CONDENSATION IN

BUILDINGS

Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

WHAT IS CONDENSATION ?

Is a form of dampness caused by water

vapour in the air
Prolong condensation is a problem as it
causes unhealthy conditions, damage to
materials, structures and finishes.

Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

PRINCIPLES OF CONDENSATION
Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air and
therefore less likely to cause condensation.
The increased moisture content in a building will not be
apparent when the air is also warm.
If moist air comes in contact with colder air or cold
surfaces, then the air is likely to be cooled to its dew
point.
At dew point, air becomes saturated, i.e. it can no longer
contain the same amount of water vapour, and the
excess water vapour condenses into liquid.
Happen whenever warm moist air meets surfaces that
are at or below due point of that air.
Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

EFFECTS OF CONDENSATION 2 TYPES

SURFACE CONDENSATION occurs on the
surfaces. Appears as a film of moisture or beads
of water on the surface. Obvious on harder
impervious surface.
INTERSTITIAL CONDESATION occurs within
the construction of a building. Most materials
allow the passage air containing moisture. If this
air cools as it passes through a structure, then at
dew point temperature, condensation will begins.
Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

CAUSES OF CONDENSATION
due to moist air and cold surfaces
Factors control the production of
condensation:
Moisture sources from human activities
Temperature Structural temperature
Ventilation Usage of buildings
Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

REMEDIES FOR CONDENSATION

Ventilation
Heating
Insulation

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Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

CONDENSATION CONDITION
The risk of condensation occurs on or in building
materials depends upon the temperature and humidity of
air on both sides of structures and the resistance of the
material to the passage of heat and vapour.
The vapour pressure of air increases when the moisture
content increases.
When moisture is added to the air , due to activities in
the building, the vapour pressure therefore become
greater than that of the outside air.
The pressure difference will tend to force water vapour
through the structure from inside to the outside.
Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

CONDENSATION CONDITION
The flow of water vapour through a
structure depends upon the permeability
of the materials.
This permeability of materials to water
vapour can be expressed by its vapour
resistivity

Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

VAPOUR RESISTIVITY (rv)

Is a measure of the resistance to the flow
of vapour by unit thickness of a particular
material.
Unit: MN s/g m

Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

Vapour resistivity of some common building

materials
Material

Vapour Resistivity (GNs/kg.m)

Brickwork
Concrete blocks, lightweight
Render
Plaster, cement
Wood, pine
Plywood
Fibreboard
Hardboard
Plasterboard
Strawboard, compressed

Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

45 - 70
15 - 150
100
75 - 205
45 - 1850
150 - 2000
15 - 375
230 - 1000
30 - 60
45 - 70

Vapour resistivity of some common building

materials
Material

Vapour Resistivity (GNs/kg.m)

Wood-wool, slab

15 - 40

Polystyrene, expanded

100 - 750

Glass wool

5-7

Phenolic, closed cells

150 - 750

Membranes
Gloss paint, average

40 - 200

Polyethylene sheet

110 - 120

Aluminium foil

4000

Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

VAPOUR RESISTANCE (Rv)

The resistance of a specific thickness of
material by the following formula:
Rv = rv L
where Rv = vapour resistance of the material
(MN s/g)
L = thickness of the material
rv = vapour resistivity of material
Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

VAPOUR RESISTANCE (Rv)

Total vapour resistance (RvT) of a
compound structure is the sum of the
vapour resistance of all the separate
components

Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

Structural Temperature Gradients

The temperature
change across a
structure is given by:

R

xT
RT
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Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

DEW POINT GRADIENTS

The vapour pressure
drop across a
structure is given by:

Rv
P
xP
RVT
Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

Work Examples
An external wall is constructed with the following layers
fixed from the inside to the outside.
10mm plaster board
25mm expanded polystyrene board
150mm dense concrete.
Thermal resistance are as follows:
inside surfaces resistance 0.123
plasterboard 0.06
Expand polystyrene 0.75
concrete 0.105
external surface resistance 0.055
Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

Work Examples
Vapour resistivities of the components:
plasterboard 50
expanded polystyrene 100
concrete 30
Inside temperature 20 0C and 59%RH
Outside temperature 0 0C and saturated
Plot the structural temperature gradient and
dew point gradients.
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Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

CONDENSATION RISK
The risk of interstitial condensation in
structures is reduced if the moist air is
minimised from permeating through the
materials of the structure.
A vapour barrier is a layer of building
material which has a high resistance to the
passage of water vapour.

Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith

CONDENSATION RISK
Liquid films eg. Bituminous solutions,
rubberised or siliconised paints, gloss
paints.
Pre-formed membranes eg. Aluminium foil
board, polythene sheet.

Prepared by:
Zarina Yasmin Hanur Harith