Water where I don’t want it!

Question: I live in upstate New York and have a serious moisture problem, which I didn't have before. The house was built in 1936 and has cedar shingles. The furnace is a converted coal furnace, called a gravity-fed furnace. The problem I'm experiencing is I have moisture all through the house. We have lived in the house for the past 8 years and never had this problem before. The only thing I've done is to have the chimney re-grouted this past summer. The moisture is upstairs, downstairs and in the basement. I have moisture collecting on all the windows all well as the walls. Can you help with information or can you direct me to where to go on the web?

Thanks, Fiona

Steve’s Reply: I would need more information about the construction of your home to make an accurate diagnosis, but I'll give you a few general directions to look in.

Since you haven't had the problem during the prior 8 years I suspect that something has changed in the way you live. Somehow moisture is being introduced into the air inside the home and is not being vented outside. First look at the ventilation in the home. Are fans located in the bathrooms and ducted to the outside? Is there a fan over the cooking area that is ducted to the outside? Is the clothes dryer ducted properly to the outside and is the vent pipe clear of obstructions? If you suspect any of these fans and ducts are not up to speed--fix them.

Are you taking more baths or showers now? Are you cooking or boiling water in the home? Do you have a humidifier? If you answer all the above satisfactorily, the only place left for moisture to come from is the ground. Check under the house for wet ground. Wet ground can be cause by plumbing leaks, poor perimeter drainage, natural springs and a number of other sources. Repair any obvious leaks and make sure that any downspouts empty on to splash blocks that are sloped away from the foundation. Ground moisture can be further reduced by better ventilation in the crawl area or by installing a plastic moisture barrier on the ground in the crawl area or both.

Since warm moist interior air condenses into water when it comes into contact with a colder surface, I would eventually look into adding insulation to the exterior walls and
attic, and installing insulated windows. Moist walls create a great environment for molds and fungus to grow and thrive. Some of these molds are toxic and can be quite nasty to humans especially children and the elderly. I would make the repair of this problem a high priority.

Good luck!

Steve Spratt is CEO of Home Preservation Services Inc. Click here to contact him.