Here's how / Booking to report
Booking a condensation survey, stage by stage
Streaming glass, black spots in bedroom corners and a musty smell in the wardrobe often trace back to warm, moist air meeting a cold surface. Sometimes they come from somewhere else entirely. The six stages below cover choosing a condensation survey or a mould survey, preparing for the visit, the measurements taken in each room and the paperwork you keep afterwards. The price is fixed when you book.
Flat or farmhouse, every condensation survey in Northern Ireland runs through these same stages in the same order.
Choose condensation or mould
Book a condensation survey if wet sills, damp window reveals or misted glass are the main worry. Book a mould survey if growth on ceilings, walls or soft furnishings is the bigger concern. Either one is booked at the set price shown.
Describe daily life in the house
Say which rooms are worst and when, for example first thing on winter mornings. Mention whether washing is dried indoors, how the heating is run and whether the kitchen and bathroom have working extractor fans. Photos of sills, corners and the backs of cupboards are useful.
Settle a date
A local specialist will be in touch to agree a time. Keep the home running as normal in the days before the visit, with windows, vents and heating used the way they usually are. That way the readings reflect real conditions and not a house aired out for the occasion.
Measuring air and surfaces
The specialist goes room by room, recording relative humidity, air and surface temperatures and the dew point. They look for cold bridges at lintels, ceiling edges and external corners, and check that trickle vents and fans are doing their job. How long this takes depends on the number of rooms involved.
Separating condensation from other damp
Rain getting through a wall, a slow plumbing leak or moisture rising from the ground can all leave marks that look like condensation. The pattern and depth of the readings help the specialist tell them apart, so a mould problem is not put down to the wrong source.
The findings in writing
A written report follows the visit. It names the cause the evidence points to, shows where the moisture is building up and sets out practical changes, such as better extraction, a different heating routine or insulating a cold spot, before any larger work is considered.