Condensation on windows - Humidity

[botox]

Seal the windows with plastic. My uncle has been doing that since '79 living in the same house in marlborough and his wood windows look brand new.

My place I run the fan 24/7 and have a manual humidistat I adjust accordingly to outside temps and have no issues with humidity. House built in 1999 and has dual pane wood windows.

[350zguy]

Have you tried buying a dehumidifier? I use to have quite a bit of humidity problems, especially during the summer months, but after running a dehumidifier regularly, it seemed ot take care of the issue.

[nagooro]

So apparently we do have triple pane windows, harder to see with the naked eye than I thought. Took a flashlight to the windows (wasn't aware of this method) and the bulb reflected 3x. With that being said, is it still common for condensation? I would have assumed the inner pane would be fairly close to the house temperature and sealed off well enough that it wouldn't cause condensation?

Have included a few pics taken on a day of -20 to -25 deg celcius. Kind of annoying to have to wipe down each window as almost every window in the house condensates during a cold snap and I don't want to deal with any mold.

We haven't tried a dehumidifier yet, thought our setting was already low enough but I guess not?

https://imgur.com/a/TPxy2

[ExtraSlow]

I can't believe that you would need a dehumidifier in calgary. Something else is at work here.

[revelations]

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So apparently we do have triple pane windows, harder to see with the naked eye than I thought. Took a flashlight to the windows (wasn't aware of this method) and the bulb reflected 3x. With that being said, is it still common for condensation? I would have assumed the inner pane would be fairly close to the house temperature and sealed off well enough that it wouldn't cause condensation?

Have included a few pics taken on a day of -20 to -25 deg celcius. Kind of annoying to have to wipe down each window as almost every window in the house condensates during a cold snap and I don't want to deal with any mold.

We haven't tried a dehumidifier yet, thought our setting was already low enough but I guess not?

https://imgur.com/a/TPxy2

No, get a HYGROMETER and actually MEASURE the humidity by the windows (set on a coffee table for eg. in the same room).

A SET level of 10% in NO WAY guarantees you're getting 10%.

IF you still show a RH of 20%, thats still plenty low. I would suspect issues with the installation - perhaps very little sealant was used on the window install on the frame. Those triple pane units themselves should be great.

[nagooro]

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No, get a HYGROMETER and actually MEASURE the humidity by the windows (set on a coffee table for eg. in the same room).

A SET level of 10% in NO WAY guarantees you're getting 10%.

IF you still show a RH of 20%, thats still plenty low. I would suspect issues with the installation - perhaps very little sealant was used on the window install on the frame. Those triple pane units themselves should be great.

Thanks for the suggestion. Ordered the thermopro monitor and RH is sitting at around 40-45% right now; higher than what my humidifier is set for so it makes a bit more sense seeing the condensation. Didn't realize there was that much of a discrepancy between the dial setting vs actual RH.

https://www.amazon.ca/ThermoPro-Hygr...ct_top?ie=UTF8

[ExtraSlow]

For fun on a cold day, leave two windows open a crack and watch that humidity drop. Or run the furnace fan, since most pull in outside air continuously.

[macman64]

Does your home have a HRV? If it is newer it may, HRVs reduce humidity.

[bigbadboss101]

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For fun on a cold day, leave two windows open a crack and watch that humidity drop. Or run the furnace fan, since most pull in outside air continuously.

We had humidifier running and RH showing 36. Open the windows to get some fresh air and minutes later reading went to 25.

[phil98z24]

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Thanks for the suggestion. Ordered the thermopro monitor and RH is sitting at around 40-45% right now; higher than what my humidifier is set for so it makes a bit more sense seeing the condensation. Didn't realize there was that much of a discrepancy between the dial setting vs actual RH.

https://www.amazon.ca/ThermoPro-Hygr...ct_top?ie=UTF8

I find that when it gets any colder than -10, I have to straight up turn off my humidifier and the ambient humidity from plants/cooking/showers/etc seems to suffice. For whatever reason, humidistats just don't work worth a shit and can't seem to do a proper job. I went through 3 of them before I gave up on it, haha.

[ExtraSlow]

Anyone have any idea how accurate cheap hygrometers are? I have two, and after spending all night side-by-side, they read 12% different. That seems like a lot.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Anyone have any idea how accurate cheap hygrometers are? I have two, and after spending all night side-by-side, they read 12% different. That seems like a lot.

You can calibrate hygrometers with a plastic bag, some water, and salt. This pretty much describes it:

https://www.wikihow.com/Test-a-Hygrometer