Humidity problems in house

[Triggerfish]

wondering if it's tank related.. humidity on both floors is between 63-75%.
this is first year with tops off tank and halides...
any thoughts here..
thx

 

[Armando]

that's strange.. with all the tanks i had in my apartment the humidity never went above 60%

 

[Triggerfish]

having a heck of time with excessive water condensation on windows.

 

[Mini4x]

Maybe your house is too airtight?
Dehumidifier?
How much water are you topping off daily, i'm at about 1gpd, in my 75g.
I even run a humidifier in my house and I still think it's too dry.

 

[nitrofish]

have you tryed a de-humifier

 

[Triggerfish]

i got a 60 pint in foyer on 1st floor that i moved up from basement.
should get another for 2nd floor. these things eat up electricity like A/C's i'm pretty sure...

also,,leave 3 bathroom exhaust fans going for hours on end....

 

[NateHanson]

Water will condense on windows and walls that aren't insulated well. It's not an easy solution, but you might think about insulating better. It sure beats running two dehumidifiers and bathroom fans all winter, sucking heat out of your house. That's got to get expensive between the increased heating bill and electrical expenses.

 

[smcnally]

I have the same problem. My humidity gets to around 50-55 and it condensates so much on my sliding glass doors so much that there was a soaked spot about 1 sq ft in front of the door. I bought a 45 pint LG dehumidifier today. It has been running for about 1.5 hrs and the doors ar nice and dry. I don't know how much I'll like the noise in the livingroom, but maybe I can run it all day when I'm at work and shut it down when I get home.

 

[NateHanson]

Condensation is a good way to tell where all your heat is going. I'd shrink wrap that patio door for the winter instead (unless it's a door you use). They're notorious heat-suckers, and the window film that you put on the inside, and shrink with a blowdryer is invisible after applied.

Nate

 

[Triggerfish]

interesting, as i was reading that it was due to the use of moisture trapping materials and the improved modern "tight" homes. Moisture created inside can no longer flow easily to the outside. keeps cold air out and moisture in.

stated that the modern living of a family of 4 can easily release more than 18 gallons of water per week into the air.

http://www.inlandmaterials.com/condensation.htm

 

[NateHanson]

Yes, that makes sense too, but it's still the cold interior surfaces where the condensation will appear. So condensation is a relative indicator of less-insulated surfaces, even in a modern, more air-tight house.

 

[Aquaman_68]

Usually if windows sweat in the winter it is due to them leaking on the seals. Even the rerplacement windows can leak after as short as 5 years.

 

[smcnally]

Yeah, I plan on wrapping one of the patio doors. We use the other to let our dogs out.

 

[Triggerfish]

also,,not getting any condensation on 2 windows in either room of finished basement..the humidity was reading lower down there..about 55. and heat is kept very low to about 52.

 

[Chuck Spyropulos]

I had a really bad problem with this. I installed a small exhaust fan in my canopy that is temperature and humidity controlled. Problem is gone! I tried dehumidifiers but with my large tank, they did not do the job efficiently, they were loud, and I had to empty them every day. The exhaust fan eliminates all these problems.

 

[gettes]

There are a lot of things in that article which are not entirely accurate, according to several classes I've taken on building science. I wrote a long winded post but it was much too construction related. Sounds like the best solution would be the exhaust fan.

 

[Triggerfish]

so chuck your issue was strictly due to your tank?
how loud is that exhaust fan you installed?

where do you vent it, out the side wall?

 

[gettes]

If noise is an issue the Panasonic vent fans used for bathrooms are extremely quiet.

 

[Triggerfish]

somehow the thought of blowing out a hole in the middle of the room to vent out a crappy 125g just doesn't seem likely.

i got to check how much water evap this thing is going through a day and see if it would be the possible cause for having humidity levels as high as they are.

 

[Armando]

Do you have room for my orchids during the winter? they would love that humidity j/k