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Double-pane window condensation (inside surface).


Zero Knievel

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Granted, home is 30 years old, but this is a worsening issue.  Not one window has any condensation BETWEEN the interior and exterior panes...indicating the seal is good.

 

However, the amount of condensation we get on the inside of the window on cold nights (particularly worse when we use unvented gas heat to warm the house) is a growing issue, and I don't know if replacing windows will "fix" the issue (we didn't have gas heat on below-freezing days/nights when house was new).

 

We had screens for the windows that we stopped using because of dogs.  This makes me think that a "storm window" in place of where the screens would mount would help.  I believe if we could direct airflow over the glass, it would also help, but that means fans all over the house.  I don't know if they make a window glass heater for indoor use (like your car rear window).

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13 hours ago, brianmacza said:

Humidity  - reduce that and it goes away

Yup! Unvented gas heaters produce a significant amount of moisture in the air since it's not vented out of the house and then that moisture will condensate on the coldest surfaces which appears to be your windows. It's just normal and you might be able to reduce it by better insulating the inside of the windows but that moisture is still going somewhere. Propane heat produces about 1.6 lbs of water for every 1 lb of propane burned. Natural gas will produce about 1/4 gallon of water per hour for a 20,000 BTU heater.

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9 hours ago, XXitanium said:

Carbon dioxide won't poison you, but I can suffocate you.


No problem.  Have a CO2 detector.  Please don’t suffocate me. ;) 

 

9 hours ago, XXitanium said:

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/affordable-indoor-window-inserts-promote-energy-efficiency/

 

I used to design windows and do heat-loss calcs.

 

Look up Larson Windows.


Interior storm windows…interesting.  Maybe will try that on one of the worst windows and see if it does the job before spending on all other windows.  We hardly ever open windows, so they wouldn’t be an imposition 99% of the time.

 

8 hours ago, XXitanium said:

How much insulation in your attic? 


Too much. :D  We put more than most when building the house.  I added some more over air ducts and registers near the outer walls because too much cold was getting in and we were waiting a long time to heat up the ducts.  Yes…my dad was an a-hole and insisted on the ductwork being in the ceiling and not the floors. <_<  One of several decisions that is costing us more down the road to deal with. :( 

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9 hours ago, XXitanium said:

Keep the air moving.


I wonder if they make an air exchanger that can heat the air being pumped in.  Otherwise we’re just blowing freezing air into the house.

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Yes it's called an HRV, we use them in Canada, I'm not sure how popular they are stateside. It's also a decent solution for radon gas. 

 

https://www.lowes.ca/product/air-exchangers/venmar-air-exchanger-with-heat-recovery-and-hepa-filtration-3-000-sq-ft-536768

 

The HEPA is a decent addition for $150 especially if you have pets. 

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8 hours ago, brianmacza said:

 

1.  Mom can't stand the noise (no matter how quiet), and none are designed for the total square footage.

 

2.  Most of those you're lucky if they last 2-3 years before needing replacement (my record so far for the one in the basement).

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A tiny amount of CO is very bad, period.  An increase of CO2 and decrease of O2 is bad, but not deadly or quick, without you feeling it.  Our bodies have no clue how much oxygen they get, which is why you die almost instantly in an inert gas atmosphere, without feeling it.  We detect CO2, so if it gets high, you will feel like you're suffocating in your own house.  Unvented indoor heat will deplete oxygen eventually without some exchange to the outside.

 

I have no idea what the practical way to do this is, just adding the biology of it.

 

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