Wondering why your home windows have condensation on them? Condensation is induced once warm humid air enters into connection with a cool surface. In more technical terms, it is the process where a gas turns into a liquid. This ultimately means that the water vapor in the air is changing back into a liquid which is part of the water cycle. Here are the different ways you may experience condensation on your windows, why it happens, and what you can do about it.
Inside
Being as condensation is caused by warm air coming into contact with a cold surface, condensation on the inside of your windows typically means that the humidity levels in your home are higher than the temperature of the glass. This being said, you are most likely to notice inside condensation during the colder months. Luckily it’s nothing to worry about as it simply means your windows are functioning normally.
What to do?
One thing you can do is invest in a dehumidifier for your home. Running a dehumidifier can reduce the amount of humidity in your home and in turn decrease the amount of condensation on your windows. Another thing you can try is keeping the doors inside of your home open to improve air circulation. This way the warm air is not all trapped in one spot and is able to move around more and become less concentrated. While keeping your interior doors open can help, you want to make sure to keep the doors on your bathroom and kitchen closed. This is because the kitchen and the bathroom is usually where hot air is generated due to cooking or showering. On the topic of the kitchen, it might also be beneficial to use lids when boiling water if possible.
Outside
Condensation on the outside of your windows works practically the same way as condensation on the inside. When warm humid air comes into contact with the cold glass, it causes condensation. Outside condensation is most common during the warmer months of the year. You’re likely to see it in the morning after a cooler night. The temperature of the glass is cooled down and then when the sun begins to rise, it warms up the glass and causes that condensation that you see. Just like inside condensation, this is also nothing to worry about and in fact, it means that your windows are working well at keeping your home climatized!
What to do?
Aside from increasing the temperature on your AC unit, there is not much that can be done about this as it’s impossible to control the temperature outside. The easiest way to get rid of it would be to simply wipe it off, or just wait a little while as it should dissipate soon. As stated above, condensation on the outside of your windows is a good thing!
Between the panes
If you have double-pane windows and see condensation inside, this is a cause for alarm. When this happens, it means that the seal inside your window has failed and is letting warm air inside and causing condensation build up. In this case, it is probably time for a window replacement.