Central Alabama is often hot and humid. Humidity can often make a hot day feel even hotter when the relative humidity is higher than 50%, which can be frequently in the summer months. You may have heard about whole-house dehumidifiers and are curious if they would be a good fit for your home. Are dehumidifiers a good idea? The HVAC specialists at Douglas Cooling & Heating explain the factors that you should consider if you’re thinking about adding a dehumidification system to your home.
How Does a Dehumidifier Work?
Humidity is the measurement of water in the air, often displayed as a percentage. The higher the temperature of the air, the more moisture it can hold. That’s why you mostly experience humid 90-degree days and less humid 70-degree days.
A whole-house dehumidifier is attached to your home’s HVAC system. As air flows through the system, it passes through a cool coil that removed the moisture from the air. The air is then sent through your home with much less moisture in it, making it feel much more comfortable. Your dehumidifier should be able to bring down the moisture in the air to a relatively low humidity level of 30-50 percent.
Air conditioners and heat pumps are good at dehumidifying the air on their own, however, really humid days can cause a lot of strain on your systems, which makes them vulnerable to breaking down. Adding a dehumidifier to your home can help take some of the stress off your cooling system.
You can buy individual room dehumidifiers, but they often require regular maintenance such as emptying the collection tank and replacing the air filters. These little appliances only can provide relief for one room. A whole house dehumidifier can service the entire home, requires very little maintenance, and uses very little energy. Only about 3-16 cents an hour on average.
Why You Should Consider Adding a Dehumidifier to Your Home’s HVAC System
Would adding a whole-house dehumidifier benefit your home? Here are some specific instances that a dehumidifier would help with.
Severe Allergies & Asthma Symptoms
Humidity can make allergies worse. Common allergens like mold, dust mites and pollen thrive and spread easily in moist environments. If you’re allergic to any of these things, it can make your allergies worse. Humidity can also make it harder to breathe, especially for asthmatics. A dehumidifier can help lighten the air so you can breathe easily in your home.
Hot Climates
Homes in hot climates with high humidity, like Central Alabama, can find additional relief in their home’s comfort with a whole-house dehumidifier.
Mold & Mildew Growth
Mold and mildew tend to grow and spread easily in humid climates. If you find that your home has a musty smell to it, you may have mold growing inside your walls. A dehumidifier will dry out your home, preventing mold from spreading any further.
Cooling System Performance
There’s nothing worse than going into your home on a hot and humid day only to discover that it’s just as humid inside as it is outside. Your cooling system is most likely stressed from trying to both dehumidify and cool the air in your home. You may even notice your summer cooling bills spike from the added usage. A dehumidifier will relieve the strain your system is experiencing and it won’t have to work as hard. You might even notice a decrease in your cooling bills after you have a whole-house dehumidifier installed.
Pest Control
Not only do airborne contaminants like moist climates, but so do bugs. Spiders, silverfish, cockroaches, and other creepy crawlies might flock to your home if it is constantly hot and humid. Drying out the air will make your home less appealing to them and drive them away. If you’ve had insect infestations in the past, a dehumidifier could help.
Home Comfort Issues
If your home is humid, not only will you feel it, but you’ll notice moisture on the inside of windows, wallpaper peeling, worsening allergies, musty odors, and rotting wood. Excessive indoor humidity isn’t just uncomfortable it can also be damaging to the wooden floors and furniture around your home. Improve your home’s comfort and protect it for years to come with a dehumidifier.
Talk to Douglas Cooling & Heating to Install a Dehumidifier in Your Birmingham, AL Home
If you’re looking for relief from the hot and humid weather, then talk to Douglas Cooling & Heating about whole house dehumidifier installation in your Birmingham area home. Call us today to schedule an appointment.
