Facade Resources

Sudden Cold Snap Coincides with Window Condensation Web Traffic

Do you have window condensation or frost? Did the weather suddenly get cold?

If you have wondered whether window condensation correlates with a sudden snap of cold weather, take a look at this chart. The inset chart shows Chicago temperatures for the week of November 18-26, 2013. Note the big temperature drop on Sunday. Now look at the traffic on Window Condensation: Top 10 Fixes during the same period. There was about a 500% increase in web traffic from earlier in the week.

Web traffic for article “Window Condensation: Top 10 Fixes” plotted against Chicago temperatures. The temperature dropped from 30 deg to 12 deg from Friday night to Sunday morning. Web traffic increased about 500%
It happened again in cold snap #2

To show you this isn’t a fluke, it happened again. The temperature in Chicago suddenly dropped between December 5 to December 7, 2013 from 57 deg F to 9 deg F. A 48 degree drop in only two days! No wonder we Midwesterners are hearty and resilient, or is it stupid for living here?

The second Chicago cold snap in 2013 produced the same web traffic results as the first one. As temperatures dropped, people scurried to search online for solutions to their window condensation problems. And our article “Window Condensation: Top 10 Fixes” was waiting with useful information.

It happened again in cold snaps #3 and #4

On January 3rd we had a baby cold snap at around 0 deg F, but it was enough to show up on our analytics. But when the mother of all cold snaps happened on January 6 and 7, with temperatures around minus 15 deg F, our traffic on the window condensation article broke records at around 200 page views for each day. Time on page for the first ten days of January topped 5 minutes per view, which in our ADHD society equates to moving in with suitcases and staying overnight.

When the historic cold snap occurred in Chicago, and much of the rest of the US on January 6 and 7, people flocked to https://www.https://www.https://www.https://https://chicagowindowexpert.com to read “Window Condensation: Top 10 Fixes”

Was it only Chicago?

Thanks for asking and of course not. The cold wave swept North America. Our analytics told us the regions that sent us the most traffic, so we plotted it on a chart for your edification:

Many states experiencing low temperatures sent readers to our window condensation article for help

Why does window condensation and sudden cold weather go together?

When temperatures are moderate, the air is capable of holding much more water in a vapor state, so the outside humidity is elevated. This moisture makes its way inside through the building envelope. When the temperature suddenly drops outside, the elevated humidity inside the building changes to a liquid state when it comes in contact with the suddenly cold windows, wetting them. This is condensation formation on the windows.

Window condensation can subside after you remove some moisture from the inside environment by wiping the windows dry, and then when the inside air dries further because the outside air becomes dryer.

Interior condensation on wood window sash (left) can cause the paint to peel and even rot the wood itself (right). It is important to be proactive to avoid condensation damage to windows

Aluminum windows can have more pronounced condensation on the frames because frame temperatures are often lower than on wood windows. Aluminum windows do not tend to self-destruct the way wood windows can, however condensation overflow can harm adjacent finishes such as wood floors and drywall.

Aluminum window frames can get colder than wood frames, so they often show a greater volume of window condensation.