LESLIE: James in Texas is on the line and having some issues with a foggy window. What’s going on?
JAMES: Well, I have a 1928 brick-veneer home in Texas. It’s on the Register of Historic Properties in Texas, so the exterior of the house is dedicated to the public. I have problems with condensation on the interior window pane.
TOM: OK.
JAMES: It’s a single-pane and I’m looking for some kind of an option to reduce the condensation and not alter the window casing.
TOM: OK. So, you have single-pane windows? Is that what you’re saying?
JAMES: Correct. Yes.
TOM: Ah. And you have condensation inside those windows because they’re not very efficient. So there’s no insulation in the windows at all.
JAMES: Correct. So when we have a change in temperature, that’s when the condensation occurs.
TOM: Of course, yeah. Because if it gets cold outside and you have warm, moist air inside, it strikes the windows and condenses. And that’s why you get the condensation. So the only way to change that scenario is to either insulate the window, which you don’t want to do, or to potentially reduce the amount of condensation and humidity inside your house.
What kind of heating system do you have? Is it forced hot air?
JAMES: It’s central air and heat.
TOM: OK. So, you could consider installing what’s called a “whole-house dehumidifier.” This is an appliance that’s installed into that duct run. And when it’s activated, it actually takes out quite a bit of humidity and moisture out of the air. Some of the ones that I’ve seen can take out – is it 50, 60 pints of water a day? So a lot of water can come out of that. And it’s not inexpensive but it is a solution.
Other things that you could do would be to take some steps to try to reduce the amount of moisture that forms in the house by improving the grading and the drainage at the foundation perimeter. Because as water sits around the house, it soaks into the foundation and that ends up converting to water vapor and adds to the humidity inside the house. And of course, making sure you’re always using exhaust fans in the bathrooms and exhaust fans in the kitchen that actually vent outside.
So, that’s really – it really comes down to that. You’ve got to reduce humidity or you have to increase the insulation.
JAMES: OK. I appreciate your help.
TOM: Alright. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
Leave a Reply