Sweating Windows

Yesterday I wrote about mobile homes and the fact they really do need to have a vapor barrier underneath them. Mobile homes, especially the older ones, were noted for poor windows. This had to do with leaks and also it involved missing thermal breaks in the old metal windows. Charlie Buell says he will write an article on that. Go Charlie! In a nutshell, condensation that can be helped with thermal breaks involves the cold air outside hitting the warmer air inside. The hotter the house, the colder outside, the bigger the problem. People breathing and cooking inside do not help keep humidity down either. Today's vinyl windows are pretty good at remedying that problem -- good thermal breaks. Now, if we are talking about old single pane windows anyway (photo below) then don't sweat missing thermal breaks -- you need thermal pane windows before they do any good anyway. This photo below is the inside of a mobile home. These sweating windows go with the damp crawl space shown in yesterday's article. These windows have been soaking wet for a long time -- just look at the stains. A house with this much moisture creates all sorts of problems and potential problems. The relative humidity is, obviously, way up there. Mold and other indoor fungal concerns need to be looked for when a home is this wet.

Thanks for looking.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspector