Dehumidifier News 12/5
Dehumidifier related news:
A computer program called Smart House Adaptive Control System controls the house’s appliances. This program, designed by students on the project, senses when different appliances need to be turned on or off by the house through a central computer. (Source)
Q. I am writing in reference to replacing my home’s 22 windows. Our home is 17 years old, and during the years we have added two additions; an apartment for my mother-in-law and another one over the garage. We have a very large family: six children, two of us and Nana. We have had a problem with moisture in the main part of the house since we take eight showers a day plus cooking, etc. Our only bathroom is at the top of the front-door stairs and the bedrooms surround it. We added outside venting, run a dehumidifier and try to open the windows daily, weather permitting. Well, our window frames are moldy.
We sanded them, bleached them, treated them, refinished and sealed them, but the mold keeps coming back. We don’t want to replace windows and have the same thing happen. I wrote to Andersen asking if they would custom-make a double-hung, wood window with vinyl casing around both sides. They told me they couldn’t; only the outside of the frame is vinyl. They referred me to a new window company they took over — Skyline, which are all-vinyl windows. I didn’t want to go all-vinyl and wanted to stay wood with a vinyl covering for ease of cleaning and maintenance.
Do you have any suggestions? Do you recommend all-vinyl windows, or do I stay away from them? Do you recommend Skyline windows, or are they an unknown entity?
Milton, Vt.
A. Sorry, I do not know anything about Skyline windows. However, if Andersen has acquired the company and is recommending these windows, they must be of good quality. There are other high-quality, all-vinyl windows. Just be sure that you deal with a time-tested, reputable firm. (Some firms selling windows do not stay around long). You may want to look into the fiberglass windows that Marvin makes, where you have a choice of fiberglass outside and wood inside, or all fiberglass.
The windows may also get moldy since you have such a high indoor relative humidity (RH), but they won’t rot. Dehumidifiers are not too effective in winter. You may also want to look into one or more wall-type air-to-air heat exchangers to deal with the excessive RH; that will be less expensive than a whole-house air-to-air heat exchanger, but the latter will do a more effective job. (Source)
