Moisture Problems in Your Home: How to Deal With Them
October 25, 2008
I've been told many times through the years that if you build your house too tight, it is going to "rain" in your house because of excess moisture. Let's take a moment to discuss the situation.
First, if your house is truly energy efficient and your heating and cooling system is sized properly, your cooling system should remove the excess moisture in the your house during the summer with no trouble whatsoever. However, if your system is oversized and doesn't run very much, it simply won't remove much moisture from your house. In the winter, most houses are actually too dry so it is often advantageous to retain some moisture in the house
Even though new construction that is built to our specifications - -proper insulation, air sealing (caulking) and properly sized heating and cooling systems -- usually doesn't have moisture problems, I have found that installing vent fans is a good idea. Because most of the moisture in a house comes from the bathroom areas, I install a vent fan with a built-in humidistat.
The only such units made, to my knowledge, are: SmartSense fans from NuTone and SensAire fans from Broan. I prefer that they be set on 50 percent relative humidity. Because a humidistat actually measures the amount of humidity in the air, the fan will come on anytime the air in the bathroom exceeds 50 percent humidity. In other words, when one takes a shower, the fan will come on to remove humidity from that room. I have found through the years that these fans will control humidity in most houses and in all new homes built to our energy efficient standards.
Remember, low humidity equals no mildew, no mold and better comfort.
For more information on how you can better insulate your home and save on your utility bills visit www.philliprye.com.
Phillip Rye
Licensed Civil Engineer
Energy Consultant
Custom Home Designer