# caulking old wood windows



## Windows on Wash

Caulking is not going to change the amount of condensation unless you are having some air leakage at a meeting rail or other intersection that is allowing cold air in.

Here is a compilation of explanations on condensation from a couple of very smart guys in the window industry.

-------------Window condensation --------------by Oberon

The reason why there is condensation on the interior of your windows has a really simple explanation – the surface temperature of the window is below the dew point temperature of the air in your home…that’s it…a very simple explanation. 

Unfortunately, the reason that the window surface temperature is below the dew point temperature can potentially become somewhat more complex, but I am going to offer a few thoughts and even throw in a few numbers that I hope might help your situation. 

In the summer, when you pull something cold and refreshing out of the refrigerator, and the air is warm and humid, that cold and refreshing beverage container suddenly and quite magically becomes instantly wet – just as soon as it is exposed to the air. What has happened is that the temperature of the container fresh from the refrigerator is below the dew point temperature of the air – which has caused condensation on the outside of that container. 

What happens to your windows in the fall and winter is that the surface of the glass is below the dew point temperature of the air in your home – which is causing condensation on the surface of that glass. 

Dew point is defined as saturation vapor density...or put in simpler terms, when the air reaches 100% relative humidity and can hold no more moisture. 
Relative humidity is, well, relative. 

Relative humidity is a comparison of the actual vapor density versus the saturation vapor density at a particular temperature. Basically, dew point is 100% relative humidity or the point where the air - at that temperature - is no longer able to hold any more moisture. If the air has reached vapor saturation (100% relative humidity), then the air will release moisture...be it on the outside of that cold beverage container in the summer time, or be it on the interior glass surface of your windows in the winter time, it makes no difference. If the surface temperature happens to be below freezing, then that moisture becomes frost or even ice. 

In order to stop condensation from forming on the surface of a window, you either have to lower the dew point temperature of the air in your home to a level below the dew point temperature of the window surface, or you have to warm up the window surface to a temperature above the dew point temperature of your home, or a combination of both. 

Lowering the relative humidity of the air in your home MAY have absolutely no effect on controlling window condensation…and I bet that that statement is a bit of a surprise to some folks…it is true however. 

There are two ways to lower relative humidity – increase air temperature or decrease moisture content. If you increase the air temperature you will lower the relative humidity but you will not change the dew point - which is based on the amount of water vapor in the air and is not based on the temperature of the air. 

The amount of moisture in the air is measured in grams per cubic meter, which is kind of nice for our metric folks but not so nice for our non-metric folks; but the metric version is much easier on the calculator than the English version. However, in the interest of making this stuff easier to understand for all of us non-metric types, I am going to use Fahrenheit rather than Celsius temperatures in the calculations. 

Okay – consider your home at 65 degrees F and with a relative humidity reading of 40%. There are 6.25 grams of water in a cubic meter of air in your home in that particular scenario - which then equates to a dew point temperature of 38 degrees F. So at 38 degrees the air will be at 100% relative humidity or at saturation vapor density. 

Now, if your neighbor keeps her house at 75 degrees, but she also has 6.25 grams of water per cubic meter in her air, then the relative humidity in her home is 29% - versus your 40%. But, and here’s the kicker, the dew point temperature in her home is still 38 degrees. 

While the relative humidity in her home is much lower than is the relative humidity in yours; if the surface temperature of the windows in her home is 35 degrees she will have condensation on those windows…yet if the surface temperature of your windows is 40 degrees – only five degrees warmer – you will not have condensation on your windows. 

So, while her handy humidity gauge reads (correctly) only 29% RH – she has a condensation problem. 

While your handy humidity gauge reads (correctly) 40% RH – you don’t have a condensation problem…SWEET…well, for you anyway, not her. 

If your home hygrometer measures the relative humidity in your home at 60% while the temperature of your home is 70 degrees, you will have a dew point temperature of about 51 degrees – meaning that if the temperature of the window surface is below 51 degrees then you will have condensation - so now we talk a little more specifically about windows. 

The interior surface temperature of a single lite of glass, when the temperature outside is 0 degrees F and the inside air temperature is 70 degrees, will be about 16 degrees. 
Add a storm window on the outside and the surface temperature of the inside lite jumps up to about 43 degrees – a huge improvement. 

But these are center-of-glass readings and not the temperature readings at the edge of the window where condensation usually forms. A typical clear glass dual pane window is going to have center-of-glass temperature reading pretty much the same as a single pane with a storm.

