ShareThisQ: I live in Alaska and I recently noticed that my windows have moisture on the inside of them. Can it be that it is so cold outside and warm inside the house? The house is only 3 years old and has a five-star energy rating.It also has humidity controls in each bathroom, which I have set at about 45 percent right now. Can you please tell me what I need to do so the moisture won't ruin things over time?A: Your five-star-rated home is energy-efficient, but it is also airtight, which does not allow for the flow of moisture from the outside in or from the inside out. The air you are breathing contains some moisture, even if you have humidity-controls systems that are working perfectly.Without some moisture in the air, your skin would feel dry, there would be static electricity and your sinuses would dry out and be very uncomfortable.When the moisture-laden air inside the home is carried to the cold surface of a window, the cooler glass lowers the temperature of the air to a point where it no longer can hold the moisture. There will be a minute space between the cold glass and the room's air in which 100 percent humidity-laden air is held near the glass. This is when the air releases the water vapor, which then condensates onto the glass.An Energy Star home needs to be able to exchange the stale inside air with fresh outside air in order to provide a healthy environment.There are two types of air-to-air heat exchangers that are used to provide fresh air. One is a heat-recovery ventilator that utilizes a heat exchanger to warm the incoming air with the heated air that is being exhausted. The other is an energy-recovery ventilator that not only heats the incoming air, but also controls the humidity of that air.Since your humidity-control system is simply a bath fan, which hopefully is connected to a heat-recovery ventilator, you are not really controlling the humidity inside the whole house, just in the bathrooms.Here are a few suggestions to help keep the moisture away from the windows:-- Use ceiling fans or in-room fans to keep the air in motion. Moving air is less likely to condensate.-- Leave drapes, blinds and shutters open as much as possible to keep the air moving near the glass.-- A truly energy-efficient home should not have humidity problems. You may want to get a second opinion from a certified Energy Star Partner.(Dwight Barnett is a certified master inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors. Write to him with home-improvement questions at C. Dwight Barnett, Evansville Courier & Press, P.O. Box 286, Evansville, Ind. 47702 or e-mail him at d.Barnett(at)insightbb.com.)
Keeping moisture away from windows
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