Condensation is something that we all learn about in primary school, but only notice in the winter months when it starts messing with your doors and windows. Luckily, it’s something completely normal and every window and door suffers from it, even brand new ones, but because it’s so common and natural, it’s also treatable! Here’s how you can make sure your doors and windows remain condensation-free.
What Causes Condensation?
Ever wonder why your windows or doors get condensation only when it’s cold? That’s because condensation happens when warm air collides with a cold surface like a glass window. The air carries moisture in it and once it hits the chilly surface, the water vapour starts to cool down and transforms into liquid water droplets. It’s the exact same process as your chilled drinks glass getting moisture on the outside; the only difference is that one will give you a refreshing beverage and the other will give you the task of cleaning your window.
Back to the science: air has varying degrees of water vapour that we can’t see. In very hot environments, the water vapour evaporates in steam, while in very cold environments or on very cold surfaces, it reaches its dew point – the point when it condenses into water.
Condensation doesn’t always happen and that’s because certain conditions are necessary for it to occur, such as excess moisture created by cooking, showering, or drying clothes. This increases the water vapour of the air around us and ultimately leads to more condensation on your windows or external doors. Another major culprit for more condensation is the lack of proper ventilation or insulation in a building which can cause humidity to rise and thicken the air with moisture.
What Are the Effects of Condensation?
Condensation doesn’t just give you an extra cleaning chore, it can also have some adverse effects like obscuring the view through your windows (which is especially dangerous for cars and vehicle windows), causing water damage to your window boards or surrounding wooden surfaces, or even leading to mould or mildew growing in your wooden frames or doors if you leave the moisture untreated for too long.
How Can I Stop Condensation?
Because condensation is a naturally occurring process, there’s no eliminating it completely, but there are ways you can control and limit it – and it all comes down to controlling your indoor humidity. Here’s how:
Ventilation Is the Key Just like with smoke, dust, and bad smells, if you don’t properly ventilate and air your space, moisture is going to decide to stay there rent-free for a considerable amount of time. This is why rooms with high moisture levels, such as bathrooms and kitchens, need good ventilation systems. Opening windows for extended periods of time to renew the air inside is a good choice, but an extractor fan works even better.
Use a Dehumidifier Dehumidifiers work the same way as air conditioning units, but instead of just cooling the room, they reduce and balance the levels of humidity in the air by removing excess moisture. They’re great for keeping your hair down, but even better for keeping your windows clear.
Insulation, Insulation, Insulation With good-quality windows and insulation systems, the huge contrast of temperature that ultimately leads to condensation is much less likely to happen. Installing high-performance windows such as the ones we provide at okoHaus will help to keep your glass warmer and clearer.
Keep an Eye on Your Indoor Humidity Normal indoor humidity levels should be between 30% and 50% and you’ll want to monitor the levels if you don’t want condensation all over your glass surfaces. It’s best to use a hygrometer to measure humidity.
What Do I Do About External Condensation on My Windows?
You can control indoor condensation using ventilation, insulation, and dehumidifiers, but outside condensation is tricky. It happens when your window glass is colder than the dew point (the point at which water vapour turns into water droplets) of the air outside. This only happens in certain weather conditions such as cold mornings or evenings or sudden high humidity.
Because the air suddenly holds a lot of water vapour, the cold glass surfaces act as a sort of flash freeze that immediately cools down and condenses the vapour into liquid water, but fret not, because it’s generally harmless and happens to pretty much every window and external glass surface there is. Condensation on the outside of your windows actually shows that your windows are doing a great job keeping the heat in, which is what you want in cold weather anyway.
Outside condensation is temporary and most people don’t bother treating it, but if you want to, you can use car ceramic sprays or water-repelling sprays on the outside of your windows. As soon as it gets warmer outside, you will be able to see your view clearly again.
Conclusion
Overall, condensation is a natural process and nothing to worry about, but still worth managing to get crisp and clean-looking windows. The ultimate key is airing, so ventilation, dehumidifiers, and insulation will all help keep your windows less foggy. The cleaner your windows, the more pleasant it is to look through them at the beautiful outdoors.
Condensation Management FAQs
How do you stop condensation on windows? You can prevent condensation with proper ventilation, regularly opening windows and doors, maintaining a consistent internal temperature, and using highly insulating building materials.
What causes condensation on windows?
Condensation occurs when there is a difference in temperature between two surfaces. Generally, condensation occurs when warm air (with high humidity) meets colder surfaces. Poor ventilation and humidity, for example as a result of drying clothes indoors, can be major factors in the risk of condensation.
Why is there condensation on the outside of my windows?
Condensation on the outside of the glass indicates that the glass is providing a good level of insulation. This shows that very little heat is escaping through the glass to 'burn off' the condensation that would naturally occur in certain climatic conditions. So condensation on the outside is a great sign that your windows are doing a good job of stopping energy escaping from your home.
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