Of course, such an acquisition as plasticWindows make housekeeping much easier. They look aesthetically pleasing, make your home more comfortable, retain heat well, and eliminate street noise. In a word, they make household chores easier and your home more beautiful. But with the onset of cold weather, such an annoying nuisance as fogged windows appears. And our windows cry not at all because the manufacturers have cut corners and made this product of poor quality, although this reason is not excluded. The reason for window “tears” is quite banal and most often easily eliminated. Let's find out why plastic windows fog up and how to get rid of this nuisance. So, why do plastic windows fog up? Take a close look at the fogged up window. What do you see? As a rule, small droplets of moisture appear at the top of the window (there are more of them at the edges than in the center). These small drops merge into larger ones and roll down under their own weight. It's good if they manage to dry on the way, but often such "tearful" streams flow directly onto the window sill, leaving small (and not so small) puddles on it. As a result, we get not only a damp and cloudy window, but a wet window sill. Observant and picky housewives have noticed that this process is uneven and fogging manifests itself in different ways:
- the window sweats only in the cold season;
- The window (or all windows) is misted only in the morning hours;
- the window "cries" only in one room, while the remaining windows remain dry;
- The window is dry, and water appears on the windowsill.
Despite such different manifestations of window "tears", their nature is absolutely the same. It is clear that the windows themselves cannot emit moisture. So where does it come from?
It's all about physics.
We are all familiar with this from our school physics coursesuch a thing as condensation. This is the transition of water (which is contained in the air) from a gaseous state to a liquid state familiar to us. And the bitter tears of our plastic windows are nothing but this very condensation. And the reason for it is the increased humidity in the room and the difference in temperature outside the windows and in the house. The colder the glass in the window, the more likely it is that the steam in the air will settle on its surface in the form of droplets of water. But if not all windows fog up and not always, then it is likely that the appearance of condensation is caused by quite harmless objects and not entirely obvious reasons. What can provoke condensation on plastic windows?
Homemade provocateurs
Indoor flowers on the windowsill.As you know, plants breathe and at the same time release a lot of moisture, which settles on the cold glass. As a result, the windows fog up. To eliminate this cause, it is enough to remove the flower pots from the windowsill. A heating battery covered by a windowsill. The windowsill above the battery can completely isolate the flow of warm air that warms the glass. As a result, the window cools down more and collects condensation. To ensure free air circulation, it is enough to reduce the width of the windowsill or place an additional heating device closer to the window. Poor ventilation in the room. It can be caused by clogged ventilation grilles that do not take in moist air from the room well. As a result, high humidity provokes the effect of weeping windows. To eliminate it, you need to clean the grilles from dust or replace them with new ones. It is also worth checking whether the ventilation itself is clogged. Insufficient ventilation of the room. Alas, such a seemingly useful quality of plastic windows as airtightness can also cause them to fog up. High sealing increases the humidity of the room air and as a result causes condensation to accumulate. To eliminate this cause, it is enough to ventilate the room more often (3-4 times a day for 2 minutes).
Unintentional fruits of frugality and negligence
Single-chamber glass unit, on which yousaved money when buying windows. It has been noticed that these types of windows collect condensation much more often than other, warmer double-glazed windows. There are two ways out. Additional heating of the window or replacement of the double-glazed window (not the window!). Installation errors. The negligence of builders installing windows or slopes can lead to blowing, which excessively cools the glass. By eliminating these errors (sealing the cracks), you can also eliminate the fogging effect. Winter window mode. If the fittings of your plastic window have the ability to be switched to seasonal mode (and you did not know about it or forgot), the window should be switched to winter mode. This will provide greater thermal insulation of the window glass and a lower probability of condensation. Manufacturing defect. This is the most unpleasant reason, because it is almost impossible to eliminate it without replacing the window itself. If all of the above tips did not help to cope with the problem of fogging of the windows, then, most likely, you purchased a low-quality product and can safely make claims to the seller (manufacturer). But first, try to find out experimentally why plastic windows sweat in your home in winter. Maybe the reason is not so serious and can be easily eliminated? Try to start by simply airing the room more often. Perhaps this will be enough for your windows to look at the world with an unclouded look, and the drops of moisture on them would be just drops of rain or melting snow.
