Humidity in the Home

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As old man winter settles in for a long and cold Alberta winter a common occurrence is humidity build up and icing on windows. With our tips winter freeze up will be a thing of the past.

The trick to avoiding build up is limiting humidity and increasing air circulation. Always keep your thermostat fan in the ‘On’ position, this circulates air and makes for a healthier living environment by bringing more fresh air in and exhausting humid indoor air. Condensation appearing on your windows is a sure sign that indoor humidity is too high. Make sure your humidifier is turned down lower as the temperature drops. If you have a humidistat with a plastic dial, it might be a good idea to invest in one with a digital read-out to help accurately monitor humidity levels. Keep drapes open and make sure blinds are raised up 3-6 inches so warm air from heat vents can reach windows and dissipate moisture.

Always turn your hood fan on while cooking. Even a small pot of boiling pasta gives off a lot of moisture, and that goes straight to the glass on your windows. In the shower turn on your fan before you get in and leave it running afterwards for at least as long as you spent in the shower. A fan switch with a timer is a good investment. Warming up in the tub on a cold day is great, but turn on the fan as you start to run the bath and leave it on during and after you drain the water. A huge tub of water gives off as much humidity as the shower. Indoor plants and fish tanks can also add significantly to humidity levels.

While enjoying an evening with family and friends, don’t forget that the human body is made up mostly of water and each additional person is a source of moisture. Discretely turn on the main floor bath fan to deal with extra humidity.

If excessively cold and you are still having moisture build up, try closing heat vents in smaller spaces without windows and in warmer rooms to push more warm air to colder rooms and windows. Whatever you do, DO NOT open windows in the winter, you may not be able to get them closed again and opening and closing them could cause damage.

Try following these tips and enjoy the comfort of your home to the fullest.