Condensation/ice on windows

[Sr. Mints]

'Tis the season.

I live in a condo and not a drop of condensation can be found on any window. But at my fiancee's house, every single window is covered in condensation, and some have ice built up on them.

I've heard three opinions about how to go about solving this, but I don't know how much stock to put in to any of them.

Last winter she spoke to a window company and the guy who came to her home said it's the windows, and that the seals are gone. The home ~30 years old and has the original windows. This is like a $40,000 investment, and coming from the window guy, my first instinct is that it's like a TV salesman at Best Buy telling you you need Monster HDMI cables for the best picture.

Her dad says it's all about air flow, and that it's all about how well your house breathes. I don't even know what that means.

And someone she was speaking with says replacing the furnace would also solve this. She doesn't have a humidifier. Nor any plants. I think it may be drier than any desert on earth in there, actually.

Anybody solved this in their home?

[J Diddy]

Having the same issue right now. Brand new triple pane windows and a brand new high efficiency furnace are installed. We have a humidifier which I have completely turned off...but now I'm worried about the hardwood. Turning the furnace fan to on seems to have helped with the air flow and that combined with the humidifier being off I have seen reduced condensation on the Windows.

I don't get it...something else must be wrong...I never had this issue in my old house which we built in Chaparral.


I too am looking for advice.

[photon]

Cold windows + humidity = condensation. If the windows are cold enough the condensation then freezes.

If there's enough airflow around the water/ice will evaporate/sublimate.

In my house there are a few windows where when it gets below -30 the condensation and freezing is fast enough to overcome the airflow and it builds up.

But it evaporates when it warms up, if it's a lot I'll just put a towel so it doesn't drip (though in one room the paint on the trim is already all flaking off, but a quick and and paint will fix that).

I'd rather do that then reduce the humidity in the house.

EDIT: Pointing a fan at it would probably help.

[Marcel]

I have similar problems in my place, older home but newer windows, it's usually ok until it gets down below -25, at that point condensation starts to build up and then freeze. I don't know if everyone has this problem, our neighbors just put in brand new windows and they have the same problem.. so I have a feeling it's something we just have to live with to enjoy this great weather..

Couple of things to keep in mind.. you need to keep a close eye on your humidifier and turn it down as the temp drops.. there are charts online that show the temperature and what the indoor humidity should be. Something else you may want to try is to put the shrink wrap plastic weather proofing stuff, I did this on a few windows as a test and it seems to have worked.. got the 3M kit from crappy tire.. I still get a bit of condensation (behind the blackout blinds in the bedroom) but it doesn't freeze and is easy to wipe off..

[zamler]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

Having the same issue right now. Brand new triple pane windows and a brand new high efficiency furnace are installed

That's surprising, a good window should all but eliminate the problem, proving they are properly installed. Do you happen to know the humidity in your house?

BTW, I live in an older house (built in the early 60's) that had a pretty severe moisture problem in the winter, replacing all the windows cured the problem. Right now I get the slightest bit of ice on a north facing window, but it only shows up in very cold weather. This house is not exactly insulated that well, although not terrible either. I don't have a de-humidifier but I do have a modern furnace.

[saskflames69]

Con-den-sation-sation-sation-sation-sation..

My window has that problem too. I usually just put that window insulation film over top and it stays fine. Could be too much moisture in the house. My room is right next to a bathroom and a laundry/furnace room. Try a dehumidifier.

[To Be Quite Honest]

Cover the windows with plastic.

[burn_this_city]

Look at dehumidifiers.

[Hanni]

Originally Posted by To Be Quite Honest

Cover the windows with plastic.

This, I have it on a couple windows that use to ice up and it completely solved the problem.

http://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/in...window+plastic

[Methanolic]

-Leave the furnace fan set to "ON" not "Auto"
-Turn humidifier down or off (down if hardwood floors are in the home)
-Leave your blinds up 6 or 8 inches (allows air flow on the glass)

I have newer windows in my house but the house was built in the 60's so it "breathes" very well. Newer homes are constructed so air tight that they depend solely on the HVAC system to overcome these issues.

Bottom line is, if it's minus 30, your probably going to get moisture on your windows, frost on exterior door hinges and peep holes and thresholds too.

