A Quick Guide to Reducing Condensation

by Clearview Secondary Glazing

Condensation is a real frustration for people across the UK. At the very least, it’s an eyesore that clouds up your windows and obstructs your view – creating a real chore of wiping windows down day after day.

But things take a turn for the worst when the water starts to trickle down leaving pools of water on your windowsill. Even with the utmost dedication to wiping that water away, you could find yourself with damp, mould and costly damage to your sills.

Read on to find out what causes steamy windows and how to rectify it.

What causes condensation?

As you might have found discussing steamy windows with other frustrated sufferers, no two instances of condensation are the same. The problem can vary with the season or be more severe in one room compared to another. Of course, it can also vary in severity from property to property.

Put simply, it’s an unavoidable phenomenon that occurs naturally when there is a difference in temperature between warm moist air and a sufficiently cold surface. When moist air comes into contact with the surface, the moisture is drawn out of it and condenses into a liquid onto the cold surface.

The perfect storm

Unfortunately, the combination of modern day living and window glass creates a perfect storm for condensation to appear. As humans, we create a lot of moisture in our houses from cooking and boiling kettles to ironing, cleaning and showering – not to mention breathing.

This produces a huge amount of warm moist air. In the winter, when it’s not practical to let that air out through the windows, the moist air will stay trapped inside. As a nice flat, thin material directly exposed to the cold outside air, windows create a perfect cold surface for condensation to form on.

What’s the solution?

Don’t worry, there’s no need to stop cooking, showering or breathing! Instead, the solution is to eliminate the cold surface that draws moisture out of warm air.

Double glazing

While it can sometimes be effective, double glazing is expensive, disruptive and can put perfectly good, original feature windows into landfill. It works by adding an additional barrier – with a gap of compressed air – between the cold outside air and the inside of your window to stop the internal surface from becoming quite so cold.

As well as its impact on the environment, double glazing doesn’t always fix the problem. Narrow gauge double glazing offers poor performance and can fall victim to internal misting the minute the seals fail. That will require replacement again, leaving you back at square one.

Secondary glazing

On the other hand, secondary glazing has a very successful track record of preventing or significantly reducing the problem of condensation and steamy windows. Secondary glazing created a barrier between the warm moist internal air coming into contact with the cold external temperature glass.

Whilst it can’t guarantee to eradicate the problem, it does significantly reduce the amount of warm air contacting the glass, where 100% of the air was in contact before.

Secondary glazing results

In some cases, secondary glazing will provide an instant cure for condensation on your windows. On others, it may take a while for the damp to fully dry out, with the problem gradually improving over time.

However, what’s great about secondary glazing is that it can be continually improved in cases where the problem continues – because of continuing moisture ingress from outside, for example.

Unlike double glazing, which would need replacing again and again, secondary glazing creates a secondary chamber which enables the introduction of moisture absorption products like silica bags to further reduce condensation. The result is a more versatile, more effective and longer lasting solution to stop condensation in its tracks.

High performance secondary glazing

With years of experience supplying and installing secondary glazing, the team at Clearview are experts in condensation reduction. If you would like to discuss your condensation issues and how secondary glazing could help, call us on 0114 294 5018.

Discover How To Cure Your Home of Condensation for Good

Yes, you did read that correctly. Unlike the common cold, there is a cure for condensation. A permanent one. In this free eGuide – written by specialists – you will discover how to get rid of condensation – for good and enjoy a warm, dry home again.

Simply enter your name and email below and we will send a free copy straight to your inbox.

First Name *

Email *

I give consent to use this information to send additional emails and communication as described in your Privacy Policy *

 

Clearview Secondary Glazing

Clearview secondary glazing - the solution to significantly improved acoustic and heat insulation to your property, making your home or offices more comfortable, secure, greener and cost efficient to run. Achieved without the disruption of replacement windows, and without damaging the character of your building.

Recommended Posts

How can I stop condensation?

06/02/2024

Why Are My Windows Wet Every Morning?

07/01/2021

Why Are My Double-Glazed Windows Wet Inside the Pane?

30/10/2020