Humidity.
Sources of water vapor in the house.
There are a lot of sources of water vapor in a home. When
people and pets breathe, they take in oxygen, respire
hydrocarbon energy sources to water and wastes and energy.
Water is breathed out with the carbon dioxide waste gasses
we exhale. Another major source of water vapor in the house
is showers. A third major source of water vapor is cooking.
Washing hands, clothing, dishes, etc. is a fourth source of
water vapor. In addition, water vapor may come from the ground
through basement floors and walls which are graded below
ground level. Water vapor is also produced as a combustion
byproduct of gas stoves, gas water heaters, gas logs, furnaces,
and ovens.
This does not take into consideration cases where
the water actually comes through the floor or washes in from
faulty drains oor maybe even underground aquifers.
Gutters are a first line of defense against water coming in
a house. These capture the rain water from the roof and carry
it away from the house. Grading the yard, sealing the outside
walls of underground basements, providing drainfields and
"venetian" drains are other possibilities. Sump pumps may be
employed in a worst case scenario to pump out water which is
just below floor level or has made its way into the basement.
Assuming there is no actual water in the house, high humidity
can be countered in a number of ways. Ventilation is a good one.
Bathrooms and kitchens should have ventilation fans which are
turned on when someone is showering or cooking or doing
anything that will put moisture into the air. Dehumidifiers
may be employed to take moisture out of the air, though they
consume considerable energy doing so. Whole house ventilation
fans may be used to replace all the air in the house,
periodically, with all fresh air.
Central air conditioning takes a considerable amount of
moisture out of the air. Of course, it is cheaper and
more efficient to avoid getting excessive moisture in the
house than it is to remove it.
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