Water On My Windows & Ceiling

Q: My windows are dripping with water and now I noticed that I have water droplets appearing on the ceiling in the corner of my living room.  What can I do to stop this?

A: The humidity level in your home is far to high. The forming of condensation is caused by the difference between outdoor temperatures and indoor temperatures and the amount of moisture in the air. When the humidity levels are high, you are creating a situation that will allow for the growth of mold and bacteria.

As the temperature outdoors drops, you must drop the humidity level in your home. High humidity levels can be caused by a number of things, the most common being humidifiers set to high, but other causes include clothes dryers and dishwashers.

For the proper humidity levels in you home follow this link - home humidity levels

To learn more about condensation follow this link - condensation and mold follow the link at the bottom of this post.

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Bathtub Surround Backing

Q: I am in process of replacing my fixtures for my bathtub with shower. My house was built in the mid 70's. When we pulled the laminate sheet to get to the pipes the only thing we found behind it was drywall. I found some tiles that will be a nice for the walls as a new surround. I've gone to home depot to be told that I need to take out the drywall down to the studs and install another type of board. Can't remember the name of material. Is it necessary to remove the drywall? The old surround did not go all the way to the ceiling and if hasn't seemed to bother the dry wall that is there. A friend who does tiles seemed to think that I could just get the board and put it over it. I'm confused. Are there other methods can this be placed over the drywall that is already there.

A: "CONDENSATION" - The moisture that forms on your mirror when you take a hot shower, is also forming on the walls! As there is a small air gap, in places, between the panel and the wall that it is glued to (unless you got 100% coverage of a waterproof adhesive), you have condensation forming between the shower panel and the drywall, which will eventually cause mold, mildew and rot.

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