Condominium / Strata Life: Breathing Easy - Balancing Warmth, Cold, Dryness and Humidity

Canada’s weather system can be a little crazy in every season. Temperatures fluctuate, wind speeds are sporadic, and the barometric pressure can be at times, unbearable. Now that the heating is on and it is cold outside, you might notice that it is very dry inside your unit and perhaps that the air seems stale. In this blog we bring you some tips and tricks from our experience as condo managers, directors, owners and residents on how to deal with this situations

Through blistering cold winters to hot muggy summers; torrential rain, blinding snowstorms, deadly tornados and scorching drought, Canadians experience some the planet’s most diverse weather systems - CBC

It’s all about balance

The trick is to try and balance moisture and air quality without creating too much humidity or losing too much energy by constantly opening the windows.

First, it is a good idea to invest in one or two misting, low-energy humidifiers. Keep one as central as you can and one either close to the entrance of, or inside the bedroom. This will help with the overall dryness during the winter season. You can find a range of different machines, some come with both a water filter for the water inside the tank and a mode of air purification. There are budget friendly humidifiers that use/attach to a simple water bottle.

Be open to (air) change

Fresh air is a necessity but during the winter, no one likes the idea of wasting or losing heat. Our suggestion is to wait until there is a warm(er) day where it is at least 3 to 5 degrees Celsius (39-41 degrees Fahrenheit) turn off the heating system and open your windows. It is a good idea to turn on your bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans to help vent out the stale air. Do this for 20 minutes at the most and during the peak of the warm, outside temperature. This should give you a healthy dose of fresh air that will last for a while. It is not a good idea to do this in the evening or during the night.

It is also VERY important that you do not open the windows while the heating system active or leave the window open over night. That is how pipes freeze and fan coil actuators crack and cause floods. Please be careful opening your windows in the winter time.

Take care when there is no one to take care

When going out or going away (long or short amount of time) please make sure to keep the heating system on auto and set to at least 17 degrees Celsius (62 degrees Fahrenheit) to combat extreme cold temperature situations in your absence.

If your unit is vacant or lacks electricity while in the process of being on the market, we advise residents / owners to let property management know. Please also inform agents and potential purchasers to close all doors and windows after viewing the suite.

-Stratastic Inc.

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