When the winter comes around, condensation begins to affect many homes across New Zealand. While it may at first seem like a minor irritation, it does have the potential to cause health problems and structural damage. Fortunately, there are ways to stop condensation in your home.
What is Condensation and What Causes It?
When moisture in the air comes into contact with cold surfaces, it returns from its gaseous state and begins to form liquid droplets. In other words, water starts to appear around your home. While this isn’t often a problem during the summer, during the winter it can lead to damp, which causes further problems in itself.
When condensation is persistent, it can encourage mould and dust mites to grow. This is usually an insidious process, which means the problem is out of hand before you get the chance to address it. It may begin with the odd fleck of black, signaling a little mould growth. When it starts to spread, it become challenging to get under control.
Why is Condensation Such a Problem?
Mould isn’t just unsightly, it can cause a range of health problems. In those who suffer from respiratory diseases, the very young, and the very old, it can lead to conditions that require medical attention. Mould may also trigger attacks in those who are asthmatic, which is naturally quite frightening. While it may look as though it remains on the walls and other surfaces in your home, microscopic spores are consistently breaking free, making it likely that you’ll come into contact with them.
Damp, when left unmanaged, also has the potential to cause structural problems. While this is more likely to happen in homes containing a lot of timber, it can lead to issues with cavity wall ties in brick houses.
How Can You Prevent Condensation in Your Home?
First, you need to identify the source of moisture. More often than not, it arises because of poor ventilation. One common source is a poorly ventilated bathroom or kitchen, with another being badly ventilated clothes dryers.
There are mechanisms available for you to use in these places. Most bathrooms and kitchens come with extractor fans, which will remove some of the moisture. However, in homes with heavy traffic, they’re not entirely effective. Another option is to tackle condensation as it arises. In other words, spend time wiping water from the windows and windowsills. Naturally, this is a little cumbersome, and few people have time to go around their homes wiping throughout the winter.
Some homeowners choose to introduce low-level heating to combat the problem. However, while low-level heating might reduce the incidence of condensation, it also makes your home colder during the winter. This can give rise to health problems in itself.
A more practical alternative is to use a home ventilation system that tackles condensation at its source. One example of this is the SmartVent Evolve, which focuses on regulating temperature, as well as removing condensation from the air before it even has a chance to take hold. It does this by using its ‘Dew’ detection system. Through the use of several monitors placed throughout the home, Dew identifies the average humidity levels across a property. When they reach the point where condensation may become an issue, the SmartVent Evolve kicks in to draw dry air from the roof cavity or outdoors, which is then filtered and passed through the home to make the environment drier.
With a home ventilation system that focuses on making the environment drier, it’s possible to reduce condensation and the risks that come with it.
