Many people, replacing old windows with new plastic double-glazed windows, sometimes find condensation from the side of the room. This is an unpleasant phenomenon that requires a speedy solution. After all, condensation on the plastic windows from the side of the room contributes to the development of fungus and mold. The atmosphere in the room becomes unhealthy. Frequent ventilation in the winter leads to large heat losses. Therefore, the problem must be solved in other ways. There are several recommendations that will help get rid of condensation on the windows. For this, it is necessary to determine the cause of this phenomenon.
What is condensate?
To understand how to get rid of condensation on the windows, you need to understand the mechanism of its occurrence. Water settles on the glass when the temperature inside the room is higher than outside. In this case, the humidity in the room should be large enough so that condensation forms.
The greater the distance between the outer and inner glass, the less often you have to deal with the problem of getting rid of condensate on plastic windows.
According to sanitary standards, if the humidity in the room is in the range of 30-45% and the air temperature is 20-22 ° C, the dew on the glass will not fall.
During construction, the dew point must be calculated . She is outside the room, but with the slightest imbalance, she moves inward.
Why is the dew point moving
To prevent condensation on the plastic windows from the side of the room, the engineers calculate all the conditions and location parameters of each element of the structure. However, over time, these indicators begin to gradually deviate from the norm.
Most often, to solve the problem of the causes of condensation on plastic windows, attention should be paid to the thermal insulation of the room.
If the house was built more than a dozen years ago, its walls weathered under the influence of weather phenomena. Their insulating properties were violated.
If the layout of the room or heating and ventilation systems changed indoors, this could also cause fogging of the plastic windows.
According to research results, the cause of dew on glass in only 5% of cases is the manufacturer's wine.
High humidity
Such a problem as condensation on plastic windows (reasons, solution may be different), is determined by a specialist. However, it is quite realistic to try to understand the factors of dew formation on your own.
One of them is high humidity. This will help determine the hygrometer. Sometimes, to remove condensation on a plastic window, it is enough to carry out ventilation.
There should also be a good ventilation system indoors. Indeed, it is simply unacceptable to ventilate an apartment in winter in severe frosts. There are also special desiccants. They will help normalize the microclimate.
On sale there are valves that provide continuous ventilation of the windows without loss of heat. Moreover, there are a huge number of varieties of such systems.
Convection violation
To decide how to get rid of condensation on the windows, you should consider the factor of violation of convection in the room. Even changes in the movement of air masses can lead to fogging of the windows.
Convection consists in raising the warm stream up, and the cold one - lowering it down. If the window were not located above the battery, it would freeze, collecting condensate on the glass.
If something prevents the battery from heating the space above it, this is already considered a violation in the convection process. When deciding how to get rid of condensation on plastic windows, you should pay attention to the windowsill. If it is too wide, the stream of warm air from the battery simply does not reach the windows.
You will have to either replace the window sill, or make holes in its plane so that the flow can move up.
Double-glazed window
Too wide a double-glazed window very often leads to the formation of moisture from the side of the room. Oddly enough, if it is larger than 70 cm, this will interfere with other properties of the window. And in this case, you will have to install a good air conditioning system or change the window. That's why you should choose a normal profile.
Condensation on the windows and freezing of the glazing can be caused by the type of construction. Single-chamber varieties of windows in severe frosts can even be covered with ice. This terrifies the hosts. But this is how the simple laws of physics work.
If the window has two glasses, they freeze stronger than in a two-chamber. In this case, the solution to the problem will also be replacing the window. It is better to initially purchase a two-chamber double-glazed window. Even if condensation will collect on them for some reason, it will not freeze. Three glasses give a better chance that the windows will not fog up.
Defect
It happens that the defect of one window becomes the cause of the problem. This can be seen if all rooms have the same double-glazed windows, but only one of them is sweating. But to determine how to remove condensation on plastic windows, if this problem is present in all rooms of the apartment, it will be difficult.
This cause of dew is quite rare. But if nevertheless the source of the problem is this, you should contact the company that installed the windows. Its representatives will inspect the double-glazed windows and, if necessary, eliminate the malfunctions. But before calling the wizard, you need to exclude the likelihood of other reasons.
If the dew falls inside the glass, this indicates a clear defect in the installation or assembly. Today there are quite a lot of unscrupulous manufacturers.
Eliminate heat loss to get rid of condensation
If the house in which the owners live is old, it may have large heat losses. This shifts the dew point into the room. In this case, the insulation of the walls will help get rid of the problem with condensate. Moreover, it is much better if these actions are performed on the outside of the wall.
If the apartment is cold, this may also be the answer to the question of why the plastic windows inside are fogged up. The causes of problems sometimes should be sought in the work of old radiators. Rinse and clean the cast iron batteries. You can replace them with new ones, but steel and aluminum will be less durable, although they will have greater heat transfer.
It is better to restore the old cast iron. In addition to existing heating, install an electric convector or underfloor heating. This will reduce condensation.
Ventilation improvement
If the apartment is warm, it is necessary to check the ventilation system. Channel grilles should be well cleaned. Sometimes, to understand how to get rid of condensation on plastic windows, you should look at the layout of the neighbors from above. If they carried out repairs, the ventilation shaft could have been simply walled up by them.
If the hood is functioning, the channels are not clogged, you can install a forced fan. It will, at the request of the owners, turn on and conduct moisture removal as necessary. For example, in the process of cooking or taking a bath, this is more relevant than at other times.
If the street is not very cold, you can carry out airing.
It will also help restore the right indoor climate. In any case, it is impossible to put up with the formation of condensate. This will not only lead to a rapid deterioration of windows, but will also adversely affect the health of the people living here.
Prevention
If plastic windows have recently been installed in the home or it is planned in the near future, preventive measures should be taken. This will increase the likelihood that condensation will not collect on the plastic windows from the side of the room.
For this, it is necessary to establish optimal thermal and ventilation conditions. It is necessary to reduce the ingress of moisture into the room (repair the roof, check the pipes in the basement, eliminate other leaks).
If the house is old, it is necessary to insulate the walls from the outside. Keeping a large number of plants on the windowsill is also unacceptable. When cooking and taking a bath, use forced ventilation.
If radiators do not function properly, they should be cleaned or replaced. It is important to provide for the use of additional heaters in the winter and off-season.
Having found out how condensation forms on the plastic windows from the side of the room, you can find a way to get rid of such a problem. In each case, a number of measures should be taken that contribute to the disappearance of dew from the glass. Condensation must not be tolerated. This will lead to health problems, as well as to the rapid failure of windows. By choosing the right method, you can get rid of condensate quickly and efficiently.