What is condensation?
Condensation is the result of high humidity that produces a “fog” once it hits a colder surface. The humidity is caused by excess water vapor in the home. This is commonly seen in a foggy mirror after a hot shower. Condensation usually occurs first on windows because glass surfaces have the lowest temperature of any of the interior surfaces in the home.
Air carries water in the form of water vapour, and the warmer the air the more water vapour can be carried. The measurement of the amount of water in the air is called humidity and air with a high water content is said to have a high humidity. Cool air holds less water than warm air, so if very humid warm air cools down when it comes into contact with a colder surface it must get rid of some of the water it holds. This excess water is deposited on to the colder surface and we may see it as drops of liquid water running down a window pane, for example. We call this condensation. The water in the air can come from a variety of activities within the home, for example:- • cooking and boiling kettles • washing clothes • ironing/drying clothes indoors • oil and bottled gas heaters • baths and showers • even breathing ! All houses will suffer from some condensation from time to time, but severe condensation is a very common problem particularly in cold weather and in older houses. As well as
