The windows throughout your home are a gateway to the outdoors, a way to let light in while you enjoy the view of your garden, yard or scenery. The last thing you need to see is a sweaty window plastered in a coating of condensation.

Not only are windows coated in condensation unattractive, they also can be evidence of a larger air-quality deficit within your home. Luckily, there’s numerous things you can try to correct the problem.

What Produces Condensation on Windows

Condensation on the interior of windows is created by the moist warm air inside your home hitting the colder surface of the windows. It’s especially commonplace during the winter when it’s much chillier outside than it is in your home.

Inside Moisture vs. In Between Panes

When dealing with condensation, it’s necessary to recognize the contrast between moisture on the inside of your windows in comparison to moisture in between the windowpanes. One is an indoor air quality issue and the other is a window issue.

  • Moisture inside a window is created from the warm moist air throughout your home collecting along the glass.
  • The moisture you see between windowpanes is produced when the window seal fails and moisture seeps between the two panes of glass, and at that point the window should be repaired or replaced.
  • Condensation inside the windows isn’t a window issue and can instead be resolved by fine-tuning the humidity inside your home. Numerous things produce humidity inside a home, like showers, cooking, bathing or even breathing.

Why Sweating Windows Can Be an Issue

Even though you might consider condensation on the inside of your windows is a cosmetic concern, it could also be indicating your home has high humidity. If this is in fact the case, water may also be accumulating on window frames, cold walls or other surfaces. Even a thin film of water can encourage wood surfaces to mildew or rot over time, fostering the growth of mildew or mold.

How to Reduce Humidity Inside Your Home

Fortunately there are numerous options for extracting moisture from the air in your home.

If you have a humidifier active within your home – whether it be a small-scale unit or a whole-house humidifier – lower it further so the humidity inside your home goes down.

If you don’t have a humidifier active and your home’s humidity level is excessive, consider getting a dehumidifier. While humidifiers introduces moisture inside your home so the air doesn’t get too dry, a dehumidifier pulls excess moisture out of the air.

Smaller, portable dehumidifiers can eliminate the water from one room. However, those units require emptying water trays and generally service a fairly small area. A whole-house dehumidifier will extract moisture throughout your entire home.

Whole-house dehumidifier systems are managed by a humidistat, which permits you to establish a humidity level the same like you would choose a temperature via your thermostat. The unit will run immediately when the humidity level surpasses the set level. These systems collaborate with your home’s HVAC system, so you will want to contact qualified professionals for whole-house dehumidifier installation Narvon.

Alternative Ways to Decrease Condensation on Windows

  • Exhaust fans. Installing exhaust fans in humidity hotspots such as the bathroom, laundry room or above the oven can help by extracting the warm, humid air from these spaces out of your home before it can increase the humidity level inside your home.
  • Ceiling fans. Spinning ceiling fans can also keep air swirling inside the home so humid air doesn’t get caught up in one spot.
  • Opening up window treatments. Pulling open the blinds or drapes can reduce condensation by preventing the damp air from being trapped against the windowpane.

By reducing humidity across your home and dispersing air throughout your home, you can enjoy clear, moisture-free windows even during the winter.