Can an HVAC System Effectively Deal With Humidity?
Humidity levels can affect how hot or how cold your home feels. In the summer, high humidity can make warm days feel oppressive. High humidity can also lead to the development of mold and mildew. In the winter, the opposite problem occurs. Low humidity levels can make us feel colder and can make our skin feel dry, and it can potentially cause other problems. While your home’s HVAC system can certainly keep your home warm or cold, depending on the season, it could use some help when it comes to dealing with humidity. That’s why installing a whole-home dehumidifier and/or humidifier can be a smart move.
High Humidity in the Summer
In the summer, muggy weather can be an issue. When it’s humid, you may start to notice clammy air, a musty odor, and/or foggy windows in your home. Sometimes, it’s the things that you can’t see that are the most concerning. For example, certain areas of your home could start to develop mold or mildew, and this could quickly get worse in a matter of days.
An air conditioner is designed to remove heat as well as some humidity from the air. The refrigerant that runs through its system can absorb heat, which is later releases outdoors. At the same time, moisture in the air can condense on air conditioner coils, and that moisture falls into a condensate pan and is drained out of the system. To ensure that your ac unit does these functions well, you should schedule an air conditioning repair and maintenance annually.
This process can work well if there’s not too much humidity. If the humidity levels rise, however, a regular air conditioner can have trouble dealing with all of the moisture. As a result, your home could still be uncomfortably humid. Also, your AC might have to work overtime, a situation that could lead to certain parts getting prematurely worn down. Algae and mold could potentially start to develop inside your ducts as well, which is definitely a situation you want to avoid.
In many cases, using a whole-home dehumidifier may be the best course of action. One of these systems can be added to your existing HVAC configuration, and it can run in tandem with the AC or independently of it. On very hot and humid days, you’ll likely be running both systems together, but on other days, the dehumidifier could be active even when your AC isn’t on. This can potentially save you some money, since you won’t have to be relying on your air conditioner as much. Hire an air conditioning installation service if you still don’t have one.
Low Humidity in the Winter
Low humidity can be an issue for a few reasons. Similar to how high humidity can make things feel much warmer than they actually are, low humidity can make you feel colder. Plus, very dry environments can be difficult for some skin types, and some people tend to have more runny noses, dry lips, and problems with their throats in low-humidity environments. Items in homes, such as antiques and certain types of flooring or cabinets, may be affected by dry air as well.
A heating system won’t be able to effectively deal with low humidity. If you’d like to address this problem, you can look into getting a whole-home humidifier which can be added to your heater and cooling system. It adds moisture to the air before that warm air travels throughout your home. It allows you to keep your humidity levels around or above 50 percent, which could otherwise be difficult to do in the colder months. When you feel warmer, you might not need to set your thermostat as high, and this could potentially result in lower energy bills.
