Discussions

Ok so I discovered before Christmas that the humidity in my house was down to 19%. I set up the humidifier and have been keeping the humidity up around 35-40%. Recommendations say 40-45%. In this super cold weather, if I let the humidity get that high I have windows full of water, water dripping off of door knobs, locks freezing up. I know I need new doors. This house is hardly sealed. I suspect I need new windows because the seal is broken on most of the windows in the house. If I were to get new doors/windows will this fix the problem?  
 
In this colder weather, I keep the humidity lower around 30-35% the problem is still there but manageable. I thought I'd ask the good people of eBrandon what their thoughts were on this situation.

You are forcing moisture into the air that does nothing but condense.  
 
Doors and windows will set you back tens of thousands. You are losing just as much through the walls and ceilings.  
 
I have never checked humidity in my life and have lived in old houses. If you can access your attic, a vapour barrier and insulation will go a long way.

Humidity at 19% is not good for any thing alive or the house. I am attempting to keep my house at a humidity level that is healthier for myself and my family, my plants and the general structure of the house as per recommended by numerous sources. When I first checked the humidity I was waking up with sore throat, having in general, a poor sleep. I noticed an immediate difference when I raise the humidity to above 30%.  
 
I was told there is adequate insulation in the attic but I can have that checked out again.

Unfortunately, from what you describe, there is no simple solution. It sounds as if you are in an older home, or one that has not been properly maintained. I completely understand why you want to keep your humidity levels up in the house but with insulation, door, and window issues, what you are dealing with in terms of ice buildup on the windows, etc is going to be your reality. If you are planning on staying in this home then it is time for some upgrades. If you are looking at selling and moving on, then you will have to weigh the cost of those upgrades against your potential return on investment. An option may be to look into grant programs for the upgrades such as through Mb Hydro.  
 
I hope this helps. Good luck!

I kind of expected as much. The answer to your post is this house has not been maintained well by previous owners. So with me being a much more conscientious home owner I've done a lot of small things to improve on this house. I will look into the MB Hydro program. I never thought of that. Thanks.

Yes it's horribly uncomfortable when the humidity is too low. Sadly, these lovely temperatures we have had lately cause the heater to blow more and more warm air.  
 
New windows are super expensive but perhaps you can replace one or 2 a year so it's not a huge expense all at once. That is what I did and these windows don't give me the grief you are having.  
 
Just wait. Come July and Aug. the humidity will be too high. Lol

Thanks. I can handle a few window changes a year.  
 
Haha I have the humidity beat in the summer months. I've got a great dehumidifier that I run in the lower level. It works great.  
 
Edited by Spades!!, 2018-01-13 12:46:02

It is not so much the insulation as a proper vapour barrier. My drafty old house I had before? I put down a vapour barrier and extra insulation and my lack of humidity problems went away immediately.  
 
Go up and look in the attic, pull back the insulation, there should be a poly barrier under the insulation.

Thanks Scotsman. Yes I did have that checked when I bought the house.

Are you natural gas or electric, forced air, baseboard?  
 
Natural gas gives off a lot of water vapour, a forced air electric furnace none. Baseboard electric are the worst for drying the air.  
 
I had baseboards in Churchill and had to have a pot on the stove constantly simmering as the dry air brought on nose bleeds.  
 
I have an electric forced air furnace in a drafty old house in Dauphin. I do not have humidity problems.

Likely because you don’t monitor the humidity levels and try to bring it up to 40% as you stated in your first post. It would be interesting to see if you had problems if you did increase the humidity in your house.  
Anyways I have the humidity down in the low 30s. That seems to have resolved the moisture problem.

We keep our dehumidifier at 30% and it runs constantly and I dump it ever 2-3 days. We still get ice buildup at the bottom of our windows - new and older. We just make sure to wipe off the window sills if we see any water once it warms up.

Do an internet search-  
recommended indoor humidity vs outdoor temperature  
 
You will find that you indoor humidity is just fine..  
Extra humidity is nice, but don''''''''t be selling the house just yet.  
30 percent might be a little high.  
 
This link is from Alberta.  
http://www.rmsab.com/articles/proper-indoor-humidity/  
 
Please check other Cold climate links for yourself. Internet stuff from winters in Atlanta won''''t have a clue about real winter humidity levels  
 
Edited by loeog, 2018-01-13 23:20:49

Wow. I did the exact search you said. That puts it into perspective for me. But 15% at -30 outside that is low for me. I find that uncomfortable. However this good to know so I won’t be trying to increase humidity so much now. May keep it in the mid 20s during colder temps.  
 
http://s3.amazonaws.com/eakes-production/assets/14475/original.jpg?1418404137

Spades!! said "Wow. I did the exact search you said. That puts it into perspective for me. But 15% at -30 outside that is low for me. I find that uncomfortable. However this good to know so I won’t be trying to increase humidity so much now. May keep it in the mid 20s during colder temps.     http://s3.amazonaws.com/eakes-production/assets/14475/original.jpg?1418404137 "

i don't monitor our humidity, but I do keep it humid enough to keep a small amount of moisture on our north facing triple pane windows.

is too high.  
 
my humidistat recommends at -30 c the humidity should be 15%  
at-25=20  
-20=25  
-10=35  
-5=40  
 
based on that your humidity is way too high for teh house and windows, if you only have d2ouble glaze windows it will only make it worse. I have triples and if i let the humidity get too high they will ice up as well.  
 
also heavy curtains and venetian blinds that are closed just trap the humnid air and make it worse.s

Problem is fixed. I appreciate everyone who took the time to give mean the right information.  
Thanks again!!!!

You have to lower the humidity as the temperature gets colder ! The best remedy is a an HRV or heat recovery ventilator ! Drafty windows actually lower humidity in cold weather ! Your best bet is to quit listening to the "unqualified " people on here that should NOT be commenting

This is my area of expertise, I’ve installed many heat recovery units. I suggest a free consultation to way out your options. Give me a shout text, cal , or email. 204-761-9500, fisherkj@live.ca