The windows of your home are a gateway to the outdoors, a way to let light in when you take in the view of your garden, yard or landscape. The last thing you would want to see is a sweaty window coated in a coating of condensation.
Not only are windows plastered with condensation unattractive, they also can be a symptom of a more substantial air-quality issue inside your home. Luckily, there’s several things you can attempt to resolve the problem.
What Causes Condensation in Windows
Condensation on the inner layer of windows is formed by the moist warm air inside your home reaching the cold surface of the windows. It’s especially commonplace around the winter when it’s much cooler outside than it is inside your home.
Inside Moisture vs. In Between Panes
When dealing with condensation, it’s necessary to understand the contrast between moisture on the inside of your windows compared to moisture in between the windowpanes. One is an air-quality issue and the other is a window issue.
- Moisture on the inside of a window is caused from the warm damp air in your home collecting against the glass.
- Any moisture you notice between windowpanes is formed when the window seal breaks down and moisture gets in between the two panes of glass, in which case the window needs to be repaired or replaced.
- Condensation inside the windows isn’t a window problem and can instead be resolved by changing the humidity in your home. Different things produce humidity throughout a home, including showers, cooking, laundry or even breathing.
Why Condensation on Windows Can Be a Problem
Although you might think condensation on the inside of your windows is a cosmetic concern, it may also be indicating your home has high humidity. If that’s the case, water might also be accumulating on window frames, cold walls or other surfaces. Even a slim film of water can help wood surfaces to mildew or rot over time, promoting the growth of mildew or mold.
How to Decrease Humidity Throughout Your Home
Fortunately there are various options for eliminating moisture from the air in your home.
If you have a humidifier active inside your home – whether it be a small-scale unit or a whole-house humidifier – lower it further so the humidity inside your home decreases.
If you don’t have a humidifier active and your home’s humidity level is high, consider installing a dehumidifier. While humidifiers add moisture into your home so the air doesn’t dry out, a dehumidifier extracts excess moisture out of the air.
Compact, portable dehumidifiers can remove the water from an entire room. However, portable units require emptying water trays and most often service a small area. A whole-house dehumidifier will remove moisture across your entire home.
Whole-house dehumidifier systems are controlled by a humidistat, which allows you to specify a humidity level the same as you would pick a temperature via your thermostat. The unit will start instantly when the humidity level exceeds the set level. These systems coordinate with your home’s HVAC system, so you will want to contact qualified professionals for whole-house dehumidifier installation Sandpoint.
Additional Ways to Decrease Condensation on Windows
- Exhaust fans. Putting in exhaust fans near humidity hotspots like the bathroom, laundry room or above the oven can help by extracting the warm, moist air from these spaces out of your home before it can elevate the humidity level throughout your home.
- Ceiling fans. Spinning ceiling fans can also keep air circulating within the home so humid air doesn’t get stuck in one spot.
- Opening up window treatments. Throwing open the blinds or drapes can lower condensation by preventing the humid air from being trapped against the windowpane.
By decreasing humidity across your home and circulating air throughout your home, you can make the most of clear, moisture-free windows even in the winter.