# High humidity in house in winter



## reddog (Dec 7, 2005)

Hello, I am having issues with wet windows and steam on the windows. Inside temp is approx. 69 degrees. Humidity reads 55% at times. This is causing extreme wetness on window sils and floor boards. My question is do I get a dehumidifier or is the problem with the windows being of poor quality? I really do not know why it is so humid in the house even if we are out all day and there is no activity such as cooking, baths, etc...
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
Red


----------



## K2eoj (Aug 14, 2005)

There is another thread going on the same subject but not many answers. Maybe that guy will be back here with the answer.HS.


----------



## BiXLL (Apr 2, 2005)

Red, here is the link that I got some great answers on that may help you!

http://www.diychatroom.com/showthread.php?t=1381


----------



## oddjob (Sep 19, 2005)

You Don't by chance have gas logs?


----------



## johnwhowe (Oct 14, 2005)

if you are in an area that lacks humidity this time of year there has got to be something up inside the house.
some of the causes could be......
poor dryer venting. steam heat. basement or foundation moisture. home too airtight trapping shower steam, etc. 
i'm only guessing. more info would be required to pinpoint the cause.


----------



## Dr duerite (Jun 28, 2011)

*high humidity*

High humidity in the winter saves you money, why you ask
Just the opposite of a/c one of the main functions of a/c is to reduce the humidity to create rapid evaporation, which make us feel cool as our body's evaporated moisture. Just the opposite in the winter the slower our body's evaporate moisture the warmer we feel. So were less apt to turn that thermostat up. I sounds like the glass in your house isn't isolating out the cold air enough. Do you have double pain windows? if so are there any clouds or moisture showing in between the two pains, if so then the argon gas is gone and the insulating factors have decreased. The argon isn't the insulated actor. it is put there to prevent moisture from clouding up the pains from the inside, sense the is no water in argon. There is moisture (water) in air, but if the gas has escaped that means that the air isn't trapped and there is a flow of air in between the pains, there goes you insulating factor.
There are a lot of factors hear that I don't know
Do you have steam heat or water base board?
Hot air furnace (Not likely) 
do you have aluminum frame
do you have vinyl frames
dirt basement 
leaky basement
It's tough to diagnose with out all the facts
Dr Durite


----------



## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

You say winter, but 69 comes up to 20C which is hot, so 55% humidity seems about right for that temp range. Water evaporating from the soil, any lakes and rivers around etc will cause the overall humidity to go higher as the sun beams down. 

Your AC unit should be able to bring the humidity down in the house though, if you don't have one may be worth investing into. My portable unit brings it down to around 40% or so, but if you have central AC it should do a better job. A dehumidifier will work, but that also generates heat so if you don't have AC you may be better off getting that instead.

If you are getting 55% when it's cold then that may be a problem. Does your furnace have a humidifier? It may be set too high.


----------



## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

It is not the humidity level, it is the dew point that the windows are at, that causes the condensation on them.


----------

