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Condensation around windows in new build house

2 years ago

Hello, we moved into a brand new house. We live in Austin, Tx. Every morning we have significant condensation that is pooling by almost all the windows in our house. The builder said the issue is our house is so well insulated, and when temps colder outside, this is happening. And we need to keep the house at low humidity (below 50%). We are a normal family of 5 and do not create excessive humidity. We are stressed seeing paint starting to peel and constants checking our humidity levels. Any idea what we can do? We are constantly wiping down our window sills and it is already getting to be too much.

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Comments (12)

PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
2 years ago
How cold are the overnight lows? North facing windows would be my guess.

Are there any drapes or blinds in front of the windows?
alakshman
Original Author
2 years ago
We have been in the house since end of November and have experienced 80 degree temps down to the 20s recently. The windows w condensation are mainly facing East and West Directions. We have blinds in front of most windows with the issue and drapes on another large window. Our sliding glass door is also creating condensation on the ceiling.
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PRO
toddinmn
2 years ago
What are the window made of?
alakshman
Original Author
2 years ago
Brand is Ram. The rep for them said we need to find ways to decrease humidity in the house. Buy a dehumidifier, use fans while showering etc. it all seems wacky to me given the caliber house we live in that we are stressed all the time about humidity in our house. We have 2 plants at the moment, and dont create excessively humid conditions.
formulaross20
2 years ago
What is your indoor humidity currently measuring?
PRO
toddinmn
2 years ago
Are they wood, aluminumin, vinyl, composite?
PRO
HomeSealed Exteriors, LLC
2 years ago

This chart is a nice guide in terms of getting your humidity level right to minimize the condensation. As mentioned above, open those window treatments a little bit overnight to let air circulate in there.

If you are unable to moderate the RH levels with simple means, you may want to have an certifed home energy professinal out to assess. There is no such thing as building a home "too tight" with respect to uncontrolled air leakage, however there is definitely a point where mechanical ventilation would be prescribed to preserve indoor air quality. The excessive humdity can be an indicator.
PRO
Ultra Windows
2 years ago
Ram is a manufacturer of thermally-broken aluminum windows for higher-end homes.

HomeSealed is correct. The problem is almost certainly the rapid drop in temperatures that we get when cold fronts hit Texas. Your indoor humidity level is normally ok at 50 - 65% until the temperatures rapidly plunge, and there's no way to reduce the interior humidity levels as quickly as the outdoor temps are dropping.
alakshman
Original Author
2 years ago
Thank you for your insights and advice.
PRO
toddinmn
2 years ago
Aluminum is more prone to condensation thermally broken or not. You can play around with drapes and blinds to desired effects , small changes can have big effects. You may find raising your blinds a few inches solves your problems or opening drapes partially.
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
2 years ago
+1. Big swings in temp will allow for way higher than tolerable amounts of moisture in the air. Run the dehumidifier, open the drapes, and run the exhaust fans.
PRO
Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
2 years ago
"We have blinds in front of most windows"

All to do with high relative humidity vs cold surfaces. The blinds, especially if tight and/or insulated, isolate the windows from the heated interior, allowing the windows to cool overnight to the temperature they're exposed to on the exterior, which is cooler than other interior surfaces.

Check if there are humidistats on exhaust fans, then adjust them to lower levels. Some of our homes (per the energy calculations) require an exhaust fan run continuously... typically we use the laundry fan.

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