Can Trickle Vents Be Added To Existing Dg Windows

[madmaz50]

I have spent a lot of time and trouble insulating our bedroom. We are now getting condensation on the inside surface of the windows in a morning. They don't have trickle vents fitted. Can vents now be added and would it solve the problem ? If they can, is it a DIY job or not ?

[KARL]

There is no guarantee that such vents will eliminate condensation. What temperature is your bedroom at when you get condensation ? Are curtains drawn across the window at that point ? Is the bedroom closed off from the rest of the house ? What is the ceiling height ?

[The Builder]

With timber windows, they're an easy fit. Standard windows have enough thickness to let you simply drill a series of holes, and cover them with an openable plastic trickle vent.

It can be done with uPVC as well, but needs a little more thought.

An alternative..... much easier.... is to fit a suitable vent into the ceiling (assuming you are upstairs or in a bungalow. ) A ceiling vent would have to be ducted to the outside rather as an extractor fan is. This is done in the roofspace.

Well within the scope of a good handyman or DIYer if you have some experience with handling the tools you need.

[bookbinder]

I live in a bungalow that was built in 1994. It has timber, double-glazed windows, all with trickle vents fitted. The house is aligned east to west. We have always had condensation on the windows in the front (main) bedroom, which faces north and is at the east end of the house. Opening or closing the vents has no effect on the condensation. Sometimes, if the outside temperature is particularly low, we get condensation also on the window in the back bedroom, which is unoccupied and which is also at the east end of the house. Fitting trickle vents would not solve your problem, in my opinion. The only way to prevent condensation on windows is probably to leave them open all night, which would not be a good idea.

[madmaz50]

Hi Karl
Not sure what the temerature is, I suppose a simple answer would be that it depends on the outside temperature. We don't have the central heating on during the night. The colder it is outside, the more condensation we get. Curtains are drawn across the windows, the bedroom is closed off from the rest of the house, the ceiling height is approx. 8ft.
Regards

[madmaz50]

Hi Bookbinder
You say you get condensation in your bungalow bedrooms, as we do. What have you done, that hasn't worked, to try to solve the problem and have you managed to reduce the amount of condensation in your bedrooms at all ?
Regards

[The Builder]

A very common problem Maz, particularly at this time of year. What we're doing here is just picking at it. There is rarely one simple solution.
To use the jargon, what's needed is a holistic approach.

In short .......... this lot:

Enough gentle background heat to keep vapour above "dew point"
Unobtrusive trickle ventilation to remove vapour to the outside.
Mechanical air extraction directly over shower/bath
Tumble drier instead of hanging washing on radiators.
Fanned extraction over cooker (especially gas, since gas burns to produce water)
No breathing (ok, I'll let you off that one)
Airflow around the house (bedroom doors open if possible - most importantly, unused rooms)

Heating doesn't have to be on overnight, but the building has to reach a decent core temperature before the heating goes off.

Overnight - even the very smallest storage heaters on the lowest settings are very good for this in bedrooms without central heating.

Every situation is different. Many of us have no condensation problems even without any of the things I've listed. I understand what the others have said, but their circumstances might be a whole lot different.
There is no "one size for all" solution.

It's a big subject :o)

[jkelly24]

Buy a dehumidifier

[espookid]

The reason you get this is because the "insulative value "of the windows is less than the walls
If there is water vapour trying to escape because of the difference in inside/outside temperatures then it finds the easiest route I would think the problem lies with the heating system as there shouldn't be so much ,are you using gas or oil? as they both give of water vapour I would agree that the quick solution is a de-humidifier but don't forget to empty it
The rooms should have several air changes per hour but I suspect that you have made a lot of the rooms almost air tight and that means that the cold side of the house is taking the load instead of the load being shared by all rooms having a small amount of ventilation

[KARL]

Condensation on double glazed windows is a peculiarly British problem in houses where rooms are commonly closed off and unheated, tight fitting curtains across windows making matters even worse. A high ceiling makes things marginally less sensitive because of the increased volume. This is simple physics (but still a mystery to the majority) and reducing the temperature a just bit further in a room with "trickle vents" does not solve the problem. Generally, where entire houses are heated and curtains are loose fitting or not drawn at all, condensation is either non-existent or at least very minimal (perhaps just at the very margins of the glass) regardless of the window material except for metal frames. Heating to temperatures above 15 degrees, better still 18 degrees is the only reliable solution, and allowing the dry air to circulate across the window with free flow throughout the house (open doors internally) which is also heated to the same level; that is the common practice outside the UK. If heating is not an option then to eliminate condensation the room and probably the whole house will need to be ventilated rigorously down to very near outdoor temperatures - it will then be equally cold and dry/damp as the outdoors. Anyone who finds this difficult to accept should go to any heated shop or public building - condensation is rare except where very high levels of atmospheric moisture are present (swimming pools, etc.) - compared to, say, cold and draughty bus stations on a wet day which also rarely experience condensation; the two demonstrate the two extremes/solutions.

[bookbinder]

madmaz, I've only just now seen your post of Saturday. I haven't done anything to try to solve the problem because I reckon it's something that we have to live with. I've had condensation on windows on every house that I've lived in (I'm 74) and all that I have done is mop it up. It doesn't seem to be something that can be eliminated, not in my house, anyway. Every evening at this time of year I lay towelling strips along the bottom edge of the glass to keep the moisture off the wooden window frame. During the day I dry the strips out, and then it's the same old procedure in the evening. Condensation on windows is just a fact of life.