Other Turtle Discussion :: problem with extra humidity in your houses?

[pitym]

Am I crazy ?? I was wondering if anyone else seems to experience excessive humidity in their homes on their windows, etc? It seems we have not even needed to turn our humidifier on this year, we have gas heat and it is usually very dry. I live in Maryland and these last few days this humidity is actually turning to ice on the window sills. We have also had a problem with painting the walls in our family room where they are not curing as quickly. Could this be from the evaporation of the water in the turtle tank? I replace 1-2 gallons every other day or so. Also can the evaporated water cause illness like bronchitis / coughing symptoms since turtles harbor bacteria. Should I have a cover over the tank? Thanks for helping and please don't think I am asking a stupid question???
Thanks
Patti

[jenaero]

Not a stupid question at all. I have a humidity problem, but only in the turtle room. It's great for them, no misting required for the boxies/snakes but it's wreaking havoc on my walls. Every morning I open the door and there's water drippingdown the walls. I had to seal the window over with plastic to keep the cold air out so I'm sure that made a difference, as I had no problem last year. I try to keep the walls dry and wipe down any water but sometimes I still wind up with puddles on the floor (not good with all those wires layin around). Also I have to bleach the walls once a week to fight the mold. I know it's because I have a heated 125 gal tank in that room and I have to keep the door closed to keep the room warm.

If anyone has a cure/solution for this I'd love to hear it.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Patti, I guess I can ask how old your windows in your house are? Reason why I ask....before I got turtles, I lived in a house that had aluminum windows from the 70s era and unfortunately they were constantly having little ice crystals on them during the winter (aluminum tends to shrink in the winter which allows cold air in around the windows & that's what causes the humidity to condense/freeze on the glass). Then when my dad put in brand new vinyl windows, the ice/water on the glass stopped completely.

So maybe you have a bit of an airleak around the windows. Jenaero had a good suggestion about sealing the window with plastic to help prevent the cold air leak. You can buy a type of window-plastic at Home Depot or Lowe's which sticks on around the window & then you use a hair dryer (heat) to help shrink the plastic & create a nice seal. This would help that situation.

Also, when it becomes spring again, check for cracks around the window on the inside of your house & the outside as well. You can get some sealing caulk (the kind you use outside) and fill in some of these little cracks to keep the air from coming in & causing condensation. I can tell you that I have a couple of these little cracks forming inside my house right now and will be filling them in with silicone caulk in the spring to prevent air leaks in the future.

FYI: currently, I live in my condo which has 2 yr old vinyl windows with no humidifier & I don't have any humidity/ice build-up on the windows at all. I also have 2 turtle tanks: a 90gal & a 20gal.

And to answer your question about the humidity causing illness: it does NOT cause illness. If anything, it should help prevent some illnesses because the humidity in the air prevents your skin from drying up & cracking. Cracked/chapped skin can open itself up to things like cold/flu germs which we get when we *handle* germ-laden items.

Also, what is the temp of the water in your tank? It shouldn't be over 80 degrees (76-78 would be ideal for your turts) so check that too.

Hope that helps!

[grey goose]

The primary reason for condensation collecting around windows (and sometimes doors) is poor insulation in that area, or the windows themselves. When the warm air hits the cold glass (especially very cold glass, as in single pane) it will condense, and form moisture on the glass. It's a good indication that heat is escaping from this area of your house or apartment.
When I took over my house, I had the same problem, and the heating bills would peak at just under 600.00 a month! Ice on the windows, moisture in the outer door frames, very drafty etc. First I re-insulated the second floor (first floor will be done this spring), then replaced the furnace (circa 1960's) then replaced all the windows (double pane with outer storm windows) and doors and door frames. No more ice on the glass, no drafts and best of all I cut the heat bill in half!

[pitym]

It is only the one room with sliding door and windows that has the moisture. Yes they are old windows, but new slider door. The water temp is about 78, I cannot get it any lower the heater is all the way down. I guess my main problem is the dampness with trying to paint. When I get the new tank I will see if I can cover part of it.
As for the evaporation part, I know the moisture is "good for your health" I just wondered if there are "turtle germs"in that evaporation. Isn't that a weird thought.
Thanks for all the help and info on this site. You all are wonderful.

[BullDog]

And to answer your question about the humidity causing illness: it does NOT cause illness. If anything, it should help prevent some illnesses because the humidity in the air prevents your skin from drying up & cracking. Cracked/chapped skin can open itself up to things like cold/flu germs which we get when we *handle* germ-laden items.

O__O
*hides hideously chapped skin*
It's uber dry here in the winter. And in the summer. And the fall too... I've got to top up the turtle tank every couple of days.
As for condensation, I've done that window plastic one year, and just heavy plastic duct tapped anound the edges another. I find it a pain because you can't open the window.
I've got double windows, and what I do when there's a bit extra condensation is just open the outside window a crack. It's even dryer outside than in, so the moisture gets sucked out.

[Pizza]

I can relate to those climate conditions,

Especially in the winter my skin cracks frequently, and sometimes it's painful, in the form of minor bleeding.

[marisa]

I think humidity is actually lower in the winter. The problem is as was noted above, especially if you've got older windows.