AROUND THE HOUSE: Condensation on sills could have a number of causes

Dear Ken: I have newer vinyl windows in my house. Lately we’ve been noticing excess condensation on the sills. What could be going on?
Lynn

You’re either producing more moisture than the house can handle, or you need more ventilation. Your humidifier has a little dial that you must turn down as the outside temperature decreases — since cold air holds less moisture than warm (there should be a little chart of humidity setting vs. outdoor temperature on the control). If you cook a lot, and the kitchen hood fan doesn’t blow outdoors, you’re adding excess moisture. Other culprits include bathing without turning on the fan or a disconnected dryer vent hose.

If none of these helps, check your attic or crawl space vents. These areas, if not properly vented, can trap stale, moist air inside. Most attics are a little under ventilated anyway, so add more — like turbine or gable vents (my favorite). And, while you’re up there, make sure the bath fan exhaust pipes are pointed directly at their nearest roof vent.


Dear Ken: My daughter lives in a condo. The next door neighbor smokes, and the odor seeps into her unit. She just doesn’t know what to do. Can you help?
Bill

Condos are well isolated from each other with fire-rated drywall so, chances are, it’s coming through one of the vents — not the walls and floors. Depending on when the building was built — and therefore which codes were in effect — there may be interconnections between the bath fans and kitchen hood fans that could be forcing air back and forth. Outside, if the furnace combustion air intakes vents and the dryer vents are too close together, they could be sharing the same air. That means that your daughter’s furnace may be sucking air into her entire heat vent system.

These issues are precisely what her homeowner’s association is there for. Have them get involved to do the detective work — and then whatever mediation is necessary.


Dear Ken: I have a large room with the old popcorn ceiling. I have shadows when light hits it a certain way. Do I need to remove and retexture?
Mike

It could be a couple of things. Sometimes, over many years, the drywall starts to sag between trusses. So, the shadows indicate where these high and low areas are. This could be one of those cure-is-worse-than-the-disease situations, because the only practical way to fix it is to hang a layer of new drywall.

If your popcorn ceiling hasn’t been painted in awhile, there can be straight, dark lines 24 inches apart.  These indicate the location of each truss rafter. The dense wood steals heat from the house, while the surrounding insulation does it job. So the colder spot under each 2x4 is cold, so moisture condenses against it and captures dust.

In either case, it would be a good idea to repaint the ceiling with some diluted semi-gloss latex. But, do yourself a favor — don’t remove the texture. It’s messy, may contain asbestos and you’ll be left with an even more irregular surface than you have now.


Dear Ken: During a high wind, something in the attic chatters and vibrates. We can’t pin it down. Any ideas?
Jim

It’s usually the attic access cover panel. That high wind can generate low pressures, which then lift and drop the panel with annoying results. You could lay some double sided tape around the edge of the panel trim boards to grab the panel cover and hold it down. Or add some weight to the top of the cover — glue on a couple of short 2x4’s for example.

If that’s not the problem, check each attic vent for stability. Sometimes, the gable vent fins are the culprit.They can be bent to stiffen them up.

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Former homebuilder Ken Moon is the owner of Colorado Home Inspectors and a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors. Hear him Saturdays at 9 a.m. on KRDO 1240 AM and 105.5 FM. Reach him at www.aroundthehouse.com.