However, if that dual pane has a LowE coating and an argon gas infill then the center-of-glass temperature will be about 57 degrees – a 14 degree improvement over a clear glass dual pane or a single pane with storm window – but again, and more importantly, there will be a comparable edge of glass improvement as well, particularly if the IGU (Insulating Glass Unit) was manufactured using a warm edge spacer system. Also, the dual pane is going to have desiccant between the glass layers. Desiccant absorbs moisture keeping the inside of the dual pane system very dry. 

The advantage? If it gets cold enough outside, the temperature in the airspace between the lites can get very low. By keeping that space dry, it helps to keep the dew point temperature very low as well; something not always possible when using a single pane and storm window. 

Although a single pane with a good and tight storm window can help the interior lite to avoid condensation (when compared with a single lite and no storm), the storm window itself will frost up when the temperature is low enough – at a temperature usually well above the temperature that will cause the dual pane to ice up. It is unavoidable given the right circumstances 
So what does a window temperature of 57 degrees mean? Well, as I mentioned earlier a home kept at 70 degrees with a 60% relative humidity has a dew point temperature of 51 degrees so it is unlikely that there will be condensation problem on those particular windows despite the relatively high relative humidity in the home. 

But what happens to the dew point if you keep your home at 70 degrees and you have a 65% relative humidity? Well, for one thing the dew point has jumped up to 57 degrees which we have already noted is the same as the window temperature. For another thing, anyone with 65% relative humidity in a home at 70 degrees has way too much moisture in their air and they are in serious need of some sort of ventilation system – or at least several good exhaust fans! 

Somewhere back in this post I mentioned that lowering the relative humidity in your home may not help control condensation…that is still true…IF the relative humidity is lowered because of an increase in temperature. But, lowering the relative humidity by removing water is a different story because in that case you will also be lowering the dew point as you lower the relative humidity and that WILL help to control condensation on your windows.


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## Windows on Wash

-------------Window condensation --------------by tru_blue

I'm going to throw a lot of statistics at you to address condensation on your windows. Keep in mind that these stats are based on a worst-case scenario of 0° outside and 70° inside, which sounds like it may apply to your climate but is not applicable to warmer, southern climates. 

Now for some stats. If a window is clear double glazed insulating glass (doesn't matter if it's wood or vinyl), the center-of-glass roomside temperature would be about 44-45°F. (Incidentally, single pane windows with a storm window would be about the same) Adding a Low E coating to the glass bumps it up to about 52°F, and Low E insulating glass with Argon gas raises the glass temperature to 57-58°F. Not bad for 0° outside. You didn't mention if your windows are Low E; hopefully they are and that they have the argon gas as well. 

However, with insulating glass the edge-of-glass temperatures are much lower than center-of-glass. The type of spacer that separates the panes of glass greatly affects the edge temperature, and much could be said about the merits of different types of spacers. Naturally, condensation, and even ice, would normally occur at the edge first, since that's the cold "weak spot." Clear IG with an aluminum spacer has an edge temp of only about 29°F. Low E glass with an aluminum spacer only raises it to about 32°. Then there are "warm edge" spacers, which are warmer and provide more condensation resistance. Stainless steel spacers are about 37° edge temp on a Low E/argon unit, and Superspacer and TPS spacers would be at the top at about 39°. Again, warm edge spacers typically range from 35-39°, but still tend to max out usually in the upper 30°s. So it's normal for windows to be colder on the edge than they are in the center. 

Now for the fun part. If you cover a Low E/Argon gas unit with some type of roomside window treatment such as a shade, blind, etc., the center-of-glass temperature drops from about 57° to only 36°. That's an amazing 21° drop. I don't have any exact stats on what that does to the edge temperature, but I would imagine it must drop 5-15° as well. The reason it drops is because the air in the room is no longer freely circulating against the glass. Even a couch or desk in front of a window (or door) will significantly reduce the glass temperature if the furniture is partially blocking part of the window. Condensation often tends to lessen or dry up by mid-day because cold/condensation caused (in part) by the shades being down at night are now opened and the windows now have circulation against them. 

