Evaporation/Window condensation

So our 125 gallon tank is on the first level of our ~700sq. foot house. Its basically heating the entire upstairs right now. We live in South-Central Wisconsin, so at night the furnace does kick on, and keep the temp regular in the house. The problem is, every morning I wake up to condensation on every window in the house. I've been taking a towel and wiping them off, but the next morning its the same thing.

I'm worried that I'm going to get mold developing on the window sills. I don't own the house, just rent, so replacing the windows is not something I'm interested in doing.

Any suggestions to minimize the condensation or pull some of the tank evaporation moisture out of the air? Would a dehumidifier be a good idea or would it just increase the tank evaporation?

 

A dehumidifier would help. In theory the rate of evaporation should increase...but I have my tank in my basement. We have 2 dehumidifiers running down there and I top off maybe a gallon every 2 days.

 

The other 55 gallon in the basement.

Right now its about a gallon on day on the 125 and 1/2 gallon on the 55 everyday at least.

 

do you have a hood?? a hinged glass hood might help

 

Not so good on the gas exchange.

 

I had had glass tops on my 55 last year and removed them because it only has T5 lighting. I'll try putting them on the 125 to cut down on the evaporation and see how that goes.

In a follow-up question, since the majority of the condensation/evaporation is taking place upstairs, then a dehumidifier
would need to be upstairs as well, correct?

 

Yep! I actually inquired a saturday morning home repair talk show about this a couple years back and they said elevate the dehumidifier too. It helps I think...

 

Alright, I think the dehumidifier is what I'm going to have to try.

Does anyone have any suggestions on one? My parents had one years ago for the basement and I just remember it being so loud. Since the tank is in my living room, this is going to have to be something that I can live with normally.

 

For me, dehumidifiers didn't work sufficiently and I had to install an HRV. (heat recovery ventilator)
I have the largest unit available meant for home use.
It's a 300DCS from Lifebreath.
LIFEBREATH HRV'S
You can buy smaller units at places like Home Depot and Lowes, but some hobbyists after purchasing the smaller units wish they had gone larger as in some cases the smaller ones, while making the problem better, were insufficient also.