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Q. Help! I am getting condensation on all the windows in my brand-new
house when the temperature is 10 to 15 degrees outdoors and lower. It appears
as beads of sweat, mostly on the top sash. The windows are double paned. I
thought that was not supposed to happen. I keep the house at 70 percent
humidity, or at least that is what the hygrometer says. What's wrong? BOB, Peabody A. Nothing is wrong, except perhaps with the hygrometer. It is extremely difficult to get the relative humidity up to even 30 percent in winter. Forty percent is considered optimum. And if the humidity is at 70 percent, in a new, therefore tight house, it is too high and you will be guaranteed water on the windows. The cure is to reduce the humidity. Shut off or turn down the humidifier, if you have one. Short of that, it's a matter of opening windows for a few minutes each day to release all that water vapor. Most of the water is on the top sash because humid air tends to rise. Even if the humidity is less than 70 percent, you could still get condensation on windows. And the cure is opening them.
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