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When the air in your home is too humid, it poses serious health risks for you and your family. For those with existing conditions, asthma or allergies, humidity control is particularly important. Regardless of whether you’re in a tropical paradise or a snowy retreat, maintaining the right indoor humidity levels is key to a comfortable and healthy living space. It not only reduces the likelihood of falling ill but also keeps your home in pristine condition.
Balancing Humidity Levels
A whole-house dehumidifier costs $1,500 on average and can also help eliminate some of the moisture created by these activities. If the humidity in your house is too high, consider using a whole-home dehumidifier. High or low humidity in the house can also exacerbate existing respiratory symptoms, allergies, asthma and increase your chances of catching a common cold or flu. Additionally, air that is too dry or humid is generally uncomfortable to live in. Other times, no A/C will be enough for a very humid home, and you’ll want to supplement it with a whole-house dehumidifier. But the range of options available to you with air conditioning units means you have different ways to tackle the same problem.
Always ensure good levels of humidity in the house.
“A dehumidifier is the best and most economical way to monitor and resolve damp related issues in the home,” confirms Chris. But as well as problems that can damage your home, too much humidity can also bring on or exacerbate all kinds of health issues too. The easiest and most efficient way to do thisis to use windows, bathroom fans or ceiling fans. Make sure all vents, particularlyexhaust vents, are clear and unobstructed, so the free flow of air can passthrough your home.
How Your Air Conditioner Controls Humidity
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found a correlation between indoor moisture levels and COVID-19 transmission. High indoor relative humidity can result in condensation issues, resulting in substantial repair costs if not addressed. High humidity levels can cause discomfort and health issues, and excessive humidity can even cause damage in a home. Some telltale signs of excess moisture include an AC system that smells musty, a humid feeling in the house, or visible mold and mildew growth.
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For example, at approximately 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the air holds ten times less water than at a moderate 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The optimal humidity range for winter and colder climates, in general, falls between 30% and 40%. This might seem lower than you expected, but it’s a consequence of cold air, which naturally holds less moisture, resulting in drier conditions.
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These can not only damage surfaces and belongings but also pose health risks, particularly for individuals with allergies or respiratory conditions. Even if the relative humidity percentage appears high, the actual amount of moisture vapor, known as absolute humidity, remains low. This phenomenon may also occur after activities like showering or boiling water for cooking. Additionally, climate conditions and geographic location play a significant role. For instance, humidity in the house tends to be higher in the summer months compared to winter. You might have a rough idea that humidity is the amount of water in the air, and you’d technically be correct!
Some whole-house humidifier options include Aprilaire 700 and Honeywell HE360A. When combined with a Manual Humidistat, you have a setup that guarantees the highest level of consistent humidity. To add some moisture to the air, all you need to do in most cases is to place a container of water close to your heating system. As the heat goes over the water, it will cause evaporation that will linger in the room for a while. Low humidity indoors can cause asthma and allergy symptoms to worsen. Since high indoor humidity encourages contaminants, allergy sufferers and people with conditions like asthma will experience more episodes.
Types of moisture
On the other side of the humidity spectrum, there are areas of the country—think Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico—in which the is severely dry all year long. Homeowners in these areas should consider installing a whole-house humidifier to increase the moisture in their home’s air. Even the best air conditioner might not remove enough humidity for optimum comfort. A supplemental room dehumidifier, such as the Vremi Dehumidifier for Medium Spaces and Basements, can make even the muggiest areas, such as basement bedrooms, feel more pleasant. By keeping the levels low, you can avoid getting a problem with mold growth in your home and keep your whole family as happy and healthy as possible. Over time, if mold is allowed to grow, then your family could experience many different health issues.
Dry Clothes Indoors
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This will keep your home at the perfect humidity level throughout the entire winter and ensure that your home is not too dry or too humid to cause any problems within the house. Your HVAC system should control the home humidity, but you might need a home humidifier to improve the comfort level if the relative humidity in your area is extremely high. If the climate in your area is extremely humid, you can expect the humidity levels in your home to be high. “Avoiding this sort of on/off/on/off control makes the dehumidifier last longer. As long as the filter is kept clean, then the dehumidifier will give you a reliable room reading. As previously discussed, plants help purify the airof a home and add to the humidity level.
This is why it’s important to find an experienced IAQ expert who can help determine the problem and advise on the best system for your home. Many modern thermostats have displays for humidity level, and can actively help you manage this level in your home. Some can run your blower fan even when the air conditioner isn’t running in order to remove more moisture from the air. There’s an upfront cost to a whole-home dehumidifier, and some people struggle to see the benefit.
Ventilation systems are suitable for high-humidity regions and provide a controlled, filtered, and tempered air exchange between your house and the outdoors. Unlike standard ventilation options, ERVs and HRVs remove humidity from the incoming fresh air, so it’s possible to ventilate effectively even during high outdoor humidity conditions. For extra high-humidity conditions, ventilating dehumidifiers are another option for simultaneous dehumidification with ventilation from a single product. Ventilation systems require careful attention to detail during the specification and installation process, so consult your local HVAC professional for assistance.
Adequate ventilation can help control a home’s humidity level, impacting health and a home’s structural integrity. If there are high humidity levels in a home, poor ventilation can be to blame. Also, homeowners will want to consider having a ventilation system professionally installed.
You can replicate these options easily, but you’ll need to manually refill the container or bring in more damp towels once the humidity starts going down again. If your HVAC partner isn’t listening to your problems in this manner, they’re not really looking out for you. I don’t care if you’re in our service area or not; you should be working with someone who is trying to be proactive about managing your home’s comfort. Not just someone who wants to sell you a system as quickly as possible. But a variable-speed system can operate as low as 40% capacity, which will give you a more moderate stream of cold air.
Dry air can dry out the mucous membranes in your respiratory system, potentially making you more susceptible to colds, flu, and other respiratory infections. This curious scientific quirk sheds some light on why it tends to feel hotter before a summer rainfall. The air becomes denser and weightier, which can make physical activities more demanding. However, for optimal functioning of HVAC systems, a slightly higher range of 40% to 50% is often advised.
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