Understand and Address Condensation

That wet mist that sometimes clouds the interior glass on your home’s windows could be the first warning sign that your home is retaining too much mois­ture. Even if your home does­n’t actually feel damp, excess moisture can do damage in unseen places. Condensation is the tip-off.

Understanding Condensation
Condensation occurs when the air becomes saturated with moisture and releases it in the form of water.
It causes problems includ­ing mildew on walls, window seals and baseboards; peel­ing or bubbling exterior paint; deteriorating attic and wall insulation; damaged floor tiles and deteriorating furniture; and rotting of structural wood between out­side walls.

Controlling Condensation
To fight moisture problems caused by condensation, you need to limit the amount of water vapor in your home. Installing doublepaned insu­lated windows and doors with energy-efficient Low-E glaz­ings will help, or you could double-pane your current win­dows by adding exterior storm panels. Simpler methods include taking shorter show­ers and cooking with lids on your pots to reduce moisture.
Since you can’t control all sources of moisture in your home, ventilation is very important. Your home needs to breathe to fight condensa­tion. By allowing moist inside air to escape and dry outdoor air to enter, you can reduce your home’s humidity level. Take these steps to help ven­tilate your home:

Venting skylights or roof windows can breathe life into your home and help minimize moisture.

• Run kitchen and bath­room exhaust fans more often during the winter to expel hot, moist air.
• Open a window in each room a few minutes daily to keep air circulated.
• Keep window drapes, blinds and shades open, allow­ing warm air to circulate around the glass.
• Keep attic louvers open to release hot air.
• Open basement vents and crawl space vents.
• Make sure your clothes dryer and gas appliances properly vent to the outside.

Additional ventilation can also help control condensa­tion. Venting skylights and roof windows can not only help your house breathe easier but bring healthy, natural light into your home while provid­ing more privacy, especially in bathrooms. They can be opened with manual or elec­tric controls to release warm, moist air.

To obtain a free three-book­let package on condensation and skylights, call 1-800-283-2831 or e-mail at www.velux usa.com.
For government informa­tion on window and skylight energy efficiency, visit www. energystar.gov, and for inde­pendent agency information visit www.nfrc.org or www efficientwindows.org.