On the majority of wells, condensation isn’t an issue. There are however factors that increase the risk of condensation occurring once a glass cover has been installed.

Outdoor Wells

On a well outdoors, there is a greater difference between the temperature of the air rising up through the well from the ground and the cold surface of the glass that’s being exposed to the external temperatures. Wells in shaded areas can experience condensation throughout the year as they are never exposed to sunlight which will warm the glass up.

Deep Wells

Deeper wells tend to bring up more warm air from the ground and are therefore at a higher risk of having condensation form on the glass.

Indoor Wells

We have only come across one instance of someone having an indoor well with condensation forming on the glass. The cover had been supplied by a third party and they came to us for advice. However, in this instance, the property was empty and undergoing renovation. Therefore the heating was not in use meaning that the temperature of the glass was similar to that of a panel located outside.

How can you reduce the risk of condensation occurring in your well?

Indoor Wells

On a well located indoors in a heated room, usually very little is required to stop condensation occurring as the temperature of the glass will never be low enough to hit the dew point (the temperature at which condensation will form). However, we would recommend ventilating the well with piping or air bricks built into the wall of the well at opposing points (eg. north, south, east, west). Ideally positioned as close to the underside of the glass as possible to allow airflow over the surface.

Outdoor Wells

As explained above, it is more important to take steps to reduce the risk of condensation on outdoor wells. At the minimum we’d recommend four air bricks or pipes positioned in the top edge of the well as close to the underside of the glass as possible. Placed at opposing points (e.g. north, south east and west). Optionally, the gasket supplied which is placed under the glass can be cut into sections to allow airflow between the underside of the glass and frame.

On wells where there is severe condensation, the best option is an in line extractor fan. If you think this may be a requirement on your well, feel free to ask us at the point of sale and we can recommend a suitable product.

A more cost effective option is to introduce a waterproof heating element into the well, as close to the underside of the glass as possible. These are usually under £30 and the heat produced should be sufficient to clear the condensation. This option is often worth trying before going down the road of an in line extractor fan which will be more costly.

All of the above information is provided to the best of our knowledge and will hopefully provide some guidance and indication as to the risk level of condensation when covering your well. It is very difficult to accurately predict with 100% accuracy whether a well will experience condensation or not and what levels you will need to go to in order to prevent the issue from occurring. 

The majority of wells will not experience condensation and do not require extensive measures to be taken. We have certainly seen examples where people have fitted indoor well covers without any ventilation or countermeasures and they have not had any condensation form on the underside of the glass. If however you are at higher risk (ie. a deep well located in a shaded outdoor area) the measures outlined above should work to overcome the issue.