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Not Gardening - Advent Windows

Janie BJanie B Posts: 963
in Plants
Hi there

I've just volunteered to do another advent window in the village (not till 15/December, so I have time). To be honest, I'm surprised the organiser let me after last year's disaster... the problem was, the windows are always covered in condensation, so anything I put up was just too blurred by the moisture ... I use a room we rarely go into, so is generally pretty chilly. 

Anyway, I know some of you did some lovely displays last year... Is the solution to my condensation problem as simple as just keeping that room heated? Or are there other tips...? 

Lincolnshire

Posts

  • SherwoodArrowSherwoodArrow Posts: 284
    I get condensation on all the windows in the winter, due to the fact that I don’t have a tumble dryer so have to dry clothes on the radiators. 

    Last year I got a ‘window sucker’ thing, a squeegee that sucks the water up, I don’t know what the proper name is, sorry. I brought mine from Wilkos, it was only £20. I do the windows in the morning then they stay clear all day.

     Not sure that this would or wouldn’t help your display. 
    Nottinghamshire.
    Failure is always an option.

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505

    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I use large silicone bags in my shed/summer house and it works very well. A couple of times a year I put them on radiators to dry them out. And/or you could keep the heating on very low in that room. It might be good for the walls.




  • Janie BJanie B Posts: 963
    Thanks for the tips, I'll look into them all... funnily enough the walls in that room are awful, the plaster's always popping and we've been told that it's minerals rather than damp, but I guess the damp can't help matters... The walls are very thick, and the windows (non double glazed) are very thin (old house). Costs a fortune to heat, so when there are rooms we don't use, we tend to turn the heating off... probs not the best thing, tbh. 
    Lincolnshire
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    Secondary glazing perhaps ?  Doesn't need to be horrendously expensive and often a job you may be able to DIY.
  • Janie BJanie B Posts: 963
    edited November 2021
    Unfortunately it is a listed building, and the windows in that room are horizontal sliding sash windows, so I guess any double glazing would have to get consent, and would almost certainly be expensive... It is something we need to look into, though, and hopefully councils will be mindful of the benefits of insulating properties, listed or not. 
    Lincolnshire
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    I'm in the same predicament as you @Janie B. Old horizontal single glazed sash windows in a Conservation area - difficult.
    I know some councils can take a slightly "more or less" view tho.  Secondary glazing is fitted internally and I know of a Grade 2 listed house just a few yards up the road from me which has secondary glazing fitted.  
    It's always worth having a try using the "insulation" arguement and see what transpires. So many councils say how they want to help the environment but fail to see they could do a lot more without necessarily destroying the "look" of a Conservation Area village.
    Good luck
  • Janie BJanie B Posts: 963
    So, in the end I tried the bag-things, and I even bought an electric squeegie thing, but to no avail. In the end I gave up, but luckily the designs are so bold it doesn't actually matter! 

    Lincolnshire
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