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We recently moved to a new house (new construction) and it seems to have big problems with air quality and excessive indoor moisture (around 60-70%). We have tried to keep the windows open and fans running for about a month now, but when moving in, it still turned out that it is difficult to breathe, we are constantly covered in sweat, there are smells of chemicals everywhere, we feel sick and fatigued. Also, when we used moisture-meter on the foundation in the basement, it showed excessive moisture in all areas of the new concrete foundation (which had not been our experience when exploring most other houses). The house has an air conditioning system (vents in the floor that can be used for both cooling and heating), but that is not helping much. We keep windows open as much as possible but it seems to increase rather than decrease indoor humidity, at least now with warm weather. Overall, it seems that the house doesn't have proper ventilation, compounded by the fact that the ceilings are also on the low side. First, is such overall "dampness" a common problem with new houses, and is it likely to get better with time (for example, would our foundation dry up eventually)? Secondly, would it be possible to install some type of additional ventilation system (like some vents opening to the outside in various walls) that could help the problem? Has anybody had any experience with such types of issues, how did it work out?
Last edited by needadvice37; 08-16-2011 at 12:54 PM..
If your central air is not "drying the air" there is nothing that a tiny dehumidifier would help. Don't waste your money.
YOUR HOUSE IS BROKEN!
While it might be something simple (like an improperly installed A/C drain) or a bathroom vent that is "ducted" backwards there is a good chance this is some SERIOUSLY wrong - improper perimeter drain / foundation issues, failed EIFS system, unvented roof deck, underground issues...
I would start with a QUALIFIED HOME INSPECTOR -- preferably some one that has experience preparing reports used in litigation against new home builders. This might the path you too need to pursue. There are attorneys that can give you that kind of start...
I would NOT attempt to install a "heat recovery ventilation system" until you know that the other PROBLEMS with your broken house are either ruled out or documented.
From one of my posts several years ago-
"What does occur is shrinkage. When a house is constructed all the materials that go into the building have a rather high moisture content. As the building process continues and the house gets further "dried-in" it retains a lot of that moisture. When the house is complete and the HVAC system gets running- things start to change. In the warm months the A/C draws moisture out of the house. In the heating season we're "cooking" the moisture out of the air and the materials. All of this depletion of moisture makes everything start to shrink- especially framing material; hence the reason for nail-pops, and hairline cracks (usually at the corners of windows and doors). The most noticeable over the past 18yrs of my building experience- site finished hardwood floors. They open up (shrink) during the heating season- but go right back to normal in the summer."
Now with that information in hand let's explore a little more- new construction codes require houses to be much "tighter" than their predecessors. Which means they can't take in fresh air (like old houses that just leaked fresh air all over). This time of year with high humidity, it's hard to "dry-out" a house without some kind of mechanical means- mainly A/C. Running the A/C will draw the moisture out as I stated in the above excerpt. Opening windows does nothing more than exchange the air- and probably get rid of a few VOC's.
Did you have a walk-through with the builder? Were any of these things discussed to you during the walk? If they weren't, you're not an informed H/O and you bought from an incompetent builder.
What was the overall construction time of the house? During what months? Has there been an excessive amount of rain in your area? Is the basement damp-proofed or waterproofed? What type of guarantee/warranty does it have?
As I stated in my previous post "all...materials", and I mean all materials have moisture- concrete, framing, drywall, paint, carpet, etc. And it takes awhile to "acclimatize" the house.
Thanks for the replies, that information is really helpful! It may certainly be that there is something more serious wrong with the house, foundation or the a/c system. We have certainly been considering installing the "heat recovery ventilation system". I will read the thread referenced to learn more about it. Of course it may be that it is not much use installing it. Also, would there be any other types of ventilation options possible for a new construction house? Like just installing some ducts, with connections to the outside (in kitchen and hallways for example), would such solutions help (currently, even the stove vent is not venting outside but just into the kitchen)? It has also not been raining much recently, so that wouldn't explain the wet foundation. Is there any type of damp-proofing that we could do in the basement at this point that would be of help? Perhaps sealing the basement floor?
Also, does anybody know if there would be any use of installing some spot Energy Recovery Ventilators in certain rooms, like the Panasonic FV-04VE1
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I am not quite clear how they work, would they connect to existing HVAC ducts (doesn't seem like much use then) or do they somehow directly connect with the outside or have their own separate ductwork that connects? Are they very difficult to install?
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 08-17-2011 at 06:28 PM..
Reason: Terms of Service
Forget the ERV.
Talk to your builder and express your concerns. At best, all we can do here on C-D is speculate without doing an actual physical inspection.
After you've spoken with the builder and have had all concerns addressed, followup here and let us know what was done.
We live in VA which has awful hot, humid summers. We own an old/historic house (80-yr Arts & Crafts). Our basement gets damp when it rains. It is a finished concrete floor. We have a sump pump. It gets humid down there but I plan to get a de-humidifier. On cool days, we open the windows which helps. However, we have an AC system and the 1st and 2nd floor never gets humid when it's on. I can't imagine having the entire house humid -- even when the AC is on . .
I hope you find a solution soon!
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