With spring now upon us, and the days growing longer, what better time to take advantage of more sunshine than right now? When the sun shines, life just generally seems to feel better. The more natural sunlight you allow into your home, the more pleasant and welcoming the atmosphere is. This is why skylights have become more common in recent years.
Skylights allow natural sunlight to flood into your home. They not only improve visibility and the ambience, but they can also improve the aesthetics and add value to your property. Whether vented or fixed in place, however, they do require a little more maintenance than your standard doors and windows in the home. Especially when it comes to condensation.
Many issues associated with skylights are related to condensation. Condensation is not only unsightly, but it can cause leaks and water damage too. This is why taking care of skylight condensation issues as soon as possible is so vital.
If you’re experiencing skylight condensation issues, here’s a look at some common causes and quick fixes.
What is Condensation?
Before we can address some of the more prominent causes of skylight condensation issues we first need to understand exactly what it is.
Condensation is a natural process which occurs when warm, humid air comes into contact with cold conditions rapidly. Warm air rises for example, so as it rises it may come into contact with the cold glass pane of your skylight. When this occurs, the moisture in the air forms water and turns into droplets of water. The more of these droplets there are, the more water there will be on the skylight glass and eventually it will collect and begin to drip down onto the floor below.
What Causes Skylight Condensation Issues?
Now that we know more about skylight condensation, let’s explore some of the primary causes.
Temperature Differences
One of the most common causes of condensation in/on skylights is a difference in temperature.
The greater the difference in temperature, the more condensation there will be. During the winter for example, skylight condensation issues are far more prominent. This is because the temperature outdoors is much cooler, which cools down the glass pane of the skylight. Inside the home however, it is much warmer. As the warm humid air meets the cold glass, more condensation will form. As a lot of people have skylights in their kitchens, this is especially apparent as steam from cooking can exasperate the process even further, and make the problem much worse.
High Levels of Humidity
As well as contrasting temperatures, another prominent cause of condensation in the home is a high level of humidity.
If humidity levels indoors are high, there is a much greater risk of condensation forming on your skylights. Again, this is particularly true during the winter months.
Cooking for example, can cause steam and hot, moist air which increases the humidity level. As hot air rises, once it comes into contact with the glass, condensation will form. Skylights are also popular in bathrooms and again, steam from a hot shower can cause excessive amounts of skylight condensation to form.
Even something as seemingly harmless as drying damp clothes indoors can raise humidity levels, which is another recipe for disaster as far as avoiding skylight condensation is concerned.
Poor Quality Materials
If your skylight is made from poor quality materials, has been installed badly, or is simply old and worn, this too can lead to condensation.
A lack of skylight insulation for example, will lead to greater temperature swings and fluctuations, which is more likely to cause more condensation.
Lack of Ventilation
A lack of ventilation is another very common cause of skylight condensation, and it is something that can be avoided incredibly easily.
Without a sufficient amount of airflow, warm, moist, humid air in the home will have nowhere to escape. Instead of being vented outdoors, it will instead rise, cling to the cold glass, and cause droplets of condensation to form.
Vented skylights are far less prone to condensation issues because, as the name implies, they’re able to be vented slightly and allow warm and humid air to escape outdoors.
Quick Fixes for Skylight Condensation Issues
Okay, so we know what condensation is, how it forms, and why it can affect skylights, but what we don’t yet know, is how to resolve it. That’s about to change.
If you are dealing with skylight condensation issues, here are some quick fixes.
Regulate Indoor Temperatures
A simple, yet surprisingly effective way of preventing skylight condensation issues is to simply help regulate your indoor temperatures. What we mean by that is to not have temps inside contrasting so much with temps outside, or changing too quickly.
Rather than allowing your home to get cold overnight, use a thermostat to keep the temperature regulated constantly at room temperature. That way, there will be fewer swings in temp and condensation will be less likely.
Improve Ventilation
Without doubt, one of the best ways of preventing skylight condensation issues is to improve ventilation in your home, especially when humidity levels are likely to rise.
If for example, you’re cooking or having a hot shower, an extractor fan or a vented skylight will work incredibly well at allowing warm, humid air to escape, rather than accumulating on the glass pane.
Even if your skylight is fixed, rather than vented, just cracking a window or door slightly will help considerably.
Upgrade Your Skylight
If your skylight is old, worn, lacking insulation, or damaged in some way, upgrading is a great way to reduce condensation.
By going for thicker glass, such as double, or even triple-pane, there will be more insulation so the glass indoors will be far less cold.
If you have a fixed skylight, upgrading to a vented skylight is a great way to improve ventilation and allow humid, damp air to escape outdoors.