What causes condensation in your home

It is a common misconception that windows produce condensation. This is not true, windows cannot produce condensation. Condensation is formed when moisture in the air comes into contact with a cooler surface such as a window.

The main causes of condensation are:

You and your family’s activity within your home.

Take a look at how much moisture is generated from everyday house hold activities.

Household ActivityAverage moisture added to the indoor air
Cooking3.0 litres day
Clothes washing500 ml per day
Showers and baths1.5 litres per day per person
Dishes1.0 litre per day
Clothes drying (unvented)5.0 litres per load
Gas heater (unflued)1.0 litre per hour
Breathing20ml per hour per person
Pot plantsAs much as you give them

The house is closed in during construction in a particularly wet season

The amount of moisture that is released while the house dries out and trapped within the home of the first year is significant (read Build Magazine Article) up to a 1,000 litres can be released from the slab alone, let alone framing, carpet etc. This applies to most new houses – the solution for this is that they live in the house for 12-months and if the problem still exists contact their builder. It is a hard one to sell to the proud owner of a new home, but in most cases the problem simply goes away once the moisture within all the building products dries out.

Unique location

The only other problem is when the site has a unique location, e.g. amongst trees down in a hollow.

Watch our video to understand what causes condensation

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