Moisture on windows, need help

Hi everyone,

Trying to make a long story short. Purchased the house in april, we noticed water damage on just about all the wood trim on the 12yr old Anderson windows. The inspector and I noticed that they still had their whole house humidifier on (in April) and chalked it up to them not knowing how to set it right. Fast forward to the below.

I have been battling condensation on our house windows ever since it got below freezing. Had a hvac company come out and found that I had a cracked heat exchanger so we decided to get a new furnace and ac unit at the same time. That didn’t seem to resolve the condensation on the windows.

Just my wife and me, couple small plants. Humidity in the house is 40%. The condensation is on just about all the windows as well as the front door side windows. Hvac company came out again to check the furnace to make sure nothing is wrong there, the whole house humidifier has been turned off since April.

Trying not to replace the windows but maybe that is what we have to do. Just looking for any other suggestions.

I had the same problem. The windows were not sealing tight. I put 3M indoor window plastic kits on and the problem went away They’re very easy to install and are almost completely invisable

One thing that would help keep moisture off the windows is using the “3M” style indoor shrinkwrap. I have the same moisture/ice buildup on north facing windows in the winter. Put a fan on the windows till they are dry and then install the plastic film.

Will help save the wood casings, but am puzzled why you are maintining a 40% humidity rate this time of year…..

Pete

Our energy audit (whole house pressure testing) revealed that our whole house was actually to tight. The recommendation was a continuously venting bath fan, it is wired to be on continuously and uses the wall switch to kick it up to hurricane force when I enter LOL They are spendy, but so is replacing the wood trim

Quote:

---

The windows were not sealing tight. I put 3M indoor window plastic kits on and the problem went away They’re very easy to install and are almost completely invisable

---

Very unfortunate that the window seals are failing. I have seen this WAY too much in the last number of years with most vinyl, Andersons clads, and a few others. Are they casements or double hungs? Leave your blinds up, curtains open, and turn your furnace fan to “on” instead of auto. The fan will run 24/7, but will circulate much more air. Won’t solve the problem of an air leak in the building envelop, but will help reduce the amount of moisture. Getting an air seal is your best solution.

Sounds like your house is too air tight. 40% humidity needs 40 degree outside temps to avoid creating rain on your windows
good explanation/solution here:
http://www.madisonvinyl.com/vinyl-window-condensation.php

Quote:

---

Sounds like your house is too air tight. 40% humidity needs 40 degree outside temps to avoid creating rain on your windows

good explanation/solution here:

http://www.madisonvinyl.com/vinyl-window-condensation.php

---

Very doubtful. Anderson WDWS are not very good, not to mention they are 12 yo Anderson.

There is too much heat/cold transfer on the glass and or seals. As mentioned seal them up with 3M shrink it your best bet to slow the issue till you replace them…. You will not solve this till they are replaced unfortunately.

What temp do you keep the house?

Purchase a hygrometer to determine actual moisture level and temp of the space (radishack-$20)
It will tell the story about what to do next… Dew point met at the glass is common. Turn temp at stat up and keep it up, it will change the dew point. turn furnace fan on to keep warm air circulating on the glass after the call is satisfied. -Compromise is necessary, blinds/drapes should be open as to allow the glass to be waRmed. If still wet, a bath fan fun intermittently or continous. Ensure that your passive fresh air is unobstructed at the hood outside and at the outlet inside

Older Anderson windows had a problem with the seal between the pane letting gas out but not back in sucking the center of the panes together. If the moisture is in the center of the pane and the glass doesn’t look flat from the outside Anderson should take care of it under warranty. If the moisture is around the edges this wouldn’t apply.

We keep the house around 68. Lowest it gets is 65 when we are not home. Furnace fan is always on with the 2 stage furnace. Just not on high, the low speed is on all the time.

All windows are casement about 17, some doubles, 1 large bay window, and a Larson door.

Was looking to purchase a hygrometer and a temp gun. I did the flame test and didn’t see anything obvious.

The moisture is around the edges on everything. No drapes, just blinds that are left open most of the time.

The only other thing that was mentioned to do was to install an air exchanger, but I didn’t think that would help.

Another thing to note it happens on windows that do not open either.

Someone mentioned that why it keeps having a 40% humidity, I guess I didn’t think that was high.

HRVs are used often when trying to mitigate window condensation problems. I would still read humidity first to see if it’s excessive

40 is high when it’s 10 outside

my hvac guys usually set a new home for 25%

40% is what it is on its own and the whole house humifier is turned off.

Looks like I will shipping at radio shack.

What does a hrv usually cost? By concern is the outside air as some of the homes in the area burn wood in the winter and some like to have outside fires every night. Is there a carbon filter or anything that can be installed?

40% your probably going to see some moisture. Why? Where’s the moisture coming from? Hot showers, poor air circulation ie; supply vents near windows, is water heater leaking into home, too tight house.
We never had moisture till we updated home and now it’s tighter. We found just running bathroom fan helps a lot. After showers I still check windows near bath and wipe out moisture. If we cook and theres alot of steam, yes. Lots of people/company, yes. My windows that have vents by them do not get moisture. I also got rid of my humidifer since updating home, which also helped. Let us know what you find.

If you find that the house is to air tight, go in the attic and look under the insulation. If there is plastic between the sheet rock and insulation, that is a problem. It’s a pain, but if you can remove the plastic between every other ceiling joice, it should help your house to breath. My Dad was a contractor for 60 years and found people that wanted their homes air tight had major problems. It was like living in a sealed plastic bag. Like someone said before….the house has to breath.

Quote:

---

Hi everyone,

Trying to make a long story short. Purchased the house in april, we noticed water damage on just about all the wood trim on the 12yr old Anderson windows. The inspector and I noticed that they still had their whole house humidifier on (in April) and chalked it up to them not knowing how to set it right. Fast forward to the below.

I have been battling condensation on our house windows ever since it got below freezing. Had a hvac company come out and found that I had a cracked heat exchanger so we decided to get a new furnace and ac unit at the same time. That didn’t seem to resolve the condensation on the windows.

Just my wife and me, couple small plants. Humidity in the house is 40%. The condensation is on just about all the windows as well as the front door side windows. Hvac company came out again to check the furnace to make sure nothing is wrong there, the whole house humidifier has been turned off since April.

Trying not to replace the windows but maybe that is what we have to do. Just looking for any other suggestions.

---

Junk windows (worn out).I had this exact same problem on my windows in the house I bought that was built in 1999. I ended up having a window company come out and replace all the windows. They replaced just the glass Portion. Not the frames. Simple swap once they came and measured. I had casement windows. Four 36″ x 48″ windows, two 20″ x 48″ windows and two 12″ x 36″ windows. $815 and some change. Darn glad I did it, no more fogged up windows and wet sills.

I built my house in 1999 with all Anderson casement windows and have not had a problem what so ever. And I’m talking huge windows in all three levels. Perhaps your problems occur because of incorrect installation of the windows. I also keep the humidity in the house around 25%.

ok well I did some “testing”

I disconnected my ductwork for the downstairs (we have a split level) to get some better air flow upstairs and by the windows. This seemed to have removed the moisture by the windows however on some I think they are not sealing as I can feel the cold just running off the windows at the bottom.

Anyone here a HVAC guy that does good ductwork or recomend someone on the west side of the cities?