Home Heating (Or Window) Help?

[tigeraid]

Kind of a weird situation, perhaps someone who knows windows, or HVAC, could chime in with some ideas.

This is what the windows in my house look like right now. It's -22C outside.

During the Fall, which was pretty humid, the windows had a lot of moisture on them. Now in winter, it's moisture and some ice. The first pic is from our living room, which is an addition to the house and not heated very well, which explains why it's WORSE than the rest of the house. But all the other windows in the home look about the same as that second picture, which is still not great.

The windows aren't at all drafty, the home is pretty comfortable other than the living room, and we have a new furnace to boot. The problem is, I'm not sure if this is a window issue, or a heating/circulation issue.

When the home was being inspected the inspector suggested it could be a lack of air circulation throughout the home, as there's only one tiny cold air return in the living room, and one big one at the base of the stairs.

Though for what it's worth, my Smart Thermostat says humidity is in the low 40s.

The windows appear modern vinyl, at least, though probably getting old now. Again, no draft is felt, the walls and window sills feel warm enough to the touch, the ice and moisture are on the glass only. I suppose the windows could be at fault, but what are the odds they ALL are? The glass on the two main doors to the home are frosted a little bit too.

Any thoughts, folks?

 

[firebirdparts]

Are you doing anything special to make it humid? I would think getting the humidity to a comfortable level would take some real doing at -22.

I think it looks like it should look at that temperature and that humidity. Air circulation is irrelevant (my opinion.).

You could get triple glazed windows and that would be appropriate for your climate, but I would think all your friends and neighbors would already tell you that.

 

[tigeraid]

I've no doubt I could do with better windows.

Winter tends to be dry, especially here. We have a brand new, modern super-duper furnace. It definitely FEELS dry in the home, I have dry mouth when I sleep, that's for sure. And like I said, the thermostat says it's low 40s, which is "normal."

I haven't seen ice buildup like this on a window in Canada in my entire life, with the exception of the apartment I grew up in 30 years ago, which had old-fashioned wood windows with single-pane glass.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

The windows don't have to be drafty to build up frost or condensation. If they are not thermally "sound" (no thermal break), there will be heat loss and eventually the material is almost at outside air temp.

Tommy

 

[aaronmn]

Your home humidity is far too high. I work in the window industry with a background on condensation; that issue is #1 to solve first.

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[Kaizen]

Are you sure they are double paned? Are your neighbors windows looking the same? Couple people taking showers could put that much humidity in the home. As well as a family doing normal things


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[tigeraid]

I'm not sure of anything with the windows, no. I just see vinyl and assume they're relatively new/modern.

 

[tigeraid]

Your home humidity is far too high. I work in the window industry with a background on condensation; that issue is #1 to solve first.

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41% is "far too high?" Or is my thermostat lying?

 

[aaronmn]

41% is "far too high?" Or is my thermostat lying?

Far too high for your temps.

https://www.hvac.com/faq/recommended-humidity-level-home/

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[tigeraid]

Far too high for your temps.

https://www.hvac.com/faq/recommended-humidity-level-home/

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Oh! Interesting. Okay, thanks.

 

[Kaizen]

For the windows look at the edge behind the vinyl. Or open it up and put your finger on outside and inside. If there is a gap it’s at least double paned. If there is no condensation inside the window then they are working. These are my Anderson windows. Thought they were triple pane. Might just be double. The silver is the separation between panes

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[tigeraid]

I definitely have double pane, then. Silver section is there.

We cranked up the heat last night and left it up around 22C, turned on all the ceiling fans, and it made a noticeable difference on the windows. But it also warmed up to -10C as of this morning, so that might've played a role. Humidity down to 36%.

We put plastic on one window in the living room as a test, and it definitely fogged/iced up less than the others. I think this might be a combination of a house that needs better circulation/airflow, AND three crappy windows in the living room.

 

[Perroflojo]

You might want to look at your furnace filter. What size, how thick, and MERV rating.

The higher the MERV rating the more restrictive the air flow. Your supply register should be close to this window, pushing warm air at the base of the windows.

 

[Tejay]

you need air exchange in the house . New construction requires a set amount of air change per hour in a home. Try the bathroom fan for several hours a day to lower humidity. The colder it is the lower your humidity needs to be..

 

[yeldogt]

At -22 .. wow ...... there may not be much you can do. At those temps you are up against the limits ..... even a tiny leak will cause the inside to drop.

Turning up the heat most likely got the air inside at the glass above the dew point.

under 50 is fine in the winter ...

 

[Kevin54]

-22C is only -7.6F. It doesn't take much cold air infiltration along with inside humidity to draw moisture to a window. Our house will get some but only when it dips down to -15F or more. And we also have vinyl replacement windows. Ours has a felt seal that will let a certain minute' bit of air pass. Basically what the installer put in when we bought all new replacement windows were sub-par. When I complained about the moisture, the first thing he did was hand me a formal looking paper that stated if there is moisture on the inside, that our humidity was set too high. We were around 35%. When I mention air leaks in the corners, he said that cold air meeting warm air has nothing to do with it. I asked him why it rains when a cold front meets a warm front. He got pissed and walked away. He was out of business not long after.

But you DO also need adequate air exchange in the house. I would check with a REPUTABLE HVAC person, and have that checked out first. Also ask your utility company if they do blower door/ FLIR imaging test. That will definitely tell you where your weak spots are in the house as far as cold infiltration. A few years back, our Co-Op company did it for free.

 

[6768rogues]

The temperature of the glass surface is lower than the dew point inside your house, so you get condensation. Older windows with insulated glass and old technology spacers between the glass transmit cold like yours at the edges of the glass.
First, make sure you are not introducing a lot of moisture by checking your dryer vent, using the bathroom vent fans and if you have one, the fan over the stove. Also make sure none of your gas appliances are backdrafting, like the water heater or furnace. Any of those things will introduce a lot of moisture.
Then either get better windows that will have a warmer inside glass temperature, lower the humidity in your house, or try a fan to circulate air over the windows.
I usually have 45 to 50 percent indoor humidity because we have a lot of plants that we water. I have good windows so there is very little if any condensation on them. Your moisture level is not too high, if you lower it much you will get a dry throat. I would lower the humidity as a last resort.