Fixed a condensation issue

jonnyburgo

We live in a 60s built dormer, daughters bedroom is in an exposed corner and the wall on the dormer has been freezing cold this winter which has led to condensation running down the wall, horrible black mould all around the radiator and  under her window. I couldn't insulate the boards from outside as I can access the void. However I could see that there wasn't any wetness in the outside if the wall boards by removing a vent and putting my hand inside to void.

Anyhoo, got some insulated paper from Toolstation, it's fleece backed and very thick (and a bastard to work with, you needed very sharp blade for cutting)

Was not cheap at £60 a roll and a further £20 for the special ready mixed adhesive which is like thick custard, luckily only required one roll though. This was tipped off with Zinsser Mould Proof Emulsion 

First thing noted was how much warmer the wall is even when it's been minus °C outside.
Not a hint if condensation in the two weeks since it has been done.

Thought id put this out there as the theme of condensation seems to pop up from time to time.

munckee

My sons room is on an exposed corner and we get water on the internal wall when it is cold. Would I have to line the whole room?

jonnyburgo

munckee said:

My sons room is on an exposed corner and we get water on the internal wall when it is cold. Would I have to line the whole room?

I only did the outer back wall and side of the dormer, which are plasterboard, the other wall is brick and doesn't get cold.

WezV

I went a bit further in the back bedroom of my old house.   The external walls got lined with 1" insulated plasterboard, 

I was told that wasn't enough and I should have gone with something thicker, but it was the warmest and driest room in the house afterwards

jonnyburgo

WezV said:

I went a bit further in the back bedroom of my old house.   The external walls got lined with 1" insulated plasterboard, 

I was told that wasn't enough and I should have gone with something thicker, but it was the warmest and driest room in the house afterwards

That would probably be the best option however couldn't get too spendy and it seems to have worked.

BillDL

My mother lives in the upstairs flat of what we refer to here as a "4 in a block" building.  It was probably built in the wartime era or maybe just before it, so it's all brick and plaster.  There is a main chimney for the fire that was in the livingroom and the bedrooms each had a fireplace that shared a communal chimney above the sloping ceiling of the internal stairs from the door at the side of the house.  Obviously the bedroom fireplaces were blocked off a long time ago, but the chimney is still open and it must get really cold and damp inside that void.  She and my Dad used to get black mould on the walls of those rooms in Winter until my Dad bought some really thick "anaglypta" wallpaper and put it up on those walls.  That is clearly inferior to the type of insulating paper that you bought, so if the old anaglypta worked then I would imagine that the purpose made paper you bought will be many times more efficient.

paganskins

Thanks for the PSA @jonnyburgo, looks just the the thing we need for our bay window. 

Haych

My daughter's room seems to suffer with condensation, especially on one wall, where the window is.

It's quite normal to wake up and have to vacuum her window free of condensation with a Kartcher window vac.  The window reveal and ceiling above the window also condense quite badly if it's cold outside.

I've been running a dehumidifier this winter which seems to have made absolutely no difference at all to condensation in the house!

I might give that insulated paper a look, do have a link to the products used, @jonnyburgo?

Also, while were on the topic, is there a product I could apply to the ceiling to do an equivalent job on that surface?  I'd quite happily lose a bit of headroom if I could make the room warmer and less prone to condensation forming.

bertie

 thanks @jonnyburgo ;;  that may be the solution for a built in wardrobe we have that constantly gets condensation/mould in the bottom of a N facing corner -  was thinking of putting one of those very low wattage piano heaters in there - £40 and runs at 40p a day....................but this may be the cheaper option.....................  I see Screwfix do it as well,  the roll is 10m  and we only need about 4............... 

jonnyburgo

bertie said:

 thanks @jonnyburgo ;;;  that may be the solution for a built in wardrobe we have that constantly gets condensation/mould in the bottom of a N facing corner -  was thinking of putting one of those very low wattage piano heaters in there - £40 and runs at 40p a day....................but this may be the cheaper option.....................  I see Screwfix do it as well,  the roll is 10m  and we only need about 4............... 

The wall rock thermal liner? That's the stuff, make sure you buy the adhesive too,the 5kg tub is more than enough for one roll, you only paste the wall which cuts down on mess, I hate wallpapering.

bertie

jonnyburgo said:

bertie said:

 thanks @jonnyburgo ;;  that may be the solution for a built in wardrobe we have that constantly gets condensation/mould in the bottom of a N facing corner -  was thinking of putting one of those very low wattage piano heaters in there - £40 and runs at 40p a day....................but this may be the cheaper option.....................  I see Screwfix do it as well,  the roll is 10m  and we only need about 4............... 

The wall rock thermal liner? That's the stuff, make sure you buy the adhesive too, normal paste will be tough, you only paste the wall which cuts down on mess, I hate wallpapering.

aiye,   we need to strip it down anyway -  I was going remove the old woodchip (yep its that old) and paint with anti mould paint...................... (got an additive that you put in the emulsion of your choice)  so might put this up and paint that 

ThePrettyDamned

Brother is a decorator and, other than airflow, reckons Zinsser permawhite is the best on the market.

Having our bathrooms done soon. 

Dominic

Sorry to be a Jeremiah but I would say ........early days
Condensation is extremely difficult to eradicate 

bertie

Dominic said:

Sorry to be a Jeremiah but I would say ........early days
Condensation is extremely difficult to eradicate 

it wont eradicate it,  the vapour has to go somewhere,  but it should help preventing mould/mildew from forming on that wall

ventilation or de-humidifier is the next key

paganskins

@jonnyburgo how's the insulated paper holding up after the winter? Thanks

JezWynd

Haych said:

My daughter's room seems to suffer with condensation, especially on one wall, where the window is.

It's quite normal to wake up and have to vacuum her window free of condensation with a Kartcher window vac.  The window reveal and ceiling above the window also condense quite badly if it's cold outside.

I've been running a dehumidifier this winter which seems to have made absolutely no difference at all to condensation in the house!

I might give that insulated paper a look, do have a link to the products used, @jonnyburgo?

Also, while we’re on the topic, is there a product I could apply to the ceiling to do an equivalent job on that surface?  I'd quite happily lose a bit of headroom if I could make the room warmer and less prone to condensation forming.

A dehumidifier completely cured the quite bad condensation I would regularly get on windows in winter. It would take a couple of litres of water from the atmosphere in 36-48hrs. Could it be that yours is underpowered for the space?

strtdv

If it were my house I'd check that it was genuinely condensation from normal air cooling rather than damp getting through somewhere. If I'd satisfied myself of that I'd have a look at insulation. 
In a 1960's build with a dormer there's a good chance that there's no insulation at all on the dormer. 

If there's space you can add it internally though you'll need to ensure there's airflow round the timbers for the dormer or it can rot from the inside out 

Alternatively you can add external insulation although that may require alteration to the roofline of the dormer and is likely to be a bigger job. If the windows are more than about 15 years old I'd replace them at the same time

jonnyburgo

paganskins said:

@jonnyburgo how's the insulated paper holding up after the winter? Thanks



It's been great, not a hint of condensation on the wall at all, it's been a couple of winters now. 

paganskins

jonnyburgo said:

paganskins said:

@jonnyburgo how's the insulated paper holding up after the winter? Thanks



It's been great, not a hint of condensation on the wall at all, it's been a couple of winters now. 

Excellent, thanks for the update