Housing...Inside and Out

March 24, 2000
Moisture Problems

Moisture is one of the worst enemies your home can have. It can cause your clothes and furnishings to mildew, ruin interior surfaces, reduce the insulation value of your insulation, cause squeaky floors and nail popping, cause paint peeling and stains on the walls and ceilings and can ruin the structural frame of your house through fungus growth and rot.

There are two methods of moisture and vapor control. The first is ventilation, which is used to remove excess moisture. Excess moisture can be removed by vents and vent fans.

Bathroom vents can remove excess moisture from showers and baths, while kitchen vents, if vented to the outside, can remove excess moisture from cooking. Also, venting clothes dryers directly to the outside, either with wall or roof vents, removes a large quantity of water vapor that would otherwise be discharged into the house.

Vapor barriers are also used to prevent water vapor from entering the walls and framing of the house. A vapor barrier is any material that allows little or no vapor to penetrate it.

To safeguard your house from the vapor present inside the home, such as vapors from cooking, washing and breathing, a vapor barrier should be placed between this moisture and the house frame. Use insulation with a vapor barrier in all outside walls, the ceiling and floors, plus any walls between the warm part of the house and the cold rooms, such as the garage and outside storage rooms.

Another big help in avoiding moisture problems is drainage, both around and under the house. Good drainage will get rid of surface water and high ground water before they become a moisture problem.

Many homeowners will experience high humidity conditions in a new home the first winter it is occupied. One reason for this is the amount of water that is present in the paint, plaster, concrete and other building materials. This moisture must be evaporated before the house thoroughly dries out. This problem usually corrects itself after the first winter. If it does not and moisture problems persist, look for other causes of moisture problems and then correct them.


Written by Dr. Francis Graham (Retired)

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