What Causes Humidity In A Home?

05/17/2021

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Air quality is important to maintain a happy, healthy home. And one thing that directly affects air quality is humidity.

When it comes to maintaining the proper humidity levels in your home, most people automatically think of humidifiers, which have been increasing in popularity. But we’re going to talk about their equally important counterpart: dehumidifiers.

Dehumidifiers can be a game-changer for indoor air quality. Read on to discover how they can improve your home and how to pick the best one for you.

Humidity in homes can’t be completely avoided. Cooking, showering, and doing laundry often releases condensation into the air of your home. These are all normal causes of humidity and usually don’t require a dehumidifier.

You’ll definitely need a dehumidifier if any of the following pertain to you and your home:

• You live in a high humidity region
• Your house is on or by the beach
• Your home is older, with porous walls and floors
• You have poor ventilation in your home

All of these cause significant humidity in homes, which can be harmful to your health, to the house’s furnishings, and to the overall condition of your house.

How Do I Know If My Home Is Too Humid?

The humidity levels in your home depend on the season. According to the EPA, you should keep your home’s humidity under 60% in the summer and between 25% to 40% in the winter. If your home’s humidity levels don’t fall within these parameters, then it’s either too humid or to dry. Both of these factors are damaging to homes and health.

Homeowner Tip: How To Measure Humidity

Here are tell-tale signs that your home is too humid:

• Warped wood
• Musty, moldy smells
• Damaged walls
• Water stains
• Constant condensation

On the other hand, you can purchase a hygrometer at your local home improvement store. These give accurate readings of humidity levels in a home to help you determine whether you need a dehumidifier or not.

7 Benefits Of Dehumidifiers

Dehumidifiers suck out the moisture from the air to maintain your air at an optimal humidity. Less moisture in air has a range of benefits—and because of this, dehumidifiers can help to:

• Lessen or eliminate allergies
• Curb dust mite growth
• Prevent mold and mildew
• Keep furniture, art, and books in good condition
• Avoid electronic damage
• Improve air quality
• Get rid of musty odors

Overall, dehumidifiers promote good indoor air quality. This helps keep your home in good condition, while providing clean, pure air.

How Air Conditioners And Dehumidifiers Work Together

There are both portable and whole house dehumidifiers. Whole house dehumidifiers are installed directly into your home’s HVAC system to treat humidity problems at the source. This helps maintain optimal humidity levels across your home, not just in one localized area—as a portable humidifier usually does.

A whole house dehumidifier works by extracting excess moisture from the air flowing through the ducts. That way, bythe time the air gets to different rooms, it has already been dehumidified.

What You Should Consider When Shopping For A Dehumidifier

Just like each home is different, each home has its own dehumidifying needs. This is important to keep in mind as you shop for a dehumidifier.

Consider the following things when buying a dehumidifier—that way, you can find the perfect one for your home.

Capacity & Size

For larger homes, you’ll need a dehumidifier with a higher capacity if you do want to dehumidify your entire home. In this case, however, it is recommended to install a whole house dehumidifier into your HVAC system.

For best results, choose your unit based on the square footage of the area that you need to dehumidify. This can help you select the right size and capacity.

Portability

Portability is important to consider if you don’t own the home and would like to take the dehumidifier with you when you move. Portable dehumidifiers are also great options for homes with uneven humidity levels. You can put a portable dehumidifier in the spaces that need it most, like bathrooms and laundry rooms.

Energy Efficiency

Perhaps one of the most important things to consider when choosing a dehumidifier is energy efficiency. Energy efficient dehumidifiers can help you save money on energy bills, while still properly removing moisture from the air.

Timers

Last but not least, timers are a handy feature to have on a dehumidifier. Setting a timer can help you save money by limiting the amount the dehumidifier is on, ensuring that it doesn’t keep running and wasting energy when the air has already been dehumidified.

Improve Your Indoor Air Quality With Air-Rite Heating & Cooling

At Air-Rite Heating & Cooling, we’re committed to helping you keep your home healthy and comfortable. Using a dehumidifier is just the start. Good indoor air quality also depends on the filters you use, your AC maintenance plan, and more—and we’re here to help with that.

Count on Air-Rite Heating & Cooling to be your one-stop shop for all your air quality needs.

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