humidity.

[mbunatank]

ive posted about my moisture problems before. everything from humid basement to frost in attic. I have sealed the attic well and it seems to have helped.

but now to deal w the overall humidity. the house is a 1960 ranch w an unfinished basement/garage in NY. the RH in the house was 60%+. I have installed a bathroom fan. I have an older kitchen fan. Im not sure if it works great but we dont cook so much that I think this is the primary cause. I have tried the test where plastic taped to the basement floor/walls w no +. However even though the the floor is painted I do see areas of effloresence(sp?) - does that mean I have moisture coming through the floor? If so how to stop. Ive read on lowes.com to use water based poly.

any ideas or other things to look at

no signs of attic leaks

heat is oil/ baseboard

[Jay Stootzmann]

have you sealed the rim joists in the basement? I would expect a 1960 ranch to be very leaky.

Do you run a dehumidifier in the basement?

[m Ransley]

Are you sure the humidistat is accurate analog come from the store uncalibrated, digital are better but yours could be off. Most analog I see new are 10-15% off. Do you have condensation on windows, that is the sign your humidity is to high for outdoor low temps. Unless you have condensation I dont believe the humidistat, unless it is warm out.

[buffalobill]

Moisture Issues: please see all links at:

water bill high due to hidden water leak in wall. roof and gutters leaking or backing up shingles into house. [what frost in attic?]. issues with brick house moisture. maybe issues with insufficient daily air change. large population home versus small square footage. no whole house ventilation for air changes. clothes dryer requires outside venting. kitchen just filtered fan change to vented to outdoors. rainwater not properly draining away from home. poor insulation. poor weatherstripping. candles in use. unvented gas log heater in use. central air conditioning with central ventilation required. faucets dripping. humidifier in use. vaporizer in use. gas pilot lights burning in kitchen stove and oven. houseplants. aquariums in use. showering without exhausting. washing machine dumps into washtub change to standpipe.

[Stretch]

Where does the bathroom exhaust fan discharge to?

Stretch

[trader4]

. m Ransley Jan 26, 8:20 pm Are you sure the humidistat is accurate analog come from the store uncalibrated, digital are better but yours could be off. Most analog I see new are 10-15% off. Do you have condensation on windows, that is the sign your humidity is to high for outdoor low temps. Unless you have condensation I dont believe the humidistat, unless it is warm out. "

I agree. All humidity gauges I've ever seen have varied widely. I have a brand new digital one here that is part of a unit that measures indoor/outdoor temps and it's around 20% off from either my analog or the local weather reports. Older houses should be less prone to excess humidity, because they have more air leaks. It's still possible to have an isolated problem, like a bathroom with poor ventilation, but it's uncommon to have a problem in the house in general. Unless you have evidence of a problem in the house, like moisture on windows, around recessed lights, etc, then I doubt you really have a problem.

[m Ransley]

I recently went out to several stores to buy a humidistat, I saw big displays at several Box stores I saw groups all ranging 10-20% off from each other, since they were all stabilised this is wrong for them to be sold this way. They were mostly Taylor units. I settled on several 4" large Taylors that came with a tool and the manual stated to Calibrate Every 6 months by covering in a wet towel for 45 min and set humidity to apx 95% [ if I remember} Point being the better units by the same Co state to calibrate. You have not proven your humidity is high. Window condensation is a true way to determine if humiity is high and can cause issues, not a humidistat reading. Unless you condense somewhere your humidity is low or normal.

[mbunatank]

have you sealed the rim joists in the basement? I would expect a 1960 ranch to be very leaky. >>>

no

Do you run a dehumidifier in the basement? >>>

in the summer usually it can run almost continuasly

Are you sure the humidistat is accurate analog come from the store uncalibrated, digital are better but yours could be off>>>

it seems about right I do have condensation. it also had a reading of about 28 in my office at the same temp.

water bill high due to hidden water leak in wall. roof and gutters leaking or backing up shingles into house. >>>>

id say not to my knowledge, and negitive to the rest of the questions buff. except I do have a 110g uncovered fish tank in basement. and possibly the kitch. the stove hood vents inside w filter. the kitch does have a ceiling exaust fan but Im unsure how well it worrks will check bettor when snow on roof melts. I would not say we do a lot of cooking and my wife usually cracks a window when cooking.

srost in attic = condensation

bath vent new vented to outside.

Unless you have evidence of a problem in the house, like moisture on windows, around recessed lights, etc, then I doubt you really have a problem>>>

id deff say Ive got a prob that was the reason for buying the humidistat. I have excessive moisture on windows and even sweating occ on an small portion of the outside upper corner in one room. even if its off. the humidity is there

what about the basement floor efflorr or is that deff not the problem???

[mbunatank]

only pilot lights are propane water heater and oil furnace. considering the garage is under the house Id say the basement is very leaky

[mbunatank]

as for the basement. Id caricterize it as damp in summer w condensation at perimiter at times. I cant say Ive never had water penitration at the base but its rare.

[BocesLib]

110 gallon open faced fishtank??? I think you found your problem.

I presume you have it nicely heated to around 75 - 80 degrees????

[mbunatank]

110 gallon open faced fishtank??? I think you found your problem.

I presume you have it nicely heated to around 75 - 80 degrees????

actually its in a small finished area playroom. only heated above

60deg occasionally when kids are playing

[mbunatank]

110 gallon open faced fishtank??? I think you found your problem.

I presume you have it nicely heated to around 75 - 80 degrees????

actually its in a small finished area playroom. only heated above

60deg occasionally when kids are playing

[mbunatank]

I will cover it

[mbunatank]

I presume you have it nicely heated to around 75 - 80 degrees????

misunderstood, yes the water is about 80 deg.

[barry]

Yes, efflorescence indicates moisture transport. Studies have been published indicating the large amount of water that can flow through a sq-ft of bsmt per unit-time.

You need to get the water-table down, by eliminating exterior drainage problems (pitch it away from house, for one) and possibly installing drains outside or inside.

DAMHIKT but you cannot seal water out of house by applying anything to the interior surface. Not short of one-piece layer of something like GRE. Simply not possible.

Drainage will work.

J

[buffalobill]

this is a good booklet to read about your house even if you don't have a basement fish humidifier:

[mbunatank]

here is where I am. ran the bath fan continuasly for about 4-5 houres w a window open on the oposite side of the house. humid went down to the 40s. coverd the fish tank. humid returned but now in mid to high

50s as oposed to constant 60s.

anouther note: around the kitchen exaust fan which is ducted through the roof w a sheet metal duct I have always gotten condensation on the duct to the point that the paint would bubble from efflor through the thick plaster ceillings. I recently insulated the duct put some expandible foam around the upening to the house. then layed plastic under the insulation. Im now getting condensation not on the duct but the underside of the plastic. should I remove it? is this from a air leak?