Window Treatments

[maple1]

I guess my point is that if you rely only on condensation on windows as an indication of possibly high humidity levels, and ventilate to the point of not having condensation on the windows, you may be ventilating to the point of excessively low humidity levels. Which may cause issues in other areas - like seasonal expansion & contraction of wood flooring leading to gaps & cracks etc..

Right now, my humidity levels are showing at the 25% level. Which some would say is too low. But some of my windows have condensation on them.

 

[becasunshine]

I guess my point is that if you rely only on condensation on windows as an indication of possibly high humidity levels, and ventilate to the point of not having condensation on the windows, you may be ventilating to the point of excessively low humidity levels. Which may cause issues in other areas - like seasonal expansion & contraction of wood flooring leading to gaps & cracks etc..

Right now, my humidity levels are showing at the 25% level. Which some would say is too low. But some of my windows have condensation on them.

Ahh, I see! Thank you. I was all, "SO IF THE HUMIDITY IS HIGH, WHAT DOES HE WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT BEYOND WHAT WE ALREADY DO???" (Because I'm *not* going to run a flippin' de-humidifier in my living space NO. My sinuses would kill me in my sleep and I'd deserve it.)

Also I guess there is the possibility that we waste a little too much heat airing out the house, but honestly, I like airing it out. In many places in Europe where folks are living in similar construction with mass but no insulation, daily airings are routine. I don't air the house out every day in the dead of winter or the heat of summer. I do tend to air it out more in the winter, believe it or not. In the summer, running the a/c takes care of humidity and seems to take care of cooking aromas, etc. most efficiently. (A good HVAC filter is probably helping us as well.) I think that, because we don't run the HVAC as often in the winter, we need the airing out more often. I guess I air it out about once a week in the winter.

Thank you for your thoughts, though, Maple- now I understand!

 

[maple1]

Nothing wrong with an airing out at all as long as you can stand the brief cold spell inside - nothing like a breath of fresh air. I just think a lot of people think they have really high humidity inside when they see moisture on their windows, when in actuality if they were to actually measure it they would likely find low humidity. Unless their house was really quite tight.

 

[woodgeek]

A cheap option is to put an 'aircycler' switch on one of your bath fans.

http://www.amazon.com/AirCycler-SmartExhaust-Time-Switch-White/dp/B00M1VNHUQ

In addition to being a 'delay off' timer....fan runs for programmed # of minutes after the light is switched off, handy for an odor fan, it can also be set to run the fan for XX minuted every hour, with XX from 0 to 60.

You can install it, and rather than opening a window when you think of it, just set this thing to run 10-15 mins/hour, or whatever you need to get rid of the window condensation.

 

[becasunshine]

A cheap option is to put an 'aircycler' switch on one of your bath fans.

http://www.amazon.com/AirCycler-SmartExhaust-Time-Switch-White/dp/B00M1VNHUQ

In addition to being a 'delay off' timer....fan runs for programmed # of minutes after the light is switched off, handy for an odor fan, it can also be set to run the fan for XX minuted every hour, with XX from 0 to 60.

You can install it, and rather than opening a window when you think of it, just set this thing to run 10-15 mins/hour, or whatever you need to get rid of the window condensation.

Aaaah! I like it! Thank you! Will pass this on to Hubs!

 

[becasunshine]

Nothing wrong with an airing out at all as long as you can stand the brief cold spell inside - nothing like a breath of fresh air. I just think a lot of people think they have really high humidity inside when they see moisture on their windows, when in actuality if they were to actually measure it they would likely find low humidity. Unless their house was really quite tight.

Thank you so much for clarifying this! I get it now!

 

[TradEddie]

We do dry most of our laundry on a rack in the room with the stove

That's the problem right there, not really the poorly insulated walls. Weather variations will make it worse, but unless the outside temperature drop is drastic enough to cause fog or dew, there can be no condensation on interior walls or windows of a heated home unless some activity in the home is generating significant water vapor. Your old home is probably so leaky that it's helping you, in newer more airtight homes it could be even worse! Normal activities like breathing, short periods of boiling, or showers with good bathroom fans do not add much water to the air, but drying clothes is another story.

I'm not saying use the dryer, but if that condensation is causing damage that costs more than the dryer savings, it's easy to solve.

TE

 

[TradEddie]

I just think a lot of people think they have really high humidity inside when they see moisture on their windows, when in actuality if they were to actually measure it they would likely find low humidity. Unless their house was really quite tight.

If you're discussing condensation, there is not much point in measuring humidity, unless you immediately convert it to dewpoint. A "low" humidity stove room at 80F can easily have condensation on exterior windows, but only because the dewpoint is being raised by activities in the house. Exterior air cannot condense on any surface unless that surface is COLDER than the exterior air and no surface in a heated home is colder than the outside air.

TE