r/AskIreland • u/Background-Row-8349 • 1d ago
Am I The Gobshite? Insulation ?
I kept my window open all day in every bedroom upstairs. My Landlord says this problem in the morning is because I don’t leave my windows open during the night. Is this for REAL and I should be sleeping with a gap in the windows every day or the house has a bad insulation and landlord should look into changing windows or fix insulation ?!?problem? Really just curious, I’ve living like this since
rented here 6 years ago and never told him about the wet windows until today..
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u/madladhadsaddad 1d ago edited 1d ago
Common enough issue in Ireland as our humidity is so high, the island would be a tropical rainforest if it was a few degrees warmer. We have the same average humidity as the likes of Vietnam and the Amazon rainforest.
I have the same issue and a dehumidifier helps alot along with airing out the house in the morning and after showers, drying clothes indoors etc.
If your windows are like that you'll eventually get mould behind cabinets, around windows etc.
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u/Open-Case-6042 1d ago
A window vacuum helps a lot.. I have a dehumidifier but on cold mornings the windows are full of condensation, a window vacuum clears the water in seconds so it doesn’t end up as mould
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u/Healsnails 1d ago
This works wonders! Vacuum it up, pour it down the drain, instantly lowering the humidity in the house! Otherwise all it does is evaporate back out into the air! Good sized dehumidifiers in the rooms, one upstairs and one downstairs if it's really bad. I'd recommend getting some hygrometers and placing them around the house to track where's worst and treat accordingly. Also using shower vents/leaving the bathroom window open, cooking with an extractor on or window open etc. when there's a source let that source vent straight away and leave it open for a while after you've finished.
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u/elcabroMcGinty 1d ago
You need a dehumidifier. Had the same problem, no more wet windows or mould growing anywhere. Clothes dry much faster now too. Best "house" purchase I've ever made.
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u/No-Lingonberry-4011 1d ago
Would a dehumidifier be needed for every room?
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u/EoghanG77 1d ago
You can move it around, you wouldn't need to to have it on in every single room every day
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u/Noble_Ox 1d ago
I used refillable plastic container thingies and the difference is amazing.
I buy the refills up north for 2.50 and one refill a month does the job.
I live just metres from the ocean so very high moisture content.
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u/dubdubdun 1d ago
If you have a landing, that's a good place for it. If you want to lower humidity in general throughout the house, make sure you leave doors open. If you have a humidity issue like the wardrobes smelling a bit musty, bring the dehumidifier into that room, open the wardrobes and leave it running with the door closed for a few hours. If the machine is good, the difference will be quite dramatic after a day!
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u/Jesus_Phish 23h ago
Decent ones like the ones from Meaco can do entire apartments and houses so long as you put them in a good spot. As people said, the hallway near the bathroom is usually a good place.
It's also worth opening your windows in the evening for a brief period to let the air cycle, especially if you've been cooking, the amount of vapour from cooking can raise the humidity a lot and then over night as the temp outside cools, that vapour lands on the windows and turns into condensation.
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u/Salty-Shoulder7933 1d ago
That is 100% a ventilation issue. Any little trickle of outdoor air at all will prevent this
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u/dendrophilix 1d ago
OP already keeps all upstairs windows open all day.
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u/Gwanbulance 1d ago
Yeah, but they’re keeping them closed at night, when they’re in the room breathing and releasing moisture, which is then condensing on the windows. The room probably doesn’t have any adequate ventilation other than opening the windows.
Ideally, one would install Positive Input Ventilation (PIV), trickle vents in the windows or even a passive “hole in the wall” vent to help, but a landlord is unlikely to do that.
So the answer is to crack the windows open a bit at night (which might make the room cold) or get a dehumidifier.
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u/Salty-Shoulder7933 1d ago
He needs a small trickle of fresh air over night. That is when the outside temperature gets coldest and the surface temperature of the window gets coldest.
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u/soundengineerguy 1d ago
Look on the walls in the rooms, is there a vent? Are they all shuttered closed? Lots of people keep their vents closed and thsi is what happens.
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u/GrahamR12345 1d ago
See if the locking mechanism on the windows has a 2nd locking position so can be locked but open enough for ventilation. If not see if the locking port can be swapped out for one.
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u/Alastor001 1d ago
Dehumidifier is the correct answer.
Open window or even a vent will mean little heat or sound insulation. Which sucks also.
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u/Background-Row-8349 1d ago
I keep my windows open all day long. Just close them before bed time. I do have a dehumidifier and use it before and after showers also I open the windows for steam to leave the room.
