the house instead)

Thanks

Craig

It would seem you need new windows, however they will not help remove moisture, all they will do is hide it. Clearly moisture can be from animals breathing be it the human or other, but to have so much one wonders where it is coming from?

So two cures, one stop it coming in, two get rid of what has come in. It could be due to so many things, cement dropped between bricks in wall, poor insulation between walls, ties upside down, solid wall, faulty damp course, leaking tap, the list goes on. Father-in-law was wind driving rain under garage door and it being soaked up in carpet. Why he carpeted garage I will never know. Clearly you need to look around the home.

Second removing moisture is maybe easier, today we have heat recovery units which fit in the standard 4 inch hole used by old extractor fans, and any air conditioning unit removes moisture.

However single glazed windows also worked well, moisture condensed on inside ran down window and outside through holes in bottom of window frame, yes you may laugh, but it did dry rest of house.

However we had such a huge problem which turned out to be simple dripping tap in integral garage. From soil above damp course to tanking in wet room there are so many ways for a house to get damp.

Even simply drying cloths indoors. Maybe all you need to do is ban breathing inside the house. OK joke, but if you go away for a week when you return is the house still damp?

Cooking is the other point, electric cooking produces only moisture from boiling things, so in general a carbon filter in a cooker hood is enough, gas however produces loads of moisture so ducting outside is a must.

Do say how you get on.