:359 Cold Surface Condensation

Take the 1:5:10:365 challenge: Do one thing – for 5 to 10 minutes – 365 days a year to make our home and planet environment better.

1:5:10:359 EcoTip: The dew point occurs when temperatures on a surface are cold enough to cause condensation to form. If this happens on the outside of a can of soda – its not such a big deal – but if it happens on or inside wall or building cavities – the condensed water can result in damage and mold growth.

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 Additional Information:

The blue area in the thermal image shown above is missing insulation. If the indoor temperature is 68 degrees F, and the humidity is 50% condensation will develop if the surface temperature hits approximately 50 degrees or less. The condensed moisture can result in water damage and mold growth.

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:125 Evaluate Walls

Welcome to today’s 1:5:10:365 Tip for becoming a better steward for our home and planet.

1:5:10:125 EcoTip: Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a computer program for predicting the moisture flow from water vapor in walls. This program allows a number of different options for constructing and testing a computer simulated model wall to see how well it holds up in various climates. Based on these simulations is has become clear that as climate change results in humidity increases, the way we build houses will need to change.

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 Additional Information

The program takes some time to master (certainly more that ten minutes) but provides an interesting warning for the future. In my book Extreme Weather Hits Home, I have provided additional information about recognizing problems that can develop in our homes from elevated humidity and the research documenting these shifts are occurring. I have posted an example of a WUFI simulation for a climate shift scenario. You can learn more at my book blog.

I am willing to run a few additional WUFI simulations to post. If you would like to see how your home’s walls may be reacting to the climate, send me a comment including your city and state (US and Canada only) and a description of your walls. For example the above simulation was for a wall in Montreal, Canada with the following layers from inside to outside as follows: Brick, one inch air layer, 3.5 inches fiberglass insulation, polyethylene barrier, gypsum board, flat latex paint.

On my book blog I show what would happen if this building were to experience a climate shift so that it were being exposed to a climate similar to Miami, Florida.

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