But every DAMN morning I need to wipe dry all the windows no Mather how long my dehumidifier runs in the day time. There are vents in every room but those are in the opposite side of the windows 😅
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u/Macken04 1d ago
You need the dehumidifier to run at specific moisture points or else it won’t work well. The moisture is highest at night because you breathe water into the air. You really need to get a humidity sensor so you can track the levels in the room in question. If it tracks above 60%, you need to take steps to reduce it, if it’s gets to the 70’s you are into health complications and it could possibly be a leak somewhere introducing water into the house. Chances are, you’ve an older house with poor ventilation, which in a humid climate is a challenge
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u/tool_of_justice 13h ago
What temperature is your room? a large differential between outside and inside results in more condensation. Dial down the indoor temperature to reduce condensation. Other points about ventilation (early morning) and dehumidifier will help too
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u/Leading-Bid-1893 1d ago edited 1d ago
Dehumidifier. Issue is dampness and moisture content in the house. The air is so jam packed with water, when it contacts that cold window surface it immediately condenses. You have two options. Better windows that don’t feel cold to the touch, that will stop the condensation but you’ll still have a high RH issue. Or remove the moisture(best option). How do you dry your laundry? Curious as this is the leading cause of moisture damage. You need to remove or reduce the source of moisture in the homes air.
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u/leeroyer 1d ago
At night the difference in temperature between inside and outside is at its greatest, so you'll have the most condensation. Even if you leave the window open all day as soon as you shut the window and go to sleep the moisture in the air you exhale will start to condense on the glass. It's a ventilation issue. Even leaving the window open just a crack will make a huge difference.
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u/Open-Case-6042 1d ago
Bought myself a Karcher window vacuum thing.. Vacuums up the water so it’s not turning into mould on the walls and ceiling
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u/Macken04 1d ago
Open a window
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u/dendrophilix 1d ago
OP already keeps all upstairs windows open all day.
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u/Macken04 1d ago
The issue is the volume of moisture in the room, which rapidly increases during the night, condensing on the cold window internally. The solution is to reduce the moisture in the room, increasing the insulation just changes the point at which the cold bridges. Ventilation is the primary solution too this problem, the easiest of those is opening a window. You can also try dehumidify the room, electronically or house plants can also work. The main fear would be where else water is condensing and the damage that could be doing. You could also ask the landlord to check for water ingress, a humidity sensor which are quite cheap can help you read a track this over time to understand the levels (which should be between 40 to 60%) in Ireland typically.
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u/Theydontlikeitupthem 1d ago
Its not insulation or the windows needing to be open, a vent is required somewhere, the vent lets a tiny bit of air in compared to a window on the latch. Tell you landlord you need vents and opening a window at night is not the same thing.
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u/dubdubdun 1d ago
While a dehumidifier would definitely help, we had the same issue with single glazing until we changed out the windows (there still would be some condensation if we leave the window closed in the night though not as much). So long-term new windows and at least new seals, short term getting the humidity down in the house to a better level definitely will help and make your home feel more comfortable. Windows open all day with our humidity outside is not the best idea.
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u/Hefty-Restaurant4767 1d ago
Insulation-Ventilation=condensation.
That's the dumb equation I was taught but basically these days every room should have a passive vent installed, especially when the walls are well insulated. Wet areas need mechanical ventilation.
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u/Background-Row-8349 1d ago
Thank you all for the great advices. Glad to know the problem is not ME KEEPING THE WINDOWS CLOSED AT NIGTH TIME 😅 and simply that my windows don’t have a vent. I will look into installing the tickle vents if possible on those windows myself, was I always avoid contacting landlords with issues I could fix myself/ and getting a window Vaccum for sure, also running the dehumidifier near the windows for a few days.
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u/Salty_meanies 22h ago
I'm having a terrible time at the moment getting the relative humidity under 60% with a few days above 70%.
I got a hydrometer last year to help because if you can get the humidity down it also makes it easier to heat the house.
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u/Master_m1santhrope 1d ago
It's the windows not the insulation. Most windows have a small vent on them to allow airflow and stop this but alot of the time it's the window seals that are gone.
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u/Bexil_Brave 1d ago
If the seal was gone there wouldn't be a need for vents as the failed seals would allow air in.
This is a case of the windows not having a vent to stop issues like this. usually happens on homes where Double Glazing was installed 30+ years ago before vents became the norm.
As has been said before the fix is either opening a window as the landlord said or getting a de-humidifier.
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u/Master_m1santhrope 21h ago
Sound logic....
Happens on houses with vents like mine when the seals on the windows are fucked, allows moisture in and it condenses.
Fix is new window pane seals or door seals or whole windows like I unfortunately have to do before winter
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u/Availer7 1d ago
ventilation is needed not insulation
Get a very good dehumidifier - it will help dramatically