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Show Home-Owner Can Control Condensation You wouldn't stand for damage dam-age to the interior of your home caused by a leaky roof. Yet there are other, less ap- parent sources of moisture in a house washers, dryers, shower aths, cooking and the like which also can cause extensive damage, but which can be con-; trolled by the home-owner who. is willing to follow a few simple rules. Recognizing the dangers of. these moisture problems, Better Homes & Gardens reports: "Contrary to belief, insulation does not cause condensation. Insulation In-sulation does not cause the paint on your house to peel, either. "Moisture gets into your home through leaky chimneys, flash- through leaky chimneys, nasn-ing, nasn-ing, crumbling mortar joints, leaky gutters, damaged siding, torn and broken shingles and so on. But condensation of excessive exces-sive moisture produced within your home is usually the real problem. "To correct both problems, first mend the openings in your home where water from the outside enters. Then vent out the moisture vapor produced in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry and so on. One good way to do this is to simply open a window. Or, where extreme conditions exist, install exhaust fans in these rooms. "Vents in the gables of your home also let moist air out. Ready-made louvres of metal and wood are available and easy to install yourself. Be sure they are, large enough to meet your requirements. To figure the size vents you need in the attic, figure fig-ure one square foot for each 100 square feet of floor area." Another method of controlling condensation is to prevent water vapor penetration into areas where it can cause trouble. This can be done by insulating walla and ceilings with mineral wool batts or blankets. The batts or blankets should be installed with the vapor barrier next to the heated side of the wall or ceiling. |