Need a litlte help

[Beverly]

Jonathan,

You and I live in very similar winter environments. I'm curious about how humid it is in your house and how much ice you get on your windows when it gets cold (-20 and lower).

Also, I ask the same question to anyone else on the Prairies who knows how humid their house is.

Just an aside, when I was growing up we lived in a small bungalo in Edmonton. We had forced air heating. When it got really cold, my parents would turn down the humidifier on the furnace so the windows would not ice up too badly. When they did that, it felt dry in the house. Our skin was itchy and our lips were sometimes cracked. At 35% humidity in our condo, it does not feel dry at all. Rather it feels just about right, with no dry skin or other physical problems.

[Delphinus]

Originally Posted by Beverly

Also, I ask the same question to anyone else on the Prairies who knows how humid their house is.

I track my humidity zealously during the winter. I alsorun a dehumidifier to keep the humidity down a bit. If I don't, I get serious weepage of my windows.

I found that air movement makes a huge difference. Unfortunately windows coverings can make a huge difference too. If you have coverings that actually add to the R factor (or whatever the term is), trapping air underneath them, then humidity buildup can get pretty bad.

Anyhow, my house runs around 50%, give or take. On a cold snap I'll try to get it down to about 35% or so. I can't get it any lower than that.

On an aside, I found these digital hygrometers to be hugely variable. I have two that can read up to 15% apart. And the hygrometer on my digital house thermostat is equally out there. And you get funny looks if you ask the folks at Radio Shack / Home Depot / Canadian Tire / Rona / etc. (all the places that sell these sorts of things) questions about how well they're calibrated, or accuracy or precision. Nothing like spending $70 on a new digital thermostat and have it read different than your $30 hygrometer. Which one is correct? Which one do you take back? And what excuse do you use for returning it? "Um, well it's not really broken, but I don't believe the number it gives me." So you buy another one, throw another $30 at the problem, and gee, it gives you yet-another-wildly-out-there number.

So basically all I can conclusively tell you is that my house is between 20% and 70%. I think.

[Beverly]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

On an aside, I found these digital hygrometers to be hugely variable. I have two that can read up to 15% apart.

Hmm..... no wonder it feels like it's raining in here when the humidity is reading at 47%. Could be the hygrometer is out as much as 15%

[BlkWolfe]

Warranty did a reading...38% @ 21'C relative humidity. Specifically stated its not the tanks or the humidity regarding the windows. in his words "i wouldnt want to see it above 40% but this is perfectly acceptable".

Pulled the casings. Gaps and airspaces, not to mention soaking wet. So nice to have a circus in your own home.

This is going to be a long week.

[Marcus K]

This year we replaced four out of the six main floor windows. Our house was built in 74 so the old sliders were the aluminum which leaked terribly. We also installed a new high Ef. furnace and new hardwood floors. We were told by the furnace installers that we had to put in a bathroom fan right away or we would have way too much moister in the house. Our house has always been humid in the summer time to the point that the carpet in the basement feels wet. We added a dehumidifier and only use it in the summer time. I also keep top glass on the tank so we have little evap from the tank. We were told to keep the house at 45% humidity for the hardwood which has been near impossible. Thourgh the cold spell here in Regina we have had to boil water to keep the humidity at 30%. The only window that ices up alot is the one we have yet to replace. I will have to move the sensor down near the tank to see what its readings are.

Sorry Bev, I can't tell you what it was like before as we never had anything to test for humidity.

Hope you get your windows fixed.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Beverly

Wow, Steve, humidity at 52% I consider that to be pretty high, but we live in different climates, so 52% might be fine where you live.

um that health standards for Canada not for where I live. if you humidity is below 40% you should raise it if it is above 60% you should lower it.. anywhere in between is perfect for human health and comfort.

I grew up in Edmonton also so I am used to the dry air in the winter also. when the temp hits -10 there is basically 0% humidity. and even we used to run the humidifier in the winter to maintain at least 40%. If you are getting condensation and such on the windows open the curtains and let the air get in there. even we have to do that here in the mornings. you have electric heat like me so no circulation is a problem but I use ceiling fans to help, I just put them on low so they pull the air up. also I do have a heat recovery unit which I run to keep a constant change of air going in the house.

Steve

[Beverly]

Josh,

Sorry to hear about your window problems. They sound severe Can you tell if the problem is one of installation or one of poor quality windows, or both!!!???!

[AndyL]

I feel a rant coming on... C'mon josh, tell us what you think the problem really is

Andy

[BlkWolfe]

Andy, you know damn well id take up 40 pages with that. You've heard them in person. (insert machine gun smilie here)

You should see the holes i have in my walls. Finishing carpenter almost made an extra one with his head when we saw what he did

Bev, its improper installation. Theres spaces surrounding the windows, so no insulation. Just a layer of stucco between the windows/casings and the -30'C outside. When everything thawed, all that ice in the walls melted. Which left us with soaked drywall and insulation, including the second floor master bedroom and bathroom.

Just gotta make it 3 more weeks and warranty steps in and does the repairs personally. No more half assed attempts from the builder.

Edit: I should point out that our family has been in real estate for some 15 years, including property management, renovations, and new homes. We had a trusted builder we worked with but had gone with another, on the word of a friend.

Anyone building a new home, research until you go crosseyed, speak with EVERY previous client of that builders, and do NOT let them intimidate you.

[Richer]

Sorry to hear about that. Dealing with builders can be a pain in the arse. When my parents built their house, the windows in my room were also improperly installed.... you should have seen it, every morning, you would hear a dripping noise, wake up and find yourself standing in a puddle of water. It was unreal, and I didn't have a fish tank in the house yet! Turns out we had the same problem as you... the windows weren't insulated properly enough.

Hope you get your problems resolved asap!

-Rich