Condensation in concrete house!

3 years ago

I live in a 3 bed semi, ex council house which we own with a mortgage. We’re connected to neighbours on the right side but the left is an exposed gable end as there’s a path to some garages. The house is concrete rather than brick and on the left hand side of the house we suffer with a lot of condensation inside. It’s resulted in multiple instances of redecorating the living room and the two affected bedrooms. My partner doesn’t seem to think it’s an issue, and during the spring and summer he’s right. Come winter, my anxiety is through the roof as you can physically see liquid on the walls and we’re constantly cleaning up mould from the condensation. My question is, is there anything I can do?! We have those dehumidifier tubs that you pour crystals into, keep doors open and make sure we open the windows plenty to allow air flow, and we have the heating set so it never goes below 16•. If there’s anything else I can do now to prevent it I’d like to, to stave off the winter stress! I’m looking to redecorate my son’s bedroom so don’t want to do that for it to be ruined by Christmas!

thanks in advance for reading my rant, any help will be much appreciated!!

Featured Answer

arc3d

3 years ago

Hi Laura,

A few questions that can help you trace the problem.

- Has the condensation always been there?

- If not, did it coincide with any kind of renovation work, like removing a chimney, wall vent, double glazing, kitchen re fit? etc

- Did it coincide with a new appliance, like a washing machine, dryer etc?

- Did it coincide with a lifestyle change e.g. more cooking, kids moving home etc.

- Does your boiler loose pressure often?

A few years ago my parents house suddenly developed a condensation problem. Everyone noticed it but we couldn't figure out why. We tried all the normal things like opening windows, turning the heating up and we even bought an electric dehumidifier. The dehumidifier worked great but a few hours after switching it off the condensation came back.

One day I was in the kitchen and noticed a hissing sound so managed to trace it to behind the fridge. It was the mains pipe. Water was spraying in through the tiniest of cracks, so small I almost missed it. My guess is that it had been leaking for as long as the condensation problem had been there i.e. nearly a year, but the crack was bigger now and that's why I heard the hissing. Back then my parents had lino on the kitchen floor and the water had just been collecting under it. I fixed the pipe and within a few days the condensation cleared up and hasn't been back since.

So might be an idea to go around the house and check all the plumbing.

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Comments (6)

Nate218
3 years ago
Hi Laura, I think what you need here is an anti-condensation paint. There are lots of them on the market, just make sure you choose a good quality one, such as Thermilate, Rustoleum or Coo-var. I came across this article, which might be helpful to you: https://www.rawlinspaints.com/blog/the-difference-between-damp-proof-paint-and-anti-condensation-paint/amp/
Laura Butler thanked Nate218
Laura Butler
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks for your help! Would the anti-condensation paint go on as a base coat onto the wall which I can then paint over, or is it designed to be the only thing on the wall? Apologies if it’s a stupid question, I’m new to DIY of any kind 😂
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Nate218
3 years ago
Not totally sure on that, it may depend on individual brand of paint. if you can't overcoat it, then you may be able to get it tinted to a colour in the first place.
Laura Butler thanked Nate218
E D
3 years ago
No expert but I’ve read a fair bit on the subject of damp since we used to have some issues with it.

The most important thing to do is investigate the cause of the damp. Using a certain paint may go some way to lessen the symptoms but doesn’t cure it.

Condensation is related to low temperatures and a lack of ventilation.

You’re apparently doing the right thing with opening windows and heating, although the general advice is to keep the temperature above 18 Celsius.

We used to get black mould on a wall near a window, but since we had double glazing and installed radiators underneath it, the mould stayed away.
Laura Butler thanked E D
Laura Butler
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks for the input! I’ll definitely make a point of changing the heating settings so that we’re aiming for a minimum of 18•. I’ll see what we can do about the radiators- none of the 3 walls affected contain a radiator so it may well be worth seeing if we can get those moved, if that’s possible! Thanks again 👍🏻

Condensation in concrete house!

arc3d

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Condensation in concrete house!

arc3d

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