How Humidity Affects Windows
If you are trying to determine how humidity affects windows, ask yourself:
Do you notice water moisture on the insides of your windows?
Is there mould growing around your windows sills?
Do you find yourself wiping water off your bathroom or kitchen windows?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, then it’s likely that you have a humidity issues in your home.
What is humidity and how is it caused?
We’ve all experienced hot and sticky summer days when the air feels heavy and you break into a sweat within seconds — but what is humidity inside your home?
Humidity is simply the result of moist air touching a colder surface. This moist air can come from many sources including:
- Regular breathing from the people in the home
- Cooking
- Bathing
- Washing laundry
- Washing floors or other surfaces
Humidity in your home is perfectly normal and healthy. In fact, it is recommended to have between 40% and 60% humidity in your home to feel healthy. When the humidity drops below those levels, you may experience dry lips, feel thirsty, or find that you have itchy skin.
Humidity Concerns
Concerns about humidity come about when there is too much humidity inside your home. Excess humidity affects everything inside your home and will collect on:
- Windows
- Glass surfaces
- Ceilings
If your humidity level is too high for prolonged periods of time, you are at risk of doing damage to your home and the items within it. Problems may include:
- Wood displaying rot, mould, or general deterioration
- Paint peeling
- Photos and artwork becoming curled or discoloured
- Mould growth around windows, on corners of ceilings, etc.
- Moisture spots on ceilings
- Insulation deterioration
- Furniture deterioration
- Health concerns, especially for people with breathing issues like asthma
Solutions To Help with Humidity in Your Home
There are many actions that you can take to reduce humidity in your home throughout the year including:
- Installing a ventilation system in rooms where there is high moisture content, like the bathroom and kitchen.
- Adding vents to your roof to let moist and warm air escape.
- Adding ventilation to your crawl space.
- Opening your blinds and drapes to increase air movement.
- Cracking open a window during a bath/shower.
- Replacing windows that do not open with a style that opens.
Ultimately, experiencing humidity on the inside of your windows is a concern and should be looked at. At Bavarian Window Works, we have helped thousands of customers install windows to help abate these humidity concerns. Come and visit us and we’ll discuss what will work best in your home.