What Caused the young couples problem?

Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air.

That's why in Minnesota we run humidifiers in the winter and dehumidifiers in the summer when our warm temperatures are often accompanied by humidity readings in the 80 to 90 percent range.

In the winter, condensation becomes a potential problem because there is an extreme temperature difference between the warm interior of your home and the colder temperature outdoors (sometimes over 100 degrees difference on the coldest days). When the warm, humidified indoor air contacts a cool surface, like the trusses in an insulated and vented roof cavity, the air sudenly cools and the excess moisture collects on the cool surfaces.

So, the young couple's 72 degree interior air (that could maintain 40% humidty) seeped through the small crevices in the ceiling smoke detector and met the cold air in the attic (that could hold only 25% humidity), the excess moisture condensed around the source of the warmer, more humid air and began leaking through the opening and dripping on the carpet.

The young couple is faced with a dilemma. In order to prevent the moisture condensation in their attic and the potential damage from leakage, and even mold, they need to lower the humidity in their house to a level that is not only less comfortable, but less healthy.

If their home had been insulated with CORBOND®, their indoor climate would have been ISOLATED from the outdoor climate. No venting in the ceiling would have been necessary, and no condensation or leaking would have occurred.

Back to Climate Isolation Page

---