Kind of ironic... spend all this money to save energy and end up wiping down glass every morning.
That’s been my experience too. I swapped to triple-pane last fall, and honestly, the house feels cozier, but I’m constantly checking the humidity now. I guess airtight isn’t always a win—my old drafty windows never had this issue. Sometimes I miss the “natural ventilation” they provided, even if it meant higher heating bills.
Yeah, I totally get the humidity struggle. Mine fog up like crazy in the mornings now, even though it’s way warmer inside. I’ve been messing around with the bathroom fan and leaving doors open more, but it’s still a bit of a pain. Do you guys use a dehumidifier or just try to air things out? I’m not sure if I’m overthinking it or if this is just life with “efficient” windows...
I hear you—my new windows are supposed to be “airtight,” but now I’m fighting fog every morning too. Is it just the tradeoff for better insulation? I’ve tried running a small dehumidifier in the bedroom, but honestly, it doesn’t seem to make a huge difference unless I keep it on all night. Wonder if there’s a sweet spot between comfort and efficiency or if we’re just stuck with this...
“my new windows are supposed to be ‘airtight,’ but now I’m fighting fog every morning too. Is it just the tradeoff for better insulation?”
That’s a common complaint after upgrading to high-performance windows—sometimes the tighter seal just means moisture from daily life (showers, cooking, even breathing) has nowhere to go. Did the installer mention anything about adding or adjusting ventilation? I’ve seen folks solve this with simple trickle vents or by tweaking their HVAC settings, but it really depends on the house. Curious if you notice the fog more after certain activities or is it constant regardless of what’s going on in the house?
I get where you’re coming from, but I’m not entirely convinced ventilation is always the main culprit when it comes to window fog. Sure, airtight windows mean less air exchange, but condensation has as much to do with surface temperature and humidity levels as it does with ventilation. I’ve seen plenty of cases where people install new windows and get fog, only to realize their insulation elsewhere (like walls or attic) is lacking, so cold spots form and attract moisture.
In my place, after swapping out the old leaky windows, I had a similar issue—until I noticed my thermostat was set pretty low overnight. The glass temp dropped below the dew point and bam... morning fog. Upping the nighttime temp a degree or two actually helped more than fiddling with vents.
Not saying ventilation isn’t part of the equation, but sometimes it’s just a matter of balancing all the factors—window type, insulation quality, indoor humidity, even how you use your space. High-end windows can be great, but they’re not magic if the rest of the house isn’t up to par.
That’s fair, but I’ve seen a lot of homes where folks upgrade to fancy windows and still end up with condensation—usually because they didn’t address ventilation at all. Even with good insulation, if you’re cooking a lot or drying laundry inside, the humidity just builds up. Had a client last winter who kept getting fog on their new triple panes, and it turned out their old bathroom fan barely worked. Once we swapped that out, fog was gone—didn’t matter what the thermostat was set at. Sometimes it really is just stale air hanging around.
- Seen this a bunch—folks go all-in on windows, but ignore the rest of the house.
- I swapped out my old double-hungs last year for some pricey triple panes. They’re great, but honestly, first winter I still got condensation until I realized my kitchen vent was basically useless.
- Fixed the fan, ran a dehumidifier for a bit... problem solved.
- I do think sometimes the window companies oversell how much new glass alone will fix. If your house is tight and you don’t move air, moisture’s just gonna find a cold surface somewhere.
- Curious—anyone tried those HRV or ERV systems? Wondering if they’re overkill for a regular house or actually worth it in the long run.
I get what you’re saying about the window companies hyping up new windows like they’re a magic fix. But honestly, I actually did notice a pretty big difference after I swapped mine out—especially with drafts and outside noise. The condensation thing did pop up, though, just like you mentioned. I guess it’s all kind of connected. I haven’t tried an HRV or ERV, but for my place (older ranch, not super airtight), just fixing up the vents and being mindful about humidity seemed to do the trick. Maybe those systems make more sense in newer, really sealed-up homes?
Maybe those systems make more sense in newer, really sealed-up homes?
Yeah, that's pretty much it. In older places that aren't super tight, an HRV or ERV usually isn't worth the money. Once you start sealing everything up—new windows, lots of insulation—then you can end up with stale air and moisture issues. For most older ranches, just keeping vents clear and watching humidity like you did is usually enough. Funny how fixing one problem sometimes just shifts things around...