How to Eliminate Excess Moisture in Your Home

Despite today’s home being so well built and well insulated, homes are still bound to trap excess moisture and condensation inside. While excess moisture can be caused by a dripping pipes, it is most likely that inadequate ventilation is the biggest cause of excess moisture in a home. To help you find any moisture problems before they cause water damage, read up on some of these great tips.

Signs to Recognize

• The smell of musty odors
• Any sign of rusty stains around light fixtures
• The feeling of damp or sticky floors
• Signs of mildew along the ceiling, wall and edges of baseboards
• Dripping pipes or water lines from household appliances
• Sign of condensation on any windows and along any cold surfaces
• Any sign of mold and or mildew growth

Preventive Maintenance

• To avoid condensation, air should always be kept circulating throughout the home with the help of vents and fans. Exhaust fans should always be used when showering. The laundry area should also have an exhaust fan installed and used whenever the laundry is being done. The laundry dryer should also be vented to the outside.
• Any and all leaky faucets, dripping pipes, water hoses, running toilets, etc… should be fixed as soon as possible. Colder climates can cause water in drains to freeze, causing water to back up. After the water backs up it can cause pipes to either burst or water to flow back up through the drains.
• Consider investing in a quality portable dehumidifier that offers humidity control. Be sure to select one that shuts off automatically when the collector pan becomes too full.
• Storm windows should be used to help conserve energy and to prevent condensation from forming on windows. In addition, storm windows also help to reduce heat loss.
• It is important to inspect the skirting around the base of a manufactured home to make sure that it is well ventilated, allowing air to circulate freely. Ultimately this helps to eliminate any unwanted moisture from being drawn into the sub-flooring.

Keep an eye on the inside

• Pay attention for signs of any unusual hissing sounds. Hissing sounds can be the sign of a pinhole leak in a water line within the floor or wall.
• Make it a point to occasionally check any hard-to-reach areas around the water heater, under sinks and behind the laundry washer. It is important that any and all water lines/hoses of household appliances be inspected too.
• Discolored floor coverings or sub flooring is usually a sign of a leak. Water stains and or wetness are most often the cause of loose and or damaged plumbing fixtures or fittings.
• Any signs of moisture at the base of a toilet could indicate a deteriorated wax ring, which can be easily replaced.
• It is important that any signs of interior water damage be repaired immediately. If the repair is out of your hands, be sure to hire a qualified repairperson.