# Window condensation



## milalic (Aug 26, 2005)

HI there. As the title says I am having some window condensation problems at home. I have been in the house for a little over a year. Last year during winter I had some condensation on the master bedroom windows.

This year the condensation is even worst. Most of the windows are showing this problem. Some windows I rarely open where dripping condensed water the other day. Some of the paint in the drywall looks about to peel.

Anyone knows what might be happening? I have contacted the house warranty folks. What are my options to solve the problem?

THanks


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## mshilling (Nov 10, 2006)

Based on the warranty comment, I am guessing this is a new house. New windows are supposed to be air tight, and seal in the moisture (AND THE HEAT!). The condensation is most likely happening because the humidity in your home is too high. 

If this is not the case and you have old windows you are most likely letting air/moisture in and it is forming on the window surface.


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## milalic (Aug 26, 2005)

The house is a year and a half old. Is a two story house. I can't imagine what is causing so high humidity in all the house. It is a two story house. Most of the windows in the house are showing this condensation. The house had a two year warranty.

What worries me is that sooned or later this is going to damage the drywall near the window, maybe even get mold. Not sure on this and what to do. So if anyone knows let me know.


THanks
Pedro


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

Get a dehumidifier? How many tanks are you running?


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## vic46 (Oct 20, 2006)

*Condensation*

I think I would be getting in touch with a reputable contractor or renovator to determine the cause of the condensation. I very much suspect that the vapor barrier system has been compromised severely. A properly built home the age of yours should be virtually air tight with a barrier between the inside warm and the outside cold. What are the known humidity sources within the home? Clothes dryer, bathrooms, hot/soaker tubs, fish tanks, etc. You should not have this problem and you need to insure that your complaint/difficulty is completely and accurately registered with the home warranty provider prior to the expiration of the warranty program and that you have the appropriate documentation thereof. The builder will not be terribly interested in solving or even knowing about your problem and an expired warrant is about as much help as a rubber crutch. I believe the operative acronym is CYA. Furthermore, you should accumulate as much documentation of the problem as possible including photographs, weather information in sync with the photographs and expert opinion by a qualified "expert" as to the nature of the problem and the recommended solution thereof. If you have a solution plan, the process will likely be expedited in the event you get in a legal scrap. Adjudicators really like to have a solution to a problem presented rather that trying to figure out a solution themselves. (Human nature - line of least resistance)! It may also be appropriate to keep your solicitor apprised of this adventure in case you do wind up in a legal scrap.
Vic


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## jamesB (Aug 31, 2006)

As has been stated already, get a dehumidifier. Try to get one that gives a reading of the current humidity in the house, or just get a hygrometer to see what the humidity is inside your house. If it is much over 50% and the temp outside of your house is significantly higher than outside you are going to have some condensation issues on your windows. What kind of windows do you have?

If you have a significant number of plants and or a large number of tanks your interior humidity may be much higher than you realize. If you take a cold can of soda out of the refrigerator and it starts to sweat immediately the humidity in your house is likely over 40%. 

When you say you rarely open a window do you mean to the outside or are you talking about the shades, blinds or some other window treatment? I have to make sure to open all of my blinds every day to air out the windows otherwise they get significant condensation on them and I know the humidity in my house is quite low. Where are you seeing humidity problems with your drywall and paint?

Again your best option is to get a good dehumidifier.

good luck.

james


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## jamesB (Aug 31, 2006)

vic46 said:


> I think I would be getting in touch with a reputable contractor or renovator to determine the cause of the condensation. I very much suspect that the vapor barrier system has been compromised severely. A properly built home the age of yours should be virtually air tight with a barrier between the inside warm and the outside cold. What are the known humidity sources within the home? Clothes dryer, bathrooms, hot/soaker tubs, fish tanks, etc. ...
> Vic


I have to disagree about the vapor barrier being compromised. Modern houses are so over insulated and sealed to the point that no air is exchange through the walls at all. This leads to significant humidity problems if the house contains any major sources of humidity. The largest culprits are hot-tubs, but considering the amount of water my open top tank loses each week it is also a major contributor to the humidity in my house.

A good point that Vic makes is about moisture sources. The vent hose on my clothes dryer came disconnected once and managed to push the humidity in the house up to the point that every flat surface in the house was covered with water.

Definitely, take the time to investigate the cause of your humidity issues, document them, and deal with them. If the issues are traceable to the builders you definitely want to take Vic's advice, its some of the best I have seen.

