If you’ve observed that your windows tend to fog up in the course of the winter months, that may be a sign of a more critical issue. Namely,
condensation on home windows may well be the 1st sign that you’ve got high levels of humidity in your home.
That, in turn, may end up in many other difficulties as well. Fortunately, there are
some ways to eliminate the humidity: yet is commencing the home windows one in all them?
Today, we’re researching all approximately how ventilation influences damp.
As you will know, the humidity inside our homes should ideally be between 40 and 50%. But what occurs when it’s now not between these percentiles? Well, there are a number of negative effects excessive or low levels of humidity could have on our bodies.
On the only hand, high
humidity can make us believe exhausted and dehydrated, which can lead to
muscle cramping, fainting, or even a warmth stroke. Conversely, low humidity can make it difficult to
breathe because it causes your mucous membrane to dry out. In fact, it can
also dry out your skin, eyes, even your mouth.
Solving the difficulty of low humidity is particularly simple. You could take a steamy shower, boil some water, or perhaps just depart bowls of water across the house and let them evaporate naturally. However, excessive humidity is another beast altogether. Yet before we leap instantly into solving this issue, let’s talk about one of the major symptoms of its existence: damp.
What Is Damp and How Does It Occur?
Damp is actually a side influence of a fairly benign predicament — window condensation. As we’ve already established, you’d often see window condensation, that is in actual fact dew or fog on the glass, in the morning after a chilly night. It usually occurs in the course of the winter, however it has been known to appear during the summer time as well.
Essentially, window condensation in fact happens while the nice and cozy air within the house meets the bloodless air on the different aspect of the window pane. The ensuing fog usually gathers on the within the window. As you may know, that’s also whatever that may occur on your car, when you’re driving. That’s one of the reasons we retain windshield wipes in the glove compartment.
Alternately, in case you attempt to wipe the condensation away and
find that it won’t budge, the fog may have amassed in among two layers of
glass. However, that only happens whilst the rubber seal between the two panes is
broken. So it is a well indication that your double-pane windows are
vulnerable. After all, they won’t be outstanding at preserving the cold (or the
heat) out if there are holes in the seal.
Is Damp Dangerous?
But why should you care in case your window is slightly foggy every now and then? Well, if the fogginess continues, there’s a rating of penalties you may face. For one, the condensation would eventually affect the wooden window frame across the glass. Clearly, water and wooden don’t blend well, so letting the condensation assemble can lead to rot.
Additionally, the water
can harm the walls around the window frame, that is how you get rising damp. That’s simply the term we
use to describe wet walls, especially a surface that is still moist for long
periods of time. In fact, if it remains moist for a while, it can create excellent conditions for mould progress —
which could be hazardous in your health.
Over time, mold and
mildew can end up wellbeing and fitness hazards, developing across the perimeter of your
windows, in which the condensation has affected the walls. You’d first believe the
symptoms of spore inhalation in the nasal airways and throat. Eventually, the
irritants make their manner into your lungs, which is amazingly risky for people
who are already plagued by asthma and comparable problems.
Still, should the situation development to that point, you can always invest in dehumidifiers that may handle mold. Of course, a dehumidifier wouldn’t be able to eliminate the mildew on its own — you’d must dry out the affected wall first. And even then, there are plenty of other the right way to dehumidify your home. Still, before I mention a number of those, let’s see if definitely starting the windows could help.
Can Appropriate Air flow Reduce Damp?
Unfortunately, the reply to the query we posed at the
beginning of this text isn’t surely clear-cut. Sometimes, commencing the home windows can basically be like starting a
pressure valve. It may allow the heated
and humid air within your home to escape, leveling out the inside and
exterior temperatures. The fog should clear up quite soon — but that’s not
all there is to it.
If the air outside your home is more humid than the air
inside your house, you’d basically be inviting it within through opening the windows. Generally, you should avert opening the
windows while it’s raining or snowing. However, if you’ve simply taken a
steamy shower or you’re cooking, you’ll desire to be sure the home windows are open.