Enough stats. Condensation, and worse yet, ice, can NOT occur unless two conditions are present at the same time: high humidity and cold temperatures. The cold temperatures on your windows could be due in part to missing or defective weatherstrip, poorly-fitting windows, faulty installation, or just because of cold winter weather. If you have cold weather but low humidity in the house, condensation cannot occur. Both conditions have to be there. If you're experiencing condensation on your windows, you have too much humidity given the current outside temperature with the existing glass system that is in the home (assuming that the windows are properly installed and not defective in some way). There are TWO basic solutions: raise the glass temperature or lower the humidity. That's it in a nutshell - those two things. More about those in a bit. First, I'd buy a digital hygrometer from Home Depot, Radioshack, a hardware store, etc. to measure the amount of humidity in the house (about $10-$29). You need to know that. Then I'd contact the manufacturer of your new vinyl windows if possible or visit their website for recommended humidity levels for various outdoor temperatures. Most window manufacturers have brochures on condensation and recommended humidity levels. They usually will state that when it's 0 degrees outside your humidity level inside should be in the 20-25% range. (Again, this is a worst-case scenario) I'm guessing your humidity level is significantly higher than that. 

RAISE THE GLASS TEMPERATURE - One possibility is to raise any shades up when it's really cold out. As mentioned before that can increase the glass temperature by an additional 21° or more, but unfortunately that leads to a lack of privacy. A compromise is to open them just slightly, maybe 4" to 8", so that warm air can circulate against the bottom of the glass (the most condensation-prone area) and partially warm the glass unit. For your older existing windows, the best solution is often to replace them with modern, energy-efficient windows. But you've already have newer windows with the same issue and it's evidently still not enough given your humidity levels. For those who replace their windows, it's ideal to replace them with windows that have warm-edge spacers, Low E coatings, and gas fillings in the units to hopefully avoid condensation. If someone really wanted to get the absolute maximum condensation-resistant windows out there, there are windows that are triple glazed that have a better performance than what you currently have, but most modern "energy-efficient" windows are made with double glazing and that's usually all that is needed. An advantage of many triple glazing systems is that one can have higher humidity levels in the home before condensation issues would arise. Some even have between-glass shades to avoid temperature drops when closed for privacy. Other ways to raise the glass temperature include taking out roomside casement screens during the winter, using free standing fans or ceiling fans to better circulate air against the glass, and adding another layer of glass or plastic (I hate to see that though - it shouldn't be necessary). 

LOWER THE HUMIDITY - The bottom line here is proper ventilation and insulation. One of the best solutions for an airtight home is to have an air-to-air heat exchange ventilator installed to the furnace. It's required by code for new homes in some areas. It brings in the DRY fresh air from the outside and exhausts the stale HUMID air - giving you healthy air to breathe and lowering the humidity to the desired level. New homes are built so much more airtight than older homes, so they often need mechanical help to get air exchanges. Older homes exchanged air by being drafty. Dehumidifiers will help too, but are generally not as effective, since they usually can't get the humidity low enough. Great for basements though. Simply turning down your April Air humidifier probably won't do it - that simply means the humidifier won't turn on, but it won't remove humidity like DEhumidifiers are designed to do. Other ways include running exhaust fans when showering (and leave them on for a while), or simply stop bathing 

In summary, condensation on windows can and will occur under the proper conditions. Even ice can form if the humidity is high enough, the temperature is low enough, and other factors are in place such as restricted airflow to the glass because of window shades. You need a humidity-measuring device to see if your humidity is too high. You need a humidity guide to suggest proper humidity levels. And ultimately somebody has to address raising the glass temperature or lowering the humidity


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## andyman

I don't believe it is humidity issue inside as it is only certain windows in the house, usually the bedroom windows. As of this point I have not used the humidifier as of yet so I believe it is a window leakage issue as they are quite old.


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## joecaption

Why would you use a humidifiyer if the windows are already getting moisture on them. You need a dehumidifyer.
Better yet replace the windows with new vinyl windows and no more painting, no more condinsation, and start saving money on heating and A/C.


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## andyman

Because it gets so cold and dry here that I have to use a humidifier here usually at this point, but I have not turned it on because of the condensation. Easier said than done with replacing the windows, not the most affordable thing to do.........


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## Windows on Wash

There is probably no amount of caulking you can do to reduce the condensation in that room at those windows.

Make sure the exterior storm is fitting properly. If it is beyond its serviceable life, look at a new interior or exterior storm.


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## andyman

After caulking the windows from the inside, the condensation is gone. Will re-do the outside when weather warms up in the spring.


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## Thurman

IMO: Caulking the inside of a window, if we're talking about caulking at the point where the glass and wood meet, is just a "get by" deal. Properly glazed windows should not have any leakage of air between the glass and wooden muttons of the window. Maybe after the weather warms up you should investigate the actual glazing on the outside of the window panes.


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## andyman

No offence Thurman but things are just alittle different here than in GA. Windows actually need to be replaced but wil re-caulk and paint in the spring on the outside.


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## Windows on Wash

Looks like stopping the infiltration of cold air help mitigate the condensation.


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