Tree frogs in the tropics love humidity, condensation and moisture in general. But check out this moisture lover in Indiana. He was attracted to the window condensation during the air conditioning season. Do you have condensation on the outside of your windows on your home?
Why does moisture form on the outside of your windows during the air conditioning season? There are two reasons and if either one of these conditions change, the moisture should go away.
First, outside humidity must be high. You may be very familiar with the term Relative Humidity (RH), but the better indication of high humidity is the Dew Point Temperature. The higher this number, the more moisture in the air. RH will many times deceive you during hot summer conditions but the Dew Point is a good number to compare from day to day or hour to hour since it is not affected by temperature.
The second reason you have moisture condensation on your windows is the cold temperature of the glass. This is normally from air conditioning inside the home and even more noticeable when an air conditioning vent is located near a window. When you cool the glass and expose this cool surface to the moist air outside, we say the glass temperature is below the outdoor dew point temperature and there you have it… “dew” or better, condensation. If the glass temperature was not as cold or the outside air was not as humid, this will not happen.
Our conditions in Indiana this summer have been noticeably tropical. The tree frogs love it! When all their world is moist and humid, this will extend their range and during the night they jump, dance and generally frolic in the humid Indiana rain forest. So I was not surprised yesterday when I arrived at work to find this tree frog on my glass door that was covered with condensation moisture.
Precision Comfort Systems has much more information about home humidity and how to keep you comfortable in all the Indiana weather. Call us if you need help with anything related to home comfort.