02-13-2008, 06:02 AM
Okay, this may be taking this thread off on a tangent, but we'll see. When we were looking for a new refrigerator, one of our wants was to get one with a stainless steel finish. One salesman (at Sears) cautioned us that in Volcano, where we live, stainless steel refrigerators will have condensation on the outside. We have never heard of this or seen it, but we accepted it and eventually wound up with one with a titanium finish. And, we've never seen condensation on it. But lack of evidence is not proof of the truth of that claim. I've been visiting a friend in Honolulu who lives on Tantalus, where it rains a lot and can be very windy. He tries to deal with the moisture by keeping windows open to allow for air flow. On rainy days, his stainless steel reefer has a large patch off condensation on the freezer door. On dry days, there's no condensation. Proof! This place is at about 1500 ft. elevation.
So, how does this have bearing on Glen's situation? I'm not sure, but maybe it's about how condensation happens: the water carried in warm moist air condenses when it comes into contact with a colder surface. Like the fogging on your windshield. And as Jane and Mella commented, fans moving air will help to keep this condensation from happening. I'm not sure if your subflooring has any significant role in this, except that it's the colder surface. It's probably a plus that you are up on posts and air can flow under the floors. I wonder if a small amount of subfloor insulation, as weird as it sounds, might help your situation by reducing the effect of low temperature under your floors? Thinking further on this, the number of days that low temps might cause condensation on your floors is what? Maybe it's something that happens for a few days every 2-4 years?
So, how does this have bearing on Glen's situation? I'm not sure, but maybe it's about how condensation happens: the water carried in warm moist air condenses when it comes into contact with a colder surface. Like the fogging on your windshield. And as Jane and Mella commented, fans moving air will help to keep this condensation from happening. I'm not sure if your subflooring has any significant role in this, except that it's the colder surface. It's probably a plus that you are up on posts and air can flow under the floors. I wonder if a small amount of subfloor insulation, as weird as it sounds, might help your situation by reducing the effect of low temperature under your floors? Thinking further on this, the number of days that low temps might cause condensation on your floors is what? Maybe it's something that happens for a few days every 2-4 years?