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If any of this sounds familiar, your home may have a problem with excessive humidity because your air conditioner is not controlling the level of moisture in your indoor air. Not only will it make you hot and uncomfortable, but also high interior humidity can cause more serious problems like mold, mildew and rust, along with posing potential health risks. To avoid the types of problems seen at the Honolulu hotel, HVAC systems in buildings in humid climates must do several things to maintain humidity control. The HVAC system must properly condition the building's interior, including the building envelope, and pressurize the building with dehumidified air (called exfiltration).
This Is the Ideal Humidity Level for a Comfortable Home, According to Pros
Making the most of any natural sunlight can help to warm houses and dry out any damp air. Opening curtains and blinds in the day prevents moisture from being trapped around the windows and using rugs and mats on wooden and stone floors can make rooms feel warmer too. If you haven’t already, consider investing in double glazing as it helps your property retain the heat from the sun during the day. Drying clothes inside is gentler on fabrics than tossing and tumbling in a dryer and prevents static cling. Before you take them out of the washing machine use a rinse cycle to reduce the amount of water left in the clothes to a minimum. Place a drying rack away from walls to prevent the moisture from being trapped.
Cover Pots While Cooking
In parts of the country that have hot and humid climates, homeowners often call AC repair companies about overly humid houses every year when the weather starts to warm up. Ready to put an end to this sticky and heavy feeling in your house once and for all? We’ll tell you all that you need to know about indoor air comfort, why houses can become humid and most importantly, what you can do about it.
Dry Your Clothes Outside
Moisture levels can get out of hand quickly, though, encouraging mold, bacteria, dust mites, and more. An interior plumbing leak from a bathroom or kitchen sink can cause increased moisture in the air. It’s important for homeowners to check pipes often for cracks and corrosion; according to the EPA, leaks can lead to the growth of harmful biological pollutants.
"Warm air can progressively carry much more humidity compared to colder air. Humidity is also added by everyday activities in the house/space, cooking, showering, from plants, etc." If its not cold outside, you can try hanging your clothes up to dry outside, ensuring that water vapor stays out of the house and hey, you’ll save some money on your electric bill too. If you aren’t super handy yourself, I’d recommend asking a professional to install a dryer ventilation system. Your heating and cooling systems can play a key role in keeping humidity at bay.
Also, avoid overwatering your indoor plants, as this can contribute to your problem. When humidity grows beyond 60 percent, you’ll find you feel clammy and uncomfortable. But as mentioned above, feeling overheated isn’t the only problem with high humidity.
The moisture condenses on the cooling surface and is removed from the air. For example, a cooling-based system will cool an outside air stream from 95°Fdb (55 percent RH) to 77°Fdb. If it is cooled below 77°Fdb to a temperature of 55°Fdb, 68 grains of moisture per pound of dry air are condensed out of the air and onto the cooling coil. The occurrence of a high latent load during the cooling season is a critical factor in building failure. Thus, defining hot, humid climates in terms of the relationship of sensible to latent load in ambient air includes most parts of the United States that are highly susceptible to moisture-related building failures.
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Use indoor humidity gauges to determine how much moisture is in the air.
An indoor air quality monitor will provide real-time and historical data on humidity, as well as other metrics, so you know exactly where problems exist and where they could potentially arise. To prevent low humidity in your home, you should find ways to add more moisture into the air. For example, you might want to leave a door open to let steam escape from the shower. Think about investing in some pot plants too as they release moisture into the air.
They used those relationships to predict how different hot-weather conditions will impact people's health in different parts of the country, at different times of year. HeatRisk incorporates a host of factors that make heat dangerous to human health, beyond just temperature. This definition also explains why in certain areas of the country, building commissioning procedures related to humidity control are more critical than in others. For example, if the building exhaust systems are started before the HVAC and makeup air systems, as is typical, huge amounts of moisture may infiltrate into the building, depending on the outdoor conditions. Furthermore, although the ideal humidity levels are less than 60% in the summer, those numbers drop to 25% and 40% in the winter. Having higher humidity during colder months can cause complications too.
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Air that contains water is called water vapor (water vapour depending on which type of English you use). Read along to learn about the main reasons for high humidity with the air conditioning unit running inside the room. A less common but way more serious cause of humidity is rising dampness. It can cause respiratory infections, asthma, and – you guessed it – mold. As previously mentioned, mold is a big no-no and causes serious health problems.
Suboptimal humidity levels in your home could be causing frequent colds, nosebleeds, and poor sleep hygiene.“Low humidity can cause dry skin, irritate respiratory tracts, and lead to static electricity. Excessive allergies and asthma, as well as mold and dust mites, can be signs that the humidity level inside your home is too high. Also, if you notice condensation on windows or walls, the indoor humidity is likely too high. By the way, there are definitely consequences to letting the humidity in your house get too high for too long. The most common problems are mold growth and condensation on windows—which can cause long-term damage to the property if not corrected.
When moisture in the air can’t stay stagnant, it’s less likely to accumulate and cause issues. There are a few different popular dehumidifier options, from whole-home versions to basement and crawl space units. Each type was designed to capture water particles before they can overwhelm a home’s atmosphere.
Bringing skilled HVAC professionals on board to install the dehumidifier is critical. Technicians are trained to situate and connect the equipment to maximize efficiency, so it’s probably best to leave it to a pro. Excessive humidity in your home is a serious concern that should be addressed as soon as possible. If you continue to experience problems with interior humidity, it’s time to seek professional expertise. Since most of us homeowners are not professionally trained in how HVAC systems work, the best way to handle these types of issues is to get in touch with ABC Home & Commercial Services.
For instance, the unit turns on and continuously runs till it reaches the desired temperature and later, the unit again turns off till the temperature rises above a specific thermostat threshold. In such a case, the AC unit doesn’t run continuously to remove the humidity from the room. Moist outside air can creep in around your window AC or around doors and windows. To check for leaks, Consumer Reports has found that a simple incense stick can do the trick. If smoke from the stick blows sideways when you hold it up to windows, doors, and walls, air is seeping in and out from those areas. Now that Sealed is around, there’s zero reason to tolerate a super-humid house.
When furniture is placed close to outside walls, there is a higher risk that damp will set in. High humidity creates excess moisture and condensation that potentially leads to mold or rot, while low humidity has been linked to the rapid spread of viruses like cold, flu, and even Covid-19. Learn how to tackle excess moisture and dry air, which can both cause damage to different parts of your property. Additionally, even if an HVAC or AC unit is the proper size, it can contribute to high humidity if it is not functioning properly. Achieving proper building pressurization is sometimes difficult.
Opening doors of built-in wardrobes that sit on outside walls and trying to keep furniture, clothes and shoes from touching outside walls can stop damp developing. Keeping gutters clear also decreases the amount of water that may spill down external walls, which could contribute to moisture in the home." Unfortunately, high humidity can cause some serious health problems. With the possibility of mold growth comes allergies, asthma-related problems, and sickness. If you notice you are having a hard time breathing, having more asthma attacks, or your allergies are always acting up at home you may need to find a solution fast.
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