How To Deal With Humidity In Your Home
Has your home been feeling muggy lately or even hotter than you think it should? Many regions of the country deal with humidity during certain seasons. Others have to handle shifts in humidity throughout the year. To sustain a comfortable and ideal home, we all need healthy air. This is combination of when the air is fresh, clean, and under 50% relative humidity.
Fresh air cycles into the home from outside full of oxygen. Air conditioning and heating systems cycle out the stale air inside and push fresh air into the home. But even air that is fresh and filtered is not enough if the humidity inside is too high. Most HVAC professionals recommend keeping the humidity in the home in the 30-50% range. High humidity can make the air feel muggy or warm even at moderate temperatures. Many problems can cause issues both for those living inside the home and the building.
What are symptoms of high humidity?
- The air will feel muggy and warmer than it should
- Increased sweating
- Possible problems sleeping
- Mold spores and dust mites growth
- Even visible mold growth in the home
- Wood warps and doors begin to stick
- Mildew can grow on fabrics and carpets
- Water stains and excess condensation
- Serious problems with severe allergies
Living with high humidity may seem like a slight nuisance. But, the potential long-term effects can become dangerous and expensive. If the above symptoms have begun to manifest around your home, look into why the humidity is high. Learn what you can do about it. Let us look at a few ways for you to lower the humidity in your house.
Check For Leaks
One of the first things you can do about humidity in your house is to find and seal any leaks within the home. Take the time to inspect the frames around doors. Check windowsills from the outside and run your hands along them to feel for air flowing out through. Next check for leaking water pipes inside the home. Even constant condensation from water pipes may be a sign that you need to have them checked. And also check your dryer unit’s exhaust pipe if you have one inside the house. Dryers should have a vent outside the home. If they don't, or if there is a leak, a lot of humidity and heat enters the home every time you use the dryer.
Encourage Air Flow
Sometimes certain rooms in the home will feel more humid and muggy than the majority of the other rooms. Adding a ceiling fan or a stand-alone fan in the room. This can help circulate the air within the room and assist in evaporating moisture. And avoid closing doors and cutting off the room from the rest the other rooms. Make sure to use exhaust fans in the bathrooms and kitchen. Consider installing them if your home does not have them currently. Cooking and hot showers can create a large amount of moisture that will linger. Exhaust fans are often underutilized. Turning them on for a short period of time can pull out the humidity and make a noticeable difference.
Help Maintain The HVAC System
Even if you recently had a brand new HVAC system installed into your home, you still need to help it run. Think of you home’s HVAC system as the engine that runs your home. It may run fine for some time but you need to take care of and check your HVAC units. Furnace and AC filters need a replacement often and anyone can do this. You should check your HVAC system twice a year to achieve peak performance as the seasons change.
Even a small leak in the ducts or a thermostat that is not in sync with the system can cause issues. This can result in HVAC units having to work more than they should and lead to higher cooling costs. If you are having serious humidity concerns and have not had your system checked, do so soon. Contact Ardmore Fresh Air today. Let one of our trained professionals inspect your home's humidity levels.
