Why is there condensation in or on my glass panes?

• The window's glass panels' seals are leaking or broken creating condensation inside the glass panels.
• The air temperature outside is frigid compared to the house's interior warm and moist air.
• There is a humidifier on the furnace turned up too high.
• A humidifier is on to high and/or located near the windows.
• Plants are located next to those windows.
• Your house is newer and sealed tightly when built.

What you need to do about the condensation

Well, this all depends on what is causing the condensation to occur.

1. Is the condensation inside the glass panes? Then yes, that door or window needs to be replaced. The seals are leaking and are broken. They are no longer energy efficient.
2. If the condensation is not in the glass panes, then more than likely, your windows do not need to be replaced.
3. Rule out room humidifiers and plants.
4. Check your furnace to see if it has a humidifier attached to it and what it is set at. Try lowering this setting.
5. If the weather is frigid outside and you and your family are all warm and toasty inside, it's more than likely the difference in temperature and humidity is causing it.
6. If your house is so well built and tightly sealed, you may want to consider venting the attic and/or crawl space to allow the house to breath better.

EXAMPLE: Home Condensation, House Venting, Exterior Noise from Inside

Home Condensation After Replacing with New Windows, Doors, and Siding --> Say what?... condensation is occurring after doing all this work. This house was built in 1962 so it needed some updating and needed to become more energy efficient. This customer had us install replacement vinyl windows and patio doors, front main door, and then wrap the house and install insulated vinyl siding. Looked amazing! Wait... now there was condensation on the surface of the interior walls and windows. Prior to all this exterior work, the house leaked heat so bad, that sometime in the past, all the crawl space vents where sealed. Also, a humidifier was attached to a newer furnace and was set at its maximum. Now, after all this work was done to seal the house, the house had become so air tight that the humidity had nowhere to leak out of the home like it had once did prior to these exterior renovations.

Solution! After discovering the furnace humidifier was set at maximum, the customer was able to reduce it way low. We also cut out some of the sealed crawl space vents to allow the house to breath. The condensation issue resolved!

It is crazy to know that there was so much air escaping that house that all that moisture from humidifier did not stay inside. They must have had some high energy bills between heating and cooling the house all those years. Additionally, with all the exterior work completed, the homeowners noticed that the exterior noise was now minimum inside. Nothing compared to what it was prior to the new windows, doors, and siding.