Moisture Control

When it comes to your home, moisture is a funny thing. Too little of it, and the air inside your home may be uncomfortable, leading to scratchy throats and static electricity. Too much moisture can lead to problems such as mold and mildew, and can even damage building materials such as wood and drywall.

The key to keeping your home comfortable and protecting its structural integrity is controlling the amount of moisture produced inside your home, ventilating any excess moisture and reducing the amount that enters from outside.

The first step is to understand the sources of moisture in your home. A typical family of four can generate as much as 20 pints of airborne moisture a day, just through routine activities. Breathing alone can account for half that total! Showering, cooking, washing dishes and watering plants all contribute to the amount of moisture in the air. Keep that moisture under control by running exhaust fans when cooking or showering. Make sure your clothes dryer and all your exhaust vents are vented directly outside, and not into your attic.

It's also important to have proper ventilation in unconditioned spaces such as attics and crawlspaces to ensure that any moisture in those areas can be released into the outside air. Homeowners may block that ventilation, believing that air is escaping, but that can create far more problems through moisture damage.