These ideas were confirmed time and again. While the temperature
outside is low, it’ll cool the window glass. Then, while the warm air within the
house comes into touch with the glass, it will react to it and fog it up.
But even though condensation is easy — damp is anything
but. Damp can’t in fact be chased away
by definitely starting the windows. On the one hand, increased airflow might enable for some of the moisture to evaporate from
the wall. Still, damp itself is only a symptom of a greater hindrance — which is
the elevated levels of humidity in the house.
As we have established, if the wall does remain damp, it can
potentially result in mildew growth. However, you ought to ideally deal with the
underlying trigger of the humidity before it gets to that point. With that in
mind, let’s talk about some ways you can keep humidity in check.
Other Pointers on Reducing Humidity
Some window condensation is to be estimated — it’s a natural
reaction to the meeting of cold and hot air. However, in case you find yourself
seeing it too often, or if you’ve found moisture stains on the walls around the
window frame, you’ll need to take action.
Crank Up the Heat
Raising the temperature
of the room is a surefire way to eliminate condensation. Eventually, the warm air will also
warm the glass, which should eliminate the condensation at the indoors aspect of
the window.
Now, if you already own a dehumidifier, you will have noticed that the air it expels is actually a bit warmer than the air it takes in. However, the adaptation isn’t genuinely noticeable — so this tip would require an area heater or a furnace.
Obviously, no one is particularly susceptible to show up the thermostat during the summer time months. Fortunately, there are many pointers for reducing humidity within the summer.
Use Dehumidifying
and Moisture-Wicking Products
The easiest way to deal with expanded degrees of humidity at your residence is to get a good dehumidifier. In fact, some of them are slightly noticeable, so they’ll also be a great solution in your bedroom. However, there are all varieties of easy methods to suck up the moisture from the air without utilizing a dehumidifier:
You could also take some preemptive
steps to prevent raising the humidity degrees in the first vicinity by:
- Moving
plants (that don’t soak up moisture, but launch it) outside - Drying
clothes on an outside clothesline - Taking
short, bloodless showers - Trying
not to boil water or prepare dinner too often
Clearly, you can’t prevent showers and food. So at least try out to
keep the air flowing each time you are releasing numerous moisture into the air.
Get the Air Flowing
Other than simply opening the windows, there are different ways to get the air flowing around your
home. If you’re cooking or baking, you should use the fans that are constructed into the furnace or above the stove.
You would additionally turn the bathroom fan on
before taking a shower, and necessarily depart it going for walks for a while longer than you
need to.
You can necessarily set up
standing fans or set up ceiling followers to assist the moisture disperse.
Additionally, you could test air-to-air exchangers, that will bodily suck
the humid air out of your house and replace it with sparkling air from the outside.
In the process, the contraptions additionally eliminate pollution and moisture.
Upgrade Your Windows
Lastly, if you’ve discovered that the windows themselves are guilty for the expanded humidity, you may additionally weatherproof them. Hooked up storm home windows or simply use weatherstripping tape wherein needed. You may additionally use window insulation film if you’re now not planning on starting your home windows for a while.
But really, if your windows prove to be unmanageable, you will have to chew the bullet and put money into new ones. Here is a list of the best window manufacturers.
So, Can Opening the Windows Cut down Damp?
Ultimately, the query of no matter if starting windows can
reduce damp is more complex than you’d think. As we’ve learned, it
depends. If you open your windows when
it’s raining or tremendously humid outside, you’re basically inviting all of
that humidity into your home. So, await drier conditions. Try out commencing your windows while it’s dry
outside to launch the humidity trapped inside your home.
Still, in case you ask me, it might be valued at looking into some additional dehumidifying methods. After all, if the window damp has already unfold onto the surrounding partitions and all started attracting mold, opening the home windows definitely won’t cut it. Fortunately, there are a number of other things to try, a number of which I’ve outlined here. After you’ve removed the condensation, keep a watch on the humidity at your residence through getting a hygrometer.