condensation on windows

[Laura]

We have moved into a 50 year old, stucco house, and have lived here for 3years now. We live in CA, so we shouldn’t have all the moisture problems in our house that we do. When it starts to get cold outside, the inside of our windows get so bad that they are just dripping in the mornings, not just steamed up! They are those old crank kind of windows. Our neighbors all have the same type of windows, but don’t have this problem. We have been told that we need everything from new double pained windows, to insulation, to a fan in our bathroom that pull the moisture into the attic, etc.. We don’t have the money for new windows, but this is driving me crazy! We get mold around the windows, and all the paint on and around them is craking and falling off. We only have one window in our back door, and it’s the only one that doesn’t get condensation on it. It has a small hole in the wooden frame that surrounds the window, and it lets air in, which I think keeps the window clear. I have thought of keeping all the windows open a crack, but I don’t feel safe doing that at night, plus it gets really cold! HELP!!!!!! We are tired of being the only ones in the neighborhood with this problem. We don’t know what we do any different then everyone else??? Please help with any suggestions you can! Thank you!
Laura

[Jay J -Moderator]

Hi Laura,

Understand, first, what is causing the condensation, and you’ll be well on your way to ‘fixing’ the problem! 🙂

In short, warm, moist air is condensing on your cold windows. That’s really the long and short of it. Eliminate or dramatically reduce the moisture in the air, and you SHOULD be just fine. If your home is real tight, then even the moisture from the kitchen or upstairs bathroom will affect the situation. If opening the windows helps alleviate the problem, then you can see how getting the moisture out of the air (via opening the windows) is working.

I’d hold off with installing fans and opening windows at night too. Check to see if your neighbors have dehumidifiers either free-standing or incorporated into their Heating and Ventilation system. Well, for all I/you know, they run their stove fan and/or bathroom exhaust fan all day! This is certainly not the appropriate long-term solution. There are a number of ‘devices’ on the market that measure the humidity in the air. One that’s low cost, small, and quick is a Capacitive Humidity Sensor. Try an Electronic Shop or hobby store for something. Remember, warm, moist air + cold surface = condensation.

My best to ya and hope this helps.

Jay J -Moderator

[andi]

only things i could add is the importance (i think) of exausting your bath moisture to the exterior of the house-not the attic. cleaning the mold areas with a chlorine solution would also be important. a properly maintained dehumidifer seems like great advice to me. sounds like you have an unusually tight house for the period it was built. good luck.

[JC]

Check out this web site it may help.

[jb]

What kind of heat do you have. If you are using a non-venting gas appliance then it might be the culprit since they produce water vapor as a byproduct of their combustion. Or… If you have a gas furnace with an exterior exhaust then maybe it is blocked. Maybe a racoon made a nest in your chimney and all of these gasses and water vapor are coming into your house. If you have gas heat you need to have a service call to make sure it is venting correctly. This may be a longshot, but it could be the problem.

[jason w. kerfoot]

If I have condensation on the inside of my windows in the winter (and ice when it gets below freezing outside) does this mean my windows are faulty?

[Author]

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