One of the most frequent complaints among homes, regardless of the age of the house, involves moisture. Too much moisture in a house causes condensation and frost on the windows in the winter, and creates musty odors in basements and closets all year long. Dampness creates mould growth, which can lead to serious health problems for the home’s occupants. It also ruins clothes, carpets, furniture and other possessions of the homeowner.

In older homes, common causes of moisture include:

• Poor insulation at exterior wall corners

• Wall and ceiling junctions and in finished basements

• Roof leaks at chimneys, flashings, skylights and as are foundation leaks and plumbing leaks, particularly at toilet bases and under sink drains.

Indoor pools, hot tubs, greenhouses, and even house plants and aquariums can also raise the humidity level in a home. Equipments such as humidifiers, dehumidifiers, air conditioners, and heat-recovery ventilators may not be properly maintained, they encourage mould growth.

Tips on how to deal with moisture:

• Turn the bathroom fan during your shower it will send all the moist air outside instead of throughout the home. Make sure your bathroom fan is vented outside and not into an attic.

• Your clothes dryer should also be vented outside. If you commonly dry clothes in the house on a line, try taking them outside. Dry your firewood outside too.

• It’s a good idea to know the level of relative humidity in your house if you are experiencing moisture problems.

• Be sure to check the backside of carpeting, especially in a basement or any area that’s exposed to moisture.

• To combat mould growth keep air circulating in out-of-the-way areas, by pulling furniture and stored items away from exterior walls and basement floors.

• Make sure your gutters are always clean and free of debris to eliminate any backups of water that can leak into the house.

• Add insulation at the exterior wall corners, wall and ceiling junctions and in finished basements.

• Keep drapes and curtains open, making sure that warm air registers are not blocked, and setting the furnace fan to run continuously.

• A great way to prevent moisture from entering your home is to cover any window wells with a piece of Plexiglas or a layer of plastic sheeting up against the walls.

• Increased ventilation is also an option.

• An expensive solution may include installing a heat-recovery ventilator, which provides the home with a continuous supply of fresh air from outside, while venting the stale indoor air to the exterior.

Damp homes deteriorate more quickly, and they’re uncomfortable to live in. The above mentioned points will help you deal with moisture problems and give a longer life to your home sweet home.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 at 11:34 am and is filed under Moisture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.