Should You Install a Whole-Home Dehumidifier?

Some homes are just damp. The causes can be many, including leaking plumbing and roofs, a malfunctioning HVAC system or structural leaks. Read on for advice about how these issues can impact your home, and how adding a whole-home dehumidifier may help alleviate the damp conditions.

Ideal Relative Humidity

The relative humidity in your home should ideally be between 40 and 50 percent. When the humidity rises to more than 55 percent, these problems can arise:

• Excess warmth, necessitating turning the thermostat down so the A/C keeps running.
• Unpleasant smell pervading the home, also affecting clothes, upholstered items and carpet.
• Excess condensation, which can ruin the wood around windows and stain walls.
• Mold growth, which can cause breathing problems, ruin drywall, furnishings and even the HVAC system.

Any of these conditions can result in major expenses to correct the problem and repair damaged property.

Dehumidifiers to the Rescue

While you’re correcting damp conditions in your home, why not look into installing a whole-home dehumidifier? Portable dehumidifiers are available, but these must be moved from room to room and won’t be as effective as whole-house models.

Dehumidifiers remove moisture from the home by drawing warm, humid air across a cold coil so that the moisture condenses and drains away, similar to the way your A/C dehumidifies. The dehumidifier is turned on and off by a dehumidistat, as it detects the level of moisture in the home. Whole-home dehumidifiers augment the A/C, removing excess moisture that the A/C can’t handle.

A whole-home dehumidifier actually helps you save money, as your A/C doesn’t have to work as hard to dehumidify the home.

Dehumidifiers are rated by capacity, or how many pints of water can be removed every 24 hours, and coverage area, or the square footage a model is able to dehumidify. Choose your dehumidifier based on these factors.

At Sobieski Services, Inc., our goal is to help our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey learn more about energy and home comfort issues — especially HVAC and plumbing issues — so that they can save money and live in healthier, more comfortable homes.

Photo Credit: Pixabay