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Humidity – Glass Tops

redfishbluefish

redfishbluefish

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
This year I’m having a major problem with humidity…condensation on the windows causing mold to grow. A little history; Anderson e-glass windows, no additional humidification, boiler/hot water for heating.

Measured humidity upstairs at 67%, downstairs at 53%. I do run the house a little cold…60 upstairs, 65 – 68 downstairs.

What do you think about glass tops on the tanks? What impact would that have on the lights….t5’s? Would it lower my moisture problem in the house? I’ve got to get the moisture down and I’m not crazy about running a dehumidifier in the winter.
 
R

REEFLECTIONS

unfortunately glass tops get real "dirty" real fast, and by dirty i mean salt/mineral deposits, and can really affect lights, i started with them and yanked them pretty fast
 
J

JerseyWendy

I wouldn't add a glass top either. I mean I'm experiencing a similar problem (minus the mold), and actually enjoy the added humidity in the house. Much easier on my sinuses than hot, dry air. :)
 
magic

magic

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
REEFLECTIONS said:
unfortunately glass tops get real "dirty" real fast, and by dirty i mean salt/mineral deposits, and can really affect lights, i started with them and yanked them pretty fast
Click to expand...

+1 same problem with the glass.

Bob
 
E

evoIX

those who don't use the glass tops. isn't there a worry about condensation rising onto other locations? what are the alternatives? walls, ceiling (those with HUGE tanks) electrical outlets? I know my grandfather had that issues with the surge protector gaining salt deposit and causing a fire.
 
R

REEFLECTIONS

if the surge protector had salt on it it's from water spilling, or running down the cord... salt doesn't evaporate..... and i remember my other issue with glass tops... the damn algea that wants to grow on it... but as for the moisture that goes into the air, should just disperse throughout the house, and i've seen no negative effects yet...
 
J

JerseyWendy

The only place I see moisture is on the window in the room the fish tank is in - nowhere else. No salt creep or moisture on any appliances. It's not like you take a hot bath with the door shut and when you step out you're in a fog or something like that. ;D
 
D

ds4x4

i have evap from the tank but no moisture problems.. But i also have Hydronic base boards from my boiler so i get nice heat that isn't dry :) I did try using the glass lids but they were all gunked up and i still did manage to burn my SPS rock that i had from the beginning. oops..
 
E

evoIX

thanks for info. i'm scared to go topless ;D since that happened. but i see most people decide to go that route with lights and looks a lot better.
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

redfishbluefish said:
This year I’m having a major problem with humidity…condensation on the windows causing mold to grow. A little history; Anderson e-glass windows, no additional humidification, boiler/hot water for heating.

Measured humidity upstairs at 67%, downstairs at 53%. I do run the house a little cold…60 upstairs, 65 – 68 downstairs.

What do you think about glass tops on the tanks? What impact would that have on the lights….t5’s? Would it lower my moisture problem in the house? I’ve got to get the moisture down and I’m not crazy about running a dehumidifier in the winter.
Click to expand...

I was under the impression that the higher the team - the more water the air can hold. Therefore conversely - the lower the temp - the less amount of water can be held. I'm just wondering if you kept your temp higher upstairs - wouldn't the relative humidity drop down to a more manageable 53%?

Just curious -what size tank do you have and how many gallons do you estimate evaporate a day?
 
D

diverrk

I have a glass top, and yeh it needs to be cleaned often. It's only a 29g so it's no big deal. I do feel that it cuts back on the evap pretty good
 
redfishbluefish

redfishbluefish

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Hawkeye said:
Just curious -what size tank do you have and how many gallons do you estimate evaporate a day?
Click to expand...

One correction to your question....it's tankS, with a big "S".

Here's the breakdown of tanks.

Second floor bedroom 1: Ten gallon plant tank (grow tank for freshwater plants)
Second floor bedroom 2: 55 gallon red eared slider turtle tank
Second floor hallway: 40 gallon goldfish tank
First floor bedroom: 48 gallon display / 45 gallon refugium saltwater
First floor bedroom: 55 gallon freshwater tank
Basement: 55 gallon freshwater

Geeeese, I can't figure out why I have a problem. ;D And to think, before fish I ran a humidifier all winter long.

But I blame the saltwater tank...that's when all problems began. Freshwater rules! :eek:

And your question as to how much evaporates? Too much. Topoff in the salt is probably 1/4 of a gallon per day, to take a guess. Fresh...nothing....Maybe a 1/4 gallon every month. I don't topoff the freshwater tanks...just water changes when I think of it...maybe once a month.
 
shipwrecked

shipwrecked

I dont like the glass tops either,and as others have posted for those same reasons.I actually like having higher humidity the plants do better,we breath better,and no nasty lil shocks when you run across the carpet in socks :p I have tenants that complain about water condensation(puddles) on the sills of the windows.Good air flow is key,and if mold has grown wipe off the sills with bleach and water and keep good air flow between window and blinds/shades/curtains...Im no expert,but I did stay @ a Holiday Inn last night :)
 
jimroth

jimroth

Okay, here's a a suggestion that might help. Do you have a cover on your sump? Obviously they don't need light, so you could cut some of the water surface area exposed. I have my sump in the garage, so I cut a cover out of acrylic that has holes for all the drains and returns. I don't want humidity in my garage because it rusts tools really quick! (When I bought my house, the previous owner had the dryer vented into the garage! ::) ) Some humidity there.
 
B

Bruce K

Your real problem may be hidden from normal view. I was having a major humidity problem in my attic. There was mildew everywhere and the humidity was 80%+. The moisture content in the plywood roof deck was over 30%. There were two changes that caused this, 150 gallon aquarium in the basement and I put a attic hatch cover over the pull down stair opening (which restricted the hot air flow from my house through the attic to roof vent).

The humidity in my house was around 50% which was comfortable, but as Hawkeye mentioned, when this 65 degree air seeps into the attic where it is 40 degrees, the RELATIVE humidity increases to over 80% which will cause structural damage if nothing is done.

I encourage everyone with large tank(s) to check their attic especially on a cold day like today and make sure everything looks OK. If you don't smell or see mildew, you are probably fine. If you encouter mildew or it feels damp, put a humidistat up there and see what the reading is after an hour.
 
D

DaveK

While glass covers are not ideal, I do find that they keep the humidity down in the room, and the evaporation rate down in the tank. They keep out all that dirt that collects on them, and is otherwise going to go into you reef. They keep fish that tend to "carpet surf" in the tank. Yes, they do block some light, and you do need to clean them once and awhile.

If your talking about larger tanks with a sump, gas exchange isn't a factor here. It could be a problem with a tight fitting cover and hang on the tank components.

Over all I prefer them, after having open top systems for years. Prior to the glass covers, my reef could evaporate a bucket of water a day. I only clean mine about once a month, but I don't get that upset with a little dust on them.

As you can see, I disagree with most of the other posters here. Just want to give you another point of view.
 
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