[manwiches]

lower the humidity in your house. I have the same problem, and i have a huge two story window that builds up condensation like crazy if I don't lower the humidity as the temperature goes down. I believe mine is at 15% right now, and I have no issue with condensation anymore.

turn on any ceiling fans/vents you have as well. Also when you cook, make sure you turn on the hoodfan if you have one.

[Madman]

Most humidistats have a guidline on what your setting should be based on the outside air temperature - the colder it gets, the lower your humidity should be.

[Rathji]

We have this problem when it hits -20 or so in our place. We just turn on our circulation fan and make sure the humidity is set to an appropriate level (ala Madman's chart in previous post). If it is real bad, either chip it off or set out something to catch the water so it doesn't wreck your floor/window sill when it melts.

[red sky]

I moved into a new house in 2009 and had black out blinds in my room. Without knowing for most of the winter that I had the worst freezing I had ever seen in a house. Once I figured out what was going on I turned down the humidity and cracked the blinds open (top down bottom up). It definitely helped but the last few days I have seen some freezing in the corners of the windows.

I will have to try circulating the air next time to see if that helps.

[loob job]

I had this problem a couple months ago, mold was starting to build up there was so much condensation. It is definitely because your house is to humid. Buy a hydrometer at Canadian Tire, they're less than ten bucks. Humidity should be in the 30-40% range. If it's higher you'll have moisture and i guarantee it is. Mine was at 53%. I have an HRV system in my house which is basically a fresh air / dehumidifier tied into the furnace and it wasn't working. Got it fixed and humidity is now in the low 30's and no moisture on windows.
Depending on the size of the house you might need a few dehumidifiers, one for each floor.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Marcel

I have similar problems in my place, older home but newer windows, it's usually ok until it gets down below -25, at that point condensation starts to build up and then freeze. I don't know if everyone has this problem, our neighbors just put in brand new windows and they have the same problem.. so I have a feeling it's something we just have to live with to enjoy this great weather..

Couple of things to keep in mind.. you need to keep a close eye on your humidifier and turn it down as the temp drops.. there are charts online that show the temperature and what the indoor humidity should be. Something else you may want to try is to put the shrink wrap plastic weather proofing stuff, I did this on a few windows as a test and it seems to have worked.. got the 3M kit from crappy tire.. I still get a bit of condensation (behind the blackout blinds in the bedroom) but it doesn't freeze and is easy to wipe off..

I agree with the window wrap/3M stuff. I started using that last winter and it works really well at eliminating the condensation on the windows. The years before when the ice would melt it would drip off, warp the trim and warp the baseboard. The last few years no problems with the windows that have the wrap on them.

The other thing is, we had a new window installed, and it is seeing some frost/condensation around the bottom which is not what I expected on a brand new window. I am curious if there are any gadgets or devices that will act as catch or lip or something for the water when the ice eventually melts so I don't have to monitor is too religiously.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by Madman

Most humidistats have a guidline on what your setting should be based on the outside air temperature - the colder it gets, the lower your humidity should be.

Wow, that's really dry below zero! I don't have a humidifyer on my furnace but do run one in the basement and master bedroom. Even on the coldest days, the reading on them usually shows 26 even when they are not running and I find the air incredibly dry. Having to dry the air out even more would really suck. I don't get any condensation on any window other than the one in the master bedroom and that's only becuase I have the blinds and drapes closed. Open them both in the morning and it's usually just frosty when I get home in the evening.

[yads]

I usually add about 10% to those guidelines given how dry it is here. Basically though it's because it's so cold out right now. Windows have terrible insulation even if they're triple pane or whatever.

[psyang]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

Wow, that's really dry below zero! I don't have a humidifyer on my furnace but do run one in the basement and master bedroom. Even on the coldest days, the reading on them usually shows 26 even when they are not running and I find the air incredibly dry. Having to dry the air out even more would really suck. I don't get any condensation on any window other than the one in the master bedroom and that's only becuase I have the blinds and drapes closed. Open them both in the morning and it's usually just frosty when I get home in the evening.

The temps in the chart are in Fahrenheit. 0F is around -18C

[Titan]

they have a celsius chart here.

I can't copy it.

http://www.bethelwindows.ca/Condensation.page