In many homes, if not in all, unsightly and unhealthy dampness is produced by condensation. Effect that occurs mainly in the colder months.
Below we will explain what condensation is, why it occurs, what effects it can cause, and how we can combat it.
What is condensation?
Condensation has its origin, on the one hand, in the water vapor existing inside the houses and, on the other, in the difference in temperature inside and outside.
Water steam
Water vapor is present in each and every home and comes from various sources.
On the one hand, we have the normal activity that takes place in the kitchens. It is cooked, food and crockery are washed,… which provides the environment with a large amount of humidity, and even steam directly.
On the other hand, we have the bathroom area, in exactly the same way. Showers in particular produce a large amount of water vapour.
And finally, there is ourselves. Just the act of breathing produces an average of more than two liters of water per person per day.
All this and some other causes produce a significant amount of humidity inside the home.
thermal bridge
The other factor that intervenes in this equation is the difference in temperature between the outside and the temperature inside the house.
Precisely the breaking of the thermal bridge that window companies proclaim so much does not help much to solve the problem of condensation.
Precisely the control established by the public administration on the construction sector, requires the realization of practically “sealed” residential buildings. This prevents the existence of natural ventilation.
I’m not saying this type of current construction is bad. On the contrary. What yes, we must take into account certain habits that we will indicate below.
Well, when these two situations occur simultaneously, the humidity in the environment changes from a gaseous state to a liquid state, producing condensation.
Consequences of humidity by condensation
Dampness due to condensation can manifest itself with mist and even drops of water on the exterior windows, a musty smell, and black stains of fungus and mold on the walls.
This, apparently, is only an aesthetic problem, it is much more serious, since it can endanger the health of the inhabitants of the house.
Mold and mites can find their way into people’s airways, aggravating chronic conditions such as asthma as well as respiratory allergies.
Tips to reduce humidity by condensation
To eliminate or, at least, reduce condensation as much as possible, we must carry out a series of actions daily, which we should be able to turn into habits.
Here we collect some of these:
- Ventilate the house adequately and periodically. This tip is one of the most important.
- Do not dry clothes inside the house, if possible.
- The door of the kitchen and bathrooms, while in use, must be closed, while the windows must be opened immediately after use. In this way, in a few minutes, the steam will be eliminated towards the outside, preventing it from spreading towards the interior of the house.
- Try to keep the interior temperature constant for as long as possible.
- Whenever possible, do not use gas heating systems, since gas combustion produces water vapour, aggravating the condensation problem.
How to solve humidity due to condensation?
If the above tips do not reduce the problem significantly, we suggest a solution to the problem.
We have resorted to the advice of Pinturas Villares who, as specialists in this type of application, recommend Lisomat.
It involves applying a paint with insulating microspheres, which has a great thermal insulation capacity, thus combating dampness due to condensation. Likewise, it protects from the appearance of mold, fungi and bacteria.
App
The process of applying an anti-condensation paint like this one is not complicated at all. Below we list the main steps.
1º Clean the affected area.
The first step is to remove mold and fungus from the affected area. For this, a special cleaner must be used, since it is very important to try to remove it by rubbing, since the only thing we would achieve would be to spread the spores of the fungus. This would cause, after a short time, to reappear in other nearby areas.
So we apply the cleaner, and let it work and dry on its own for a few hours.
2nd Recommendations prior to painting.
- Remove the paint by hand with a spatula. The use of mechanical agitators is not recommended.
- The surface on which we will apply the product must be dry.
3. Apply anti-condensation paint.
We apply two layers of paint following the instructions on the container.
Clever. The problem would already be solved.
