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Despite your best efforts and wishes, high humidity has a way of making its way inside your home, not to mention the fact that some of our daily practices only add to indoor humidity levels. Up goes the humidity, for example every time you bathe, cook, or breathe.
When do you start to notice? Generally, when indoor relative humidity equals or exceeds 60%. But it’s not just your comfort that’s at stake, because high indoor humidity also can cause structural damage to your home while inviting an infestation of mold and mildew. And then there are the associated health risks associated with high humidity like heatstroke, headaches, dehydration and exhaustion.
Home owners with newer AC systems usually have nothing to worry about. But as the system starts to age, its ability to put a cap on rising indoor humidity is impaired. That’s when it’s either time to replace your AC system or, for a more affordable solution, supplement it with a whole-house de-humidifier.
For best results, you’ll want one that offers these important features:
Ability to switch from whole-house de-humidification while your AC system is running and localized de-humidification when the AC system is off.
No messy tank to empty or clean.
Water removal capacity commensurate with the square footage of your home.
Automatic moisture sensing capacity to help you conserve energy and to keep the humidity low while no one’s home.
Other Home Humidity Control Tips
Use exhaust fans in your kitchen, laundry and bathrooms.
Vent gas burners, clothes dryers, etc. to the outdoors.
Shut off furnace humidifiers and other humidifying devices in your home.
Be sure that the ventilating louvers in your attic, basement or crawl spaces are open and amply sized.
Open fireplace dampers to allow an escape route for moisture-laden air.
Air out your house a few minutes each day.
For more information on how to maintain the right level of humidity in your home all year long, contact the home comfort specialist at GBT Heating and Cooling today. And be sure to ask for a free in-home quote on a whole-house de-humidifier.