by Johan Nickson

One of the banes of a home owner’s life can be condensation. Not only does it look unsightly but it can also cause much more serious problems such as damaged window frames and damp problems. Of course these problems become worse and worse with time. The best thing to do is to fix them as soon as possible.
Below we will discuss some of the causes and solutions of condensation and how it can affect you and your home.
The main difficulty in tracing condensation is distinguishing it from penetrating damp. Condensation is caused when moisture in the air meets a cold surface. Obviously, rooms where steam gathers - bathrooms and kitchens - are most prone to it, particularly the outside walls, which are more likely to be cold.
There is an easy test for whether damp on a wall is caused by condensation. Dry a small patch with a cloth and fasten a little piece of glass to it, bedded on a ring of putty. Leave the glass until it mists up, then see if the mist is on the inside - in which case it’s penetrating damp - or on the outside - in which case it’s condensation.
The causes of condensation are complex and it’s notoriously difficult to cure. Possible solutions to the problem centre either around cutting down the amount of moisture in the air, or making sure that there are no surfaces for it to condense - by warming them up.
Cutting down the moisture in the air can be difficult in rooms like kitchens and bathrooms, where there are obvious and necessary sources of steam. Usually the best answer is to increase the ventilation - getting damp air quickly out of the
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