Moisture/relative humidity in our home is good for us. The ideal level is somewhere between 30-45%. More than 45% and small spores (sometimes black) will begin growing in corners, in drywall, on curtains, carpets, pillows. The greater the moisture/relative humidity the faster these problems can grow.
The most common place to find moisture problems are in homes with older bathrooms and to many peoples surprise our new “air tight” homes.
In older bathrooms, designers and builders ensure there was a window that could be opened to vent moist air. Most people don’t like to open their windows in the winter and this can result in problems.
We have been seeing many moisture problems with new homes. These problems are caused by showers, cooking, or many people living in one house. These problems stress the building and can become chronic in the cold months. In cold months the cooler air in the house can’t hold as much moisture and windows are not open to let the humidity to escape. Some indications of high humidity in new homes can be seen at the edges of your windows, water dripping from bathroom fans, or in the extreme cases icicles hanging from the outside corners of new windows.
In all cases we need to reduce the moisture in the house. Here is what you should do to start:
- Go to your local hardware store) and purchase a couple of temperature/humidity sensor in the thermometer and weather station section (we found them in London Drugs as well).
- Place these sensors in your home one upstairs and one down
- Monitor the results, if the humidity is higher than what is recommended above you should take action.
Now that we have identified a problem here are some things you can do to solve the problem:
- Take shorter showers and reduce the number of people living in your house (some times these are difficult to do)
- Open the windows (more difficult in the winter)
- Run bathroom fans longer everyday. Timer switchers are inexpensive and easy to install.
- If your bathroom fans have an automatic timer double the time the fans run.
- Buy a dehumidifier (used or new) and run it in your basement
- Increase the temperature of your furnace to 18 or 19 degree C
- If you have a newer furnace running the fan will help exhaust the humid air
- Install a Heat/Energy recovery ventilator (HRV). These units will save the warmth from the humid air being expelled from the building and warm up the new cool air before it enters the house.
What every choice you make be sure to monitor your sensors and adjust your house to suit.
Take care your intelligent contractor Deren Sentesy
