Condensation at Home

Around this time of the year, homeowners may have concerns with humidity during extreme cold weather conditions. This problem often appears when temperatures reach -10 and below; appearing in the form of water/ice. When warm and cold air meet (with no movement and/or air exchange), moist air freezes in areas such as windows, bathroom ventilation piping, and attics. When the temperature rises, melting occurs; which results in dripping bathroom fans and condensation on the windows. The goal in this type of situation is to continually have air exchange and movement.

Below are some tips on how to prevent condensation in your home:

• Check the humidistat to ensure it is set to 10% – 20% depending on the temperature. See chart below.
• Leave your bath fans “ON” at least 30 before and after baths and showers.
• To accelerate the drying of windows, turn all fans on (bathrooms, ventilation and hood fan) for a few hours a day.
• If the bathroom fan is dripping; run the effected fan 4-6 hours straight.
• Turn ventilation system to “ON” leave on (day and night) during the colder temperatures. This will help circulate the air regularly. The ventilation switch is usually next to the thermostat or on the main floor. It should be labeled ventilation.
• Ensure that all blinds are pulled up, open and drapes are pulled back.

These six things will help remove the condensation from your home and reduce the amount of air/humidity that freezes on the windows sills and piping from the bathroom fan to the roof.

In the case of no hot water…

Please refer to the label on your furnace, which should be provided by your homebuilder. If afterwards, you have gone through those steps and you still are unable to turn your hot water back on, please call your Service & Warranty Coordinator to schedule the warranty technician to come to your home.