The right humidity level in your home is important, not just for your comfort, but for your actual house as well. According to Bob Vila, the ideal humidity level for a home is between 30 and 50 percent. Vila explains that once the humidity goes past that 50-percent mark, home residents will likely start to feel uncomfortable. Additionally, these conditions can lead to mold growth, condensation, and eventually wood rot, a serious issue when it comes to your home’s structural integrity.
Is my air conditioner also a dehumidifier?
It’s a common misconception that your home’s air conditioning system doubles as a dehumidifier. Indeed, an air conditioning system can help effectively remove moisture from the air. But in overly humid environments, this can start to have a negative effect on your air conditioning system’s efficiency. That’s because your AC has to work overtime just to keep the humidity at bay in your home.
Besides discomfort, what are a few clues that my home is too humid?
Nobody enjoys feeling clammy, sticky, and uncomfortable because of excess humidity in their home. Additionally, there are a few other telltale signs that you may need to take some extra steps to mitigate the moisture in your home:
- Condensation on windows, pipes, or plumbing fixtures
- Peeling paint
- Mold growth in corners, or on walls and ceilings
- Musty odors
- Buckling floorboards
What might be causing too much humidity in my home?
There are a number of factors that might be causing your home to be too humid. One, of course, is hot, humid weather outside. But, there are a few issues within your home that may be problematic. Here are a few factors you might want to look out for if you’ve noticed excessive humidity in your home.
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Day-to-Day Activities:
Cooking, washing clothes, and bathing or showering can all introduce humidity into your home environment. Adequate ventilation in kitchens, baths, and laundry rooms helps to ensure that that damp air is being drawn out of your home.
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Leaky Plumbing:
If you have leaking plumbing fixtures including pipes, sinks, or toilets, it definitely can contribute to the amount of humidity in your home. Appliances like dishwashers, water heaters, and washing machines can also leak, so be sure to keep an eye on them as well. If you’ve noticed an increase in humidity in your home in a relatively short period of time, there may be a leak that needs attention.
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Poor Ventilation:
As we mentioned above, it’s important to keep your ventilation fans running while cooking or showering, so you can draw the humid air created from those activities out of your home. However, if your home has an inadequate ventilation system, it will not effectively draw the humid air out. At Family Danz, we can help you with ventilation should you need it.
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Oversized Air Conditioning:
Many people think a bigger air conditioning system is better at keeping their home cool and comfortable. However, this is not the case. Having the appropriate size AC system is important. Why? A too-large AC system will cool your home down way too quickly, not allowing for adequate dehumidification. Not to mention, it will use much more energy than necessary and because of abrupt starts and stops, may not last as long as a properly sized system.
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Overly Moist Soil:
Your home may be built in an area where there’s excessive groundwater, which most homeowners note when their home’s basement becomes overly damp or floods. As our climate in Albany can often be wet, either from rain or snowfall, it’s important to take measures to prevent your basement from becoming overly damp, such as keeping rainwater directed away from your home and making sure your basement is free from leaks.
How can Family Danz help me with my home humidity concerns?
Fortunately, there are a number of ways Family Danz can help you take control of your home’s humidity levels. We can help you get better ventilation if that’s causing problems. And, we can help make sure your air conditioning system is the right size and is properly maintained, allowing it to do a much better job of keeping humidity at a manageable level in your home.
Plus, we offer whole-home dehumidification systems from Bryant®. Bryant dehumidifiers are made to provide relief from high humidity – and high cooling costs. What’s more, with a whole-home dehumidifier, you won’t have to worry about emptying water pans – the moisture is removed via a drain tube, into a floor drain or condensate pump.
Your humidity concerns can be a thing of the past when you give Family Danz a call – just contact us at 518.427.8685 and we will be more than happy to schedule an appointment with you.