Re: Window Condensation

[rob_tom@freenet.carleton.ca (Robert W. Tom)]

Cold-Clime WetHeads with Deep Window Wells;

Sometime in the past few days, Sprglbkzxwqg mentioned that he was
going to be picking his brain about ways to prevent window
condensation from getting into the bales below his window sills.

Although I'm sure that I've mentioned it before, perhaps it bears
repeating.

The window sills, should be flashed inside and outside with water
impermeable pans which will catch and shed hold any water
that may get past any joints in a sill.

By a "pan" I mean a watertight container formed by folding a
continuous sheet of water-impermeable material. Look at sheet
metal baking pans to see how it's done and experiment with paper.

Generally on interior sills, I cast a wire-mesh reinforced mortar
bed over the pan onto which stone or quarry tiles are laid as a
first line of defense against water penetration. (The mortar bed
is the second line and the flashing pan + tarpaper (on top of the
pan) are the third and fourth.) 

	[Although I've not implemented it yet, the thought has 
	occurred to me that radiant heating elements (hydronic or
	electric) could be imbedded into this mortar bed to provide
	heat to the window well area in an effort to warm up the 
	surfaces of the window to help prevent condensation.
	Perhaps the heating elements would be connected to the
        auxiliary heating device (ie the woodstove) so that heat
        would be directed to the elements only when the interior
        temperatures aare cool enough to warrant auxiliary heat to
         the house interior.  

	Another thought was to stick a big, oil or anti-freeze-filled
        container (ie 5 gallons or more) under the window sill to
        soak-up and store solar energy (which is entering though
        the window above the window sill)  which would be
        re-radiated to the window well area at night ]

But to minimise the chances of water even getting as far as the
sills, one could utilise condensation gutters (like eavestroughs
for windows) which can be made from stock J-trim of custom bent
using a couple of straight edges clamped together.

If interior storm windows are used , the gutter can simply be  
clamped into the bottom edge of the storm. But if whole-opening storm
windows are used, it's unlikely that condensation will occur at all.

With the gutters in place, it's simply a matter of soaking-up the
condensate with a cloth or sponge whenever the gutter gets full.

Or, if one is a lazy person, perhaps one might sprinkle some kitty
litter in the window sill area  to soak-up and hold the condensate.
Once in awhile, the wetted kitty litter might be collected and set
on the woodstove to dry out to be reused. (I don't know if this
will work because I've not tried it yet either)


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Rob_Tom @ ncf.ca
Kanata, Ontario, Canada