What is condensation?
Condensation is defined as the conversion of water vapour and other gasses to a liquid. This presents as collections of water droplets on cold surfaces such as windows and walls when the humid air makes contact, this creates all sorts of issues within the home, such as black mould, bubbled paint and wallpaper, damage to fabrics such as upholstery, curtains and chair backs and rotting wood of furniture against damp walls.
Where does the water vapour come from in our homes?
- Breathing – Creates a lot of warm vapour, roughly an average of 400g a day per adult
- Cooking – Ensuring you have a working extractor fan can help to prevent the issues associated with water vapour created from cooking
- Laundry – washing and drying, especially washing that is being dried on a clothes airer inside a room with subpar ventilation
- Wet clothing from rain and snow
- House plants – They raise the humidity in your home environment by increasing the amount of water vapour in the home atmosphere
- Bathing & showering – Releasing steam from a secure bathroom out into the household environment can benefit the growth of black mould on walls
- Washing up – Releases warm steam which creates water vapour due the contact with the colder environment around it
- New building materials – these contain a lot of moisture which dries out over time.
How to prevent condensation build up?
Providing natural ventilation throughout your home is the most effective way to prevent the build-up of condensation. Installing items such as airbricks or ventilation units can aid with ventilation as well as ensuring you open windows to allow for adequate air flow for some part of the day. Making sure bathrooms are well ventilated so that the water vapour after baths and showers has somewhere to escape from and keeping draught proof doors to rooms closed to prevent the transfer of air so as not to disturb the balance and migrate the vapour to other rooms.
Which products do we recommend and why?
Eaves protectors – Designed to be installed between roofing membrane and the guttering system to prevent sagging at eaves level causing water to pool. A cost-effective solution to aid ventilation and prevent excess moisture build up in the roof space. These channel water away from the brickwork and into the guttering helping to keep your home dry.
Over fascia vents – Used for roof eaves ventilation, flat roof abutment ventilation and on roofs that do not have a soffit board or where the eaves incorporate a fascia board. Over fascia vents are easy to fit, durable and discreet. They allow air into the roof space and protects the space against birds and insects.
Open eaves – Open eaves are the overhang on a building that is not equipped with a soffit, meaning you can directly see the rafters that overhang. Though open eaves do not look as finish as closed eaves, it is all down to style and preference. Eaves help to regulate the temperature of the property and aid against moisture penetration and leakage.
Soffit vents – Are a type of roof vent installed under the eaves with the purpose of providing ventilation to your roof and allows for cool, fresh air flow to regulate your loft space. This is essential in helping to prevent condensation from forming and in turn preventing black mould growth which can destroy wood, as well as many other materials and precious family items usually stored in loft spaces.
Dry Ridge System Kits – Dry ridge systems are the most reliable format to ensure your tiles are fixed and secure to your roof for the long term whilst also providing much needed ventilation into the roof space. Dry ridge systems provide a level of ventilation that is otherwise impossible with traditional ridge tiles.
Ridge vents – Installed at the peak of a sloped roof, ridge vents allow for warm, humid air to escape the roof space helping to keep the atmosphere well balanced and ventilated and prevents the formation of condensation.
Tile vents – Made in many styles including plain, double pantile, roman, square, non-profile, universal and even slate with many more to suit your roof covering needs, tile vents are designed to be discreet and allow for direct ventilation into the roof space. Perfect to aid the prevention of condensation and mould in your loft.
Air bricks – The specially designed bricks contain holes allowing for ventilation, placed in situ in buildings that have suspended floors. These help to prevent cold and damp air from effecting the timbers used in joists and floorboards. Coming in clay originally, air bricks are now made from both cast iron and plastic too.
Lap vents – Drawing warm air up and out of the roof whilst also protecting your roof space from bugs and debris from outside. Lap vents help keep the atmosphere in your roof space balanced and aid ventilation by helping to prevent condensation build up due to cold, damp air, these can also be fitted retrospectively which is a bonus.
Choose your condensation fighting products with Roofing Supplies UK
Mammoth Roofing Supplies is an expert retailer of all thing’s condensation busting. We can advise on the right option for your needs, to ensure your home ventilation project is a success. We have a range of ventilation products available to suit a huge variety of needs.
Are you interested in choosing your concrete roof tiles today? Contact our Newquay branch on 01637 498055 or our Plymouth branch on 01752 228873. Don’t forgot we can deliver anywhere across the Southwest.
