Window Issues

[indes]

Hey all,

I hope someone has more knowledge than I do but since it's gotten cold I've noticed a huge amount of ice build up on my windows. My house was built less than a year ago and the windows are supposed to be brand new.

Aside from the ice build up all the corners are cut, obviously after the fact, to fit the windows in the slides.

On top of all this, all my window trim is separating around the windows. I'll throw up some pictures but I think I got a bad batch of windows, or some leftovers or something. My house is set to 22 degrees and 34% humidity but is only 18 upstairs and you can feel the cold air coming off the windows.

Thanks if anyone has an idea what the deal is with these windows or my house in general lol

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[Erick Estrada]

Turn down your humidifier during cold snaps. That will reduce the amount of condensation on your windows.

[cKy]

Have you tried rebooting?

[Fuzz]

Ya, I had the same problem this year, I even bought a humidifier meter to check what was going on. I'm not sure if the sensor is out of wack on um humidostat(?), but the digital meter I bought was reading much higher. Turning it down fixed it.

[undercoverbrother]

Are you ok after falling off the ladder?


Regarding windows:

-turn down your humidifer
-turn on your exhaust fan which will pull out air from inside (which is damp) and this will also help reduce your condensation.
-also go around and mop up the water and condensation getting rid of it also helps.

[Nyah]

As others have said, turn down your humidifier. Also run your furnace fan throughout the day and make sure there are no window coverings drawn (blinds or curtains). Also it's a good idea to mop up the water so it doesn't cause any damage if it starts to drip off the window or into the casing. That being said, I do all these things and I still get condensation when the temperatures drop like this. Window maintenance is just part of my daily routine when the temperatures fall.

[chemgear]

Is this when your window covering is down?

Do you fully have it down? We were having the same issue on a window and we left a bit of a gap at the bottom for some circulation and it seemed to fix the issue for is.

[indes]

Thanks for the tips guys, I'll give those a shot and see if those help.

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[GordonBlue]

sorry if it's a silly question, but I've never had a new build.

shouldn't there be some sort of warranty since the house is less than a year old? It can't be normal to have an issue like that with new windows.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

sorry if it's a silly question, but I've never had a new build.

shouldn't there be some sort of warranty since the house is less than a year old? It can't be normal to have an issue like that with new windows.

It can be in this weather with the humidifier set too high and window covers completely closed.

Leaving the furnace fan running was a good suggestion, as well as turning on some exhaust fans.

If that doesn't work, go to Canadian Tire and pick up a dehumidifier.

Also, on one of your windows, one of the locks (the left one) didn't appear to be closed all the way. Hit that, too, although it's not like that was causing the problem here.

[Sliver]

Plus, new builds are sealed up like crazy compared to old houses. Like big ziplock bags. You really need to get some air exchange in there.

[CroFlames]

You can have the worlds best windows, but if it's cold outside and humid inside, the air will condense. It's just science.

You need good ventilation (HRV if you have one) and lower the humidity in the home.

Also, opening blinds to allow air to circulate around the actual window will help.

[burn_this_city]

Always open your blinds, I left some down a few years ago and it bulged the window casings in a room we used infrequently. It's definitely tied to your humidifier on the furnace and the dial being set too high.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by indes

Thanks for the tips guys, I'll give those a shot and see if those help.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

Does that include rebooting?

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Also, opening blinds to allow air to circulate around the actual window will help.

This is almost certainly your issue. It looks like in each of your pics, you're pulling window coverings back. You need to let air circulate around your windows. There is supposed to be air vents under windows (not always, but mostly) that are there to combat exactly this.

[SportsJunky]

Originally Posted by chemgear

Is this when your window covering is down?

Do you fully have it down? We were having the same issue on a window and we left a bit of a gap at the bottom for some circulation and it seemed to fix the issue for is.

OP, I suspect this may be a big part of your problem. I noticed sheers/blinds in some of your photos. If you are pulling the sheers all the way down on a cold winter's night, you'll find that ice has formed in the morning when you put them back up to let the sun in. At least that was our problem a few years ago with our new house. Once we learned to leave a few inches of gap at the bottom for air circulation, the problem was mostly gone. We still have to use a towel now and again to dry up some of the sitting moisture or it will eventually #### up the window casing/trim boards.

[Izzle]

Absolute noob question: how do you turn on your exhaust fan?

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Izzle

Absolute noob question: how do you turn on your exhaust fan?

There should be a switch somewhere near you main thermostat in the house that turns the fan on and off, without kicking the furnace on. If not near the thermostat then check for switches in the basement near the furnace itself. And if somehow you don't have any dedicated switches for that, if you upgrade to a smart thermostat then it should be able to toggle the fan without engaging the furnace. I can turn my fan on through my Google Home app (Nest thermostat) and schedule it to turn off after a few hours

[Sliver]

For the air you draw in, you need to draw an equal amount of air out. So you're exhausting the humid air that is in the house (from breathing, cooking, showering, etc.) and bringing in the dry air.

Once he has this under control, I doubt he'll need the exhaust fans because the air exchange on the furnace will equalize the draw in versus draw out. While he's getting rid of this too-humid air, though, he should put some fans on. I'd have the kitchen range fan on low for the next few days and keep an upstairs bathroom fan on, too.

[Wormius]

FWIW, we had new windows installed - triple pane and all that jazz - we still get some condensation and even frost. We don't even have a humidifier to turn off. I think it's probably all of tropical plants.