Dealing with Storm Window Condensation

It can be more than just annoying to see condensation build up on your storm windows it can be a sign of a bigger problem throughout the home. For the most part, it is something that can be easily fixed without removing storm windows as it is a temporary circumstance brought on by the change of seasons. Once air conditioner use is traded in for turning on the central heat, a change in seasons is already underway.

You may be bringing cold weather wear out of storage and putting summer clothes away for awhile when going through a seasonal transition. The same thing may be happening to your storm windows. If condensation is appearing on them, it may be nothing more than a sign that the whole house is getting used to the new change in weather temperatures.

How Condensation Occurs

When it comes to your storm windows, they will show initial signs of use during the beginning of a winter season once you start making use of the furnace. The cold air outside combines with moisture in the home inside, when the heat from the furnace gets involved it creates condensation. This is not something you will want to see occur throughout the season on every storm window in your home. But, when initially changing for the winter season, the condensation that occurs is a sign that there is some moisture in the home.

Moisture does not have to come from a leaky pipe or a flood somewhere in the basement, so at first you will not want to be alarmed if you do see significant condensation on the storm windows. A laundry room, a pet's area complete with a water dish, or a nearby bathroom can all contribute to moisture in the air throughout the home. The moisture that is given off from these areas can be what causes that condensation to occur on the storm windows, especially the windows nearest those areas of the house.

Curing this condensation problem is as easy as turning on ventilation fans. If the dryer in the laundry room is not being used, and you are resorting to drying clothes indoors this alone can contribute a significant degree to condensation on the storm windows. This is corrected by simply drying the clothes in the dryer and making sure the ventilation is going outside of the home.

If the furnace you use has a built in humidifier you may want to turn it off. The same thing should be done with any portable humidifiers in the home. You may be using them to combat the dry air that is created when the heat is turned on, but it could be contributing to the storm window condensation.

If these things are what happen to be causing the condensation problem for the storm windows, fixing the problem should be as simple as turning the humidifiers off and the ventilation fans on. In this case, if you do find that the humidifiers are necessary at times, you will know that there may be a consequence for using them. However, since the obvious cause of the storm window condensation is a temporary issue it is something that can be easily solved by turning the humidifier off.

Conversely, if there is no outward sign of what is causing temporary condensation, it could point to a larger problem. For instance, the basement of the home could be experiencing dampness due to a leaky pipe or a poor seal around a basement window. This can still be solved once the problem is pinpointed. Once the source is found, you can take steps to cure the storm window condensation problem.