condensation on windows

bofarr01

All,
In the last week or so (coinciding with colder weather?) we have noticed a lot of condensation on the insides of windows on our standard 3-bed semi. For some reason, it's far worse than we've ever seen it.

What exactly causes condensation and what can be done to minimise it?

thanks,
B

celtictiger

It's probably due to high levels of humidity in your house.....warm air holds more moisture than cold air and if a window is colder than the surrounding air the moisture in the air condenses when it comes into contact with it's cold surface. The colder the outdoor temperature then the more likely you are to have condensation.

Some condensation is inevitable however you can minimise it by providing adequate ventilation in your home. Use bathroom fans during and after showers and baths and use kitchen fans that are ventilated directly outside during and after cooking. Make sure clothes dryers are properly ventilated as moisture being removed from your clothes can get in the house. Also make sure all your windows are properly sealed. Use caulk where the inside frame meets the wall as well as between the frame and the sash.

stag39

not to beat about the bush here ...but have try to open the windows in the morning to let the house breath!!!!!

CJhaughey

I have noticed that the triple glazed windows we have,have condensate on the outside of the window.
Strange to see though.

mad m

Is it on all the windows? What type of windows do you have? I remember a rep saying to me one time about double glazed windows,there is a suction of air between two panes of the double glaze and sometimes either through a crack/damage it expels thus making it fog up....

Well its a thought anyway.

kadman

CJhaughey wrote:

I have noticed that the triple glazed windows we have,have condensate on the outside of the window.
Strange to see though.

Condensation on the internal surface of any double or triple glazed unit, may point to a faulty or cracked unit, as identified by Madm. Good call madm.

Condensation on the room side of a double glazed unit, may be caused by cold bridging of aluminium window section, or poor fitting quad slips on a wooden window. Careful inspection is needed to correctly identify the source.

kadman

CJhaughey

From the Scanhome.ie website:

Windows: The standard triple glazing with one low emission shield and argon fill has a glazing U-value of 1.0. Taking into account the heavy timber frame, the average U-value for an openable 12-12 sized window is 1.2 W/m2C°.
In a passive house we can upgrade to 3+1 glazing with two low emission shields and krypton fill. The sash is double with double seals, side-hung swinging inwards. For the fixed version one triple glaze unit is sufficient. This type of window will reach a total U-value of 0.8 W/m2C°
Drawbacks: With highly insulated glazing condensation on the outside of the glass can appear in the night and morning. This happens with our standard triple glazing-lowemission-argonfill windows and even more with the quadruple-double lowemission shield - krypton glazing. There is also a need to wash the openable windows between the sashes.

kadman

Of course, at this time we are assuming that bofarr01 actually has doubleglazing.

kadman

Mothman

CJhaughey wrote:

I have noticed that the triple glazed windows we have,have condensate on the outside of the window.
Strange to see though.

Yes a regular occurrance. At least it's a reminder of how relatively little heat is being lost through the windows.