N/F Humidity and Condensation inside the house

[Tinman]

Most hrv's work a lot better interlocked with the furnace fan. I agree with the humidy being directly related to the outdoor temp, but try telling a customer to follow those guidelines The Venmar units are fantastic particularily constructo model

Edited March 2, 2011 by Tinman

[danc]

Most hrv's work a lot better interlocked with the furnace fan.

 

How so? I must admit that I'm a little out of date on residential applications. The last two hrv's that I installed were the size of a boxcar on a train.

[pikehunter]

Do you have blinds or heavy drapes on the windows? If you do open them for air circulation. The biggest problem is the humidity level, you have to get it down. It sounds like you have done everything you could have but like said, check out a ventilation exchanger system. I read somewhere once that our bodys need a 45% or higher hmidity level for comfort and to keep our skin from drying out but our houses need it at about 9%. Impossible but it does give you something to think about.

 

As for window perimeters not being insulated it could be, but your biggest problem is the humidity level.

 

Couldn't tell you how often the office phone would ring in the fall of the year after heating season had started with window condensation issues. "Well we never had condensation before on our old windows, must be the new windows are no good." was a common saying. Problem was their old windows leaked so bad that they had an air exchange, new ones sealed the house up to a new level and water vapour formed on the glass surface. Sometimes We would walk into a house and it felt like you were walking into a sauna in New Orleans in the summer. Windows would be covered in thick curtains, no exhaust fans, humidifier turned on, laundry drying in the basement etc...

[Billy Bob]

One easy, quick and inexpensive fix for your windows would be to wrap them on the inside with that plastic wrap that you use a hair dryer to shrink them tight so they are almost invisible....this adds a huge air insulation between you windows and you very humid inside air. The windows will no longer sweat.

 

My home is very tight and my windows always would sweat a little each year until I installed a wood burning stove. This has dried the inside air of my home to around 34 - 37 percent during the winter. Now none of my windows ever sweat....something you might want to consider if it's viable for you.

 

Good Luck,

Bob