We have a 4 year old house. I know houses are so airtight nowadays, and air exchangers are almost required for ventilation. In the winter (we're in Minnesota) my windows have moisture on the inside, not a terrible amount, but it concerns me. Hubby is totally against the air exchanger. He says it's just a way to add more cost to a house. Therefore, he won't let me run the air exchanger very much. I put it on only a few hours a day. Would running it continuously help with the moisture on the windows, or add to it? Our outside humidity is in the 80s now in winter. Inside the house humidity is about 48%, much higher than I think it should be normally this time of year. Any heating people out there who can tell me, run it more or less???? Thanks. judson
With the outside humidity being in the 80's, and the inside air has a moisture level of 48%,...if you are using an air exchanger to bring in fresh air from the outside, you will actually INCREASE the humidity level inside the house - which will make the condensation on your windows worse, not better. To lower humidity levels in a home, you need a dehumidifier. If your home heating system has a humidifier built in, you should first lower its output setting. So, if the only reason you are wanting to run the air exchanger is to lower the humidity levels, you're defeating your own purpose by bringing air that has more moisture than you already have inside the home. Have Fun
MN is very strict on their building codes and thus it makes houses very airtight. They even go so far as to tape the seams when they are hanging a vapor barrier. Your house can't breathe and the air exchanger should help, but is costly to do so. Plus, it's bringing in cold air. Window companys recommend humidity inside the house to be around the 25-30% mark. It's been my experience that if you actually get it down to that amount, you wake up with terrible headaches, stuffed up noses and possibly nosebleeds. Very hard conditions to live in. I'm not certain what the answers are. We just put new windows in because the other ones had such moisture damage and they were Marvins and 13 yrs old. Good windows, too much humidity. I am noticing that the moisture isn't as severe, but it's still present. We put a couple whirlybirds on the roof and it seemed to help. If you figure out what to do, please let me know!!
Sounds like you need a dehumidifier. I don't know if an air exchanger does that. It sounds as if moisture is condensing on your windows.
Condensation will occur whenever the window surface is cool enough to allow moisture in the air to condense on it, which is why some condensation can be expected in the winter. (An example of condensation: A glass of ice water sweats because the warm air that surrounds the glass meets the cold surface and causes....you guessed it, Condensation)
