Just because it’s humid outdoors doesn’t mean that high humidity STAYS outdoors. .
Humidity seeps inside our homes, and we add more of if just by living practicing our daily routines. For example, we increase humidity levels each time we bathe, cook, or breathe. Indoor comfort levels for humidity are generally around 30% to 60%. Levels below 30% inside the home are considered too dry, and can damage the structural integrity of your home while making life more uncomfortable for your family here in the Greater Baltimore area.
By contrast, if indoor humidity exceeds 60% (too wet), it can help bring about heatstroke, headaches, dehydration and heat exhaustion. Excess humidity can easily become a breeding ground for mold spores, fungus, and can also be an attraction for insects and rodents.
A common homeowner solution for high humidity is to simply run the air conditioner (or heat pump) to cool the home. While that will cool you off when outdoor temperatures are high, you’re A/C system can be expensive to run, and running it does not directly address your high humidity problem.
One alternative that produces higher levels of comfort – while saving energy and money – is a whole-house humidity control system. Utilizing your existing ductork, combined home humidification and de-humidification systems can be programmed to maintain the levels where you feel the most comfort.
Here’s what to look for in a humidity control system for your home:
1. Selecting a system with a “fan cycling” feature allows for steady control of humidity and temperatures throughout the entire home while simultaneously eliminating hot and cold spots. Fan cycling also helps improve overall air quality.
2. A system that can remove up 90 pints of moisture.
3. You may need or want to improve your return air system, especially if you have one central return vent but none in the bedrooms. The latter creates a humidity imbalance that can easily be fixed.
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 levels of humidity in your home all year long, contact the home comfort and indoor air quality experts at Conway Services today. We provide service to great homes like yours throughout the Greater Memphis area.
901-384-3511
Click here to schedule service now