The Alproekt's Advices

How to Fight Condensation

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 How does condensation work?

Two things are needed for condensation to form - moist air and cold surface. Anything that emits water vaporation such as cooking, laundry, ironing, flowers, and even people in the room, increases the humidity in the room. When moist air reaches cold surfaces such as window frames, window glass, or exterior walls, moisture condenses on them.

Why after replacement of the old wooden joinery with PVC, condensation, and mould appear?

The old windows do not seal well, and as a result of which there is constant unwanted ventilation, in which the humid air leaves the room, but along valuable heat is lost. Unlike wooden windows, the new PVC windows provide a seal that does not allow moist air to leave the room. As a result, the humidity rises and condensation appears on the coldest surfaces - most often walls and windows.

In new buildings, the humidity is increased due to the evaporation of moisture accumulated in the building materials, and this process lasts about a year.

How to solve the problem of condensation?

To prevent condensation and mould, we must eliminate the factors that cause them: high humidity and cold surfaces. 
Here are some easy ways to successfully fight with condensation by eliminating high humidity: 

  • Ventilate the premises: 

    Ventilate the premises for 5 minutes, several times a day. This will not only reduce the humidity but also refresh it. If you ventilate with the window wide open, by creating a draft for a short time, the temperature will recover very quickly, so do not worry about heat loss in the room - the heat accumulated in the air is significantly less than that accumulated in furniture, objects and walls. Avoid keeping the window slightly ajar for a long time, prolonged entry of cold air will cool the walls and furniture and then the temperature will recover more slowly and, accordingly, with greater energy consumption;

  • Do not ventilate wet rooms with open doors: 

    Bathrooms and laundry rooms are often ventilated by opening their doors. This increases the humidity and leads to condensation. Instead, use fans mounted to the ventilation shaft;

  • Avoid drying clothes indoors

  • When cooking, use an extractor hood to remove steam 

  • Move the flowers and anything else that might increase humidity outside the rooms with condensation

Here are some ways to successfully fight with condensation by eliminating cold surfaces: 

The Joinery

PVC profiles - The modern multi-chamber PVC profiles have a sufficiently low heat transfer coefficient, which ensures that the surface temperature of the profile will be high enough to prevent condensation on the profile itself.

ALUMINIUM profiles -  If you are planning to use aluminium profiles, we suggest using profiles with a broken thermal bridge.  Because the aluminium alloy is a metal, the heat conduction is relatively fast, so when the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor is large, the aluminium alloy can become a “bridge” for transferring heat. Door and window made by aluminium alloy have poor heat insulation performance. The thermal break aluminium is disconnected from the middle of the aluminium alloy. It uses nylon or PVC to connect the broken aluminium alloy. We know that the heat conduction of the nylon or PVC is slower than that of the metal, so the heat is not easy to pass through the whole material. The thermal insulation performance is also improved;

Double-glazed windows

If they are made of ordinary glass, you run the risk of condensation on them in high humidity. We recommend that you order double-glazed windows with low-emission LowE-glass. It has a lower heat transfer coefficient, as a result of which the inner glass stays warmer by a few degrees, condensation is avoided and heating costs are reduced;

Thermoceramic paints

Thermoceramic paints contain microscopic hollow ceramic spheres that do not conduct heat. Covering the inside of the exterior walls with thermoceramic paint improves the thermal insulation and increases the surface temperature of the wall. For better effect, in addition to the inner side of the outer wall, it is recommended to cover a strip of up to 20 cm on the inner walls and ceilings adjacent to the outer wall. Thus, the cold outer wall and the concrete columns located at the corner between the walls form a thermal bridge to the inner wall and cool part of it. An important advantage of these paints is that they solve the problem of condensation even in intermittent heating, something that external thermal insulation can not achieve; and concrete columns located at the corner between the wall form a thermal bridge to the inner wall and cool part of it;

Thermal insulation

If your outer walls are not well insulated, condensation will form on them. The installation of external insulation will increase the surface temperature of the walls, which will eliminate condensation but will also reduce heating costs and reduce temperature differences in its various parts, thus increasing the comfort of the room. For better effect, it is best to combine thermoceramic paint inside with external insulation.

In the long run, you will save on further reductions in heating costs.

Heating mode and location of heating appliances

If the room is heated for only a few hours a day, even with good external insulation, you risk condensation, as the short time the heating operates is often not enough to sufficiently warm the walls. In this case, we recommend in addition to external insulation, covering the walls and with thermoceramic paint;

The location of the heaters also plays an important role. If they are located on the outer wall under the windows, this will accordingly heat the windows and reduce the likelihood of condensation. The disadvantage of this arrangement of heating appliances is the increased heat loss through the wall.

If you have further questions or require consultation - don't hesitate to contact us!

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