Whether it’s thanks to condensation crawling up your window installation or a recently discovered patch of mold, you know one thing for certain: your home has humidity problems. You also probably know that you don’t want these problems to continue, as excessive moisture can do everything from warp wooden furniture to decrease your residential indoor air quality. In fact, according to Bob Vila, a trusted home resources site, humidity levels over fifty percent can “eventually cause the rot and decay of materials in your home, such as flooring and structural members.”
It’s not good news to hear that your home’s very skeleton could be at risk right now, but take a deep breath: Tony’s Lifetime Exteriors, your roofing and siding pros, is here to help. Below, we’ll drop a few tips on how to reduce your home’s humidity—some little actions you can take right now, and some more extensive renovations that might fix the issue in the long term.
Open the Windows
If it’s warm enough and you’re in dire straits—say, if you’ve recently dealt with a flooded basement—then simply throwing open the shutters and letting some fresh air in could be just the ticket to reducing household humidity. There’s a reason, after all, that water damage pros often recommend it as one of the first steps to take after an emergency.
Of course, though, you can’t live with open windows, no matter how new and high-tech your window installation is. Eventually, you’ll need to take advantage of their insulative properties and shore up your home’s defenses for summertime’s hot weather; in other words, you’ll need to fix the root cause of the humidity issue. We only list this action here as a quick fix in the meantime.
Make Sure Your Roofing Ventilation is Up to Par
Many homeowners are unaware that their roof probably isn’t exactly airtight. In fact, it generally shouldn’t be! Strategically placed vents help your home lose warm, humid air that rises upward—air that naturally comes to be with everyday activities, such as running the dishwasher or showering. When this ventilation system is compromised or poorly designed, it prevents moisture from leaving your home, which can result in humidity problems in the attic. Those aren’t the only consequences, though, and we get into the full extent of the issue in our roofing contractor blog.
If your humidity problem is centered in that space, we recommend calling a roofing contractor to deal with it. Every attic is an individual; some even are designed to work without any vents at all! It’s therefore hard to fix the issue on your own—not to mention risky, as you can easily make the problem worse. Save yourself the headache and call a roofing company. Your home will thank you.
Patch Up Any Leaks
Plumbing leaks are a common culprit when it comes to excess household humidity—but so are roofing leaks, as they both cause ugly splotches to show up on your ceilings. Indeed, a leak of any sort allows unwanted moisture to seep into your home, which in turn can heighten humidity levels. What’s worse: as we somewhat alluded to above, leaks can be quite tight-lipped about where they are coming from!
As a preventative measure, it’s critical that both your plumber and roofing pro regularly service your home so that you’re not left scrambling to discover the source of the issue while said issue quickly worsens. In an emergency situation, though, you can sometimes sleuth out the source of the issue by studying your utility bills. If your heating or cooling costs take an unexpected jump, you could have a roofing leak on your hands; if your water bill is sky-high consider the possibility of a plumbing leak.
Additionally, you can assess the effect that rain has on the corresponding ceiling stain. If it makes the issue worse, it’s most likely a roofing leak.If it seems to have no influence on the size of the stain—if it grows or shrinks randomly—you’re most likely dealing with a plumbing problem.
Mind Your Gutters
Proper gutter care is critical to maintaining a comfortable home humidity level, both when it comes to seamless gutters and older, more traditional models. This system and the slope of your roof act as a one-two punch to rid your home of the damaging effects of unmanaged rainfall. Your roof slope uses gravity to push it into the gutters, while your gutters funnel it far away from your foundation, where it then drains safely.
When the second part of this system is left to clog up, water has nowhere else to go but straight over the edge, where it puddles near the base of your home. A bit of this won’t have any detrimental effects, but over time or in instances of heavy rainfall moisture seeps into your basement, which can lead to humidity problems on a household-wide scope.
Luckily, keeping your seamless gutters clean is easy—and it gets even easier with gutter guards!
Tony’s Lifetime Exteriors: Siding Contractors, Five-Star Roofers, and More
When your home is properly sealed and cared for with the help of our Sauk Rapids team, you can rest easy knowing that your roofing, siding, gutters, and more are all doing their part to regulate the humidity. Reach our office today at 320-252-9086.