If it makes you more comfortable definitely bring someone in to investigate your humidity problem. A good housing inspector should be able to locate the source of you problem and recommend fixes. If they are licensed their report is pretty solid if you do have to go the legal route.

james


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## vic46 (Oct 20, 2006)

jamesB said:


> I have to disagree about the vapor barrier being compromised. Modern houses are so over insulated and sealed to the point that no air is exchange through the walls at all. This leads to significant humidity problems if the house contains any major sources of humidity. The largest culprits are hot-tubs, but considering the amount of water my open top tank loses each week it is also a major contributor to the humidity in my house.
> 
> A good point that Vic makes is about moisture sources. The vent hose on my clothes dryer came disconnected once and managed to push the humidity in the house up to the point that every flat surface in the house was covered with water.
> 
> ...


James:
If the vapour barrier is compromised this can lead to an infusion of cold air which will result in condensation. The reason I saw this as likely situation is as a result of the condensation issues being "around" windows and not on windows. This clearly smacks of a cold air source around the windows which is likely as a result of there be a compromised seal around the windows. This set of circumstances may or may not require a humidity level that would be judged to be greater than "normal". In an event I would be having a real hard look at the sources of humidity. One I forgot to mention was teenagers. From my experience as pre teens you can't get them in a shower and after the magic date you can't get the mutts out of the shower!
Vic


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## jrIL (Apr 23, 2005)

Are you running a forced air heat system with a built in humidifier?


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## gnatster (Mar 6, 2004)

With all those tank you have I'm going to say that is the source of the humidity. I would think you need a dehumidifier.


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## Tonka (Mar 20, 2004)

Sorry, but is the condensation between the panes of double glazed windows, or on the inside of your windows?


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## milalic (Aug 26, 2005)

turbomkt said:


> Get a dehumidifier? How many tanks are you running?


Lots...I think this is the problem. Do you know of a good one?


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## milalic (Aug 26, 2005)

gnatster said:


> With all those tank you have I'm going to say that is the source of the humidity. I would think you need a dehumidifier.


Any good one you know?


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

Dehumidifiers : ENERGY STAR

I like this spreadsheet.


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## jamesB (Aug 31, 2006)

vic46 said:


> James:
> If the vapour barrier is compromised this can lead to an infusion of cold air which will result in condensation. The reason I saw this as likely situation is as a result of the condensation issues being "around" windows and not on windows. This clearly smacks of a cold air source around the windows which is likely as a result of there be a compromised seal around the windows. This set of circumstances may or may not require a humidity level that would be judged to be greater than "normal". In an event I would be having a real hard look at the sources of humidity. One I forgot to mention was teenagers. From my experience as pre teens you can't get them in a shower and after the magic date you can't get the mutts out of the shower!
> Vic


Vic,
I don't doubt that a compromised vapor barrier is a serious issue. It is just the last thing I would suspect until other humidity issues were addressed. Later posts to the thread say that there are lots of tanks in the house, which I would suspect as the culprit first. However, if the house is really new, like this one, it would not be a bad idea to have the house inspected to check if the vapor barrier has been obviously compromised.

BTW, what is the magic date for getting teens/preteens into the shower? We are stilling waiting on a few family members.

james


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Perhaps this is one indication that you have "enough" aquariums. But then, others will emphatically state that the notion of having "enough" aquariums is a myth.

In a way it's sort of like this:

It's 20 degrees outside where I live.
Man comes along and builds a house.
Man must install a furnace to heat the house.
Man is stupid enough to install an aquarium.
Man needs very large lights to grow aquarium weeds.
The very large lights produce tons of heat.
The aquarium gets too hot.
The man installs a chiller to regulate the aquarium.
The chiller exhaust is so hot that it turns the home air conditioner on.
and so forth, and so on.

Seriously though, a de-humidifier will be nice in the summer too. Dry air "feels" cooler than humid air, but you will also notice an increase in the evaporation rate from your tanks.


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## Avalon (Mar 7, 2005)

Heated aquariums will create a ton of humidity. I'm having the same problem. Small apt + big heated fish tank = major humidity. I live in West Texas, where the humidity is rather low, so it's easy to see where it's coming from. You would be suprised how much humidity heated fish tanks produce. It really sucks when I condense at night when I sleep, but at least my nose bleeds are significantly reduced. Also, removing the heaters from your fishtanks will help greatly. I need a dehumidifier too.


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## Boz (Jun 1, 2006)

^This is happening to me as well, and I'm finding that I have to top off my tanks more frequently in the winter. I have a humidifier on my furnace, and I've turned it way down, which has helped significantly. I hope you can find a dehumidifier that is quiet and non-intrusive. I have one in the basement and it's a beast. Best of luck.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

I assume that they didn't install a whole house air exchanger when it was built?

Around here that is the only way to go to keep the humidity in the whole house in check, and I don't know of a new house in the state that doesn't have one.
A dehumidifier would only take care of a small portion of the house, so if you can afford it, the air exchanger is the only way to go.
I know when ours gets turned off, we can feel and see the difference almost right away.

Here's some info.
Air exchangers


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