Humidity inspectors
leaeigard
| Posted in General Questions on
Would anyone know of a company that locates the source of humidity in the home? I have been having so much trouble getting Sears to replace the water heater they installed at the end of last year. They keep demanding statements from inspectors to prove that the humidity in my guest house is actually being caused by the water heater! There was no humidity beforehand. Now there is condensation build-up on the windows, which drips down and causes mold to grow on the window sills.
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Replies
What's your zip code?
Lea,
A good home energy rater or home performance contractor may be able to help you.
I agree with Sears: unless you have a plumbing leak, or unless you have a gas-fired water heater that is venting indoors, it is highly unlikely that a new water heater has anything to do with elevated indoor humidity levels.
zip code is 91356
To get condensation on windows in SoCal takes a RIDICULOUSLY high humidity level. It's highly unlikely the water heater is the source of the problem.
If the old water heater was an atmospheric drafted gas burner the flue may have been serving as a vent path purging super-damp air out. If it was replaced with a power-drafted version or an electric tank that path would have been reduced or eliminated.
Post some pictures of the installation, and give the model name/number etc.
Another possibility to consider: if the new water heater is burning natural gas and for some reason the venting to the outside isn't working, it might be putting all the combustion products into the house. That seems unlikely, but if that is what's happening, it would be really bad. If it's a gas water heater, it would be good to have a carbon monoxide (CO) monitor/alarm in the space anyway; If that's the problem, it will probably go off. You could also check for any warm air blowing out of the unit or its venting system during operation.
If you can live without hot water for several days, simply turn the heater off. Does the condensation go away? Does it come back when the water heater is turned back on? This isn't the cleanest experiment because you don't know how quickly the house vents excess moisture once the moisture source is removed, but if you can correlate the condensation with running the heater then you've isolated the cause.
Combining Bill's idea with mine: Turn it off, go shopping for a CO alarm, install the CO alarm, and then turn it back on after you have that protection.
Lea, can you quantify your humidity statements?