As the adage goes, it’s not the heat; it’s the humidity.
High humidity can make you uncomfortable, even in normal temperatures, as your body can’t cool itself efficiently. Your skin uses the air to remove the moisture from your body. In case of high humidity, the air cannot absorb the moisture from your body. Sweat acts as your body’s natural air conditioner; when you sweat, the body attempts to maintain its ideal temperature. When your body cannot remove the extra moisture to cool itself, the sweat stays on your skin, leaving you feeling muggy and uncomfortable.
High humidity can be extremely uncomfortable for people and can be detrimental to their health and home. High humidity can potentially aggravate allergies and other respiratory ailments. It can make your home feel musty and unbearable and adversely impact electronics, furniture, clothing, wallpaper.
What is Humidity and its Effects?
Humidity refers to the amount of moisture in the air. As the temperature rises, the amount of moisture in the air also increases, so the hotter it gets, the more humid it gets. And likewise – when the temperature decreases, the amount of moisture it holds drops.
Absolute humidity measures the amount of water divided by air mass in a given space and is defined as grams of moisture per cubic meter of air (g/m³). On the other hand, relative humidity measures the amount of moisture in the air compared to the highest amount it can hold at the current temperature. For example, a humidity reading of 40% means that the air around you is 40% as moist as it could be.
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Summers are often scorching and humid in the United States. High humidity can have some adverse effects on your health as well as your home. Telltale signs of too-humid air include musty odors, muggy conditions, condensation on windows, and damp spots on the walls or ceiling. Left unchecked, moisture buildup can lead to mold and mildew growth, water damage, musty odors, warped wood, and peeling paint. Additionally, high humidity levels bring several secondary problems that homeowners sometimes experience, like mold and dust mites.
How a Dehumidifier Helps in Maintaining Optimum Humidity Levels
A dehumidifier is an energy-efficient solution that improves indoor air quality, keeps your house comfortable, and provides a continuous flow of fresh, dry air. Dehumidifiers prevent rooms from smelling musty and protect your valuables, clothes, furniture, electronics, and other possessions.
A dehumidifier regulate humidity by drawing moisture from the air by pulling moisture from the air. A fan draws in and traps moist air from the air. The warm air contracts when it goes through the refrigerated coils, and condensation forms. The dehumidifier releases warmer air back into the room while the moisture is condensed into water droplets that are collected in a removable drip pan or reservoir or are circulated out of the unit.
Select an Appropriate Sized Dehumidifier
The dehumidifier size refers to the amount of moisture it can remove from the air and is measured in pints. Selecting the appropriately sized dehumidifier is essential as a smaller than required size machine may not deliver the desired results in a larger space or places with high humidity. At the same time, you don’t want to choose a dehumidifier with a very high capacity than what you need, though, as larger dehumidifiers cost more than smaller ones. Measure the room’s square footage where you will use the dehumidifier to make sure you know what size dehumidifier would be ideal. It is recommended to have a slightly higher capacity dehumidifier than the requirement.
You should also consider the amount of moisture in the area before selecting an appropriately sized dehumidifier. A dehumidifier used in a vast or very damp space needs to be larger than one used in a small area that is not very damp.
Moisture Basement
Basements have their challenges with maintaining indoor air quality. Excessive humidity in basements can lead to mold growth, health issues, and structural damage. Basements are commonly poorly insulated, which allows external conditions, hot or cold, to affect interior temperatures and humidity levels. If a home’s foundation is cracked or its pipes are leaking, the moisture produced can also raise the humidity levels. If you notice that your basement walls are damp or the air seems thicker than usual, check it thoroughly to see if moisture has easy access to your basement.
Whether you use your basement as a storage space or a comfortable after-work hangout, it holds more humidity than other parts of your home. No matter if your basement is finished or unfinished, those humid conditions can encourage the growth of mold, mildew, and other bacteria.
A comfortable basement should maintain a humidity level of 30 to 50% — however, those may differ depending on your climate.
Related reads:
- Best Dehumidifiers With Pumps for Basements
- How Basement Dehumidifiers Help in Keeping Your Basement Dry
- How Much Does a Basement Dehumidifier Cost?
During the summer months, the air outside is hotter and more humid. That air can make its way into your basement, increasing your humidity levels to around 60%. Because of this, homeowners must work to adjust those levels back to the ideal humidity level between 30 and 50% or risk mold, mildew, and bacteria buildup. In the winter, cold air from outside can make the humidity levels in your basement drop. And if that cold air is making its way inside, it’s probably having negative impacts on your heating bills, too. During the winter months, you’ll want to keep your in-home humidity levels around 25 – 40% when outdoor temps range from 20° F to 0° F, with the lower percentages reserved for, the colder temps.
Optimal Dehumidifier Humidity Setting
Answering what humidity should I set my dehumidifier to
Using a dehumidifier with the wrong setting can be as worse as not using a dehumidifier at all; hence it is essential to educate yourself about relative humidity levels before purchasing a dehumidifier.
The humidity setting you should select depends on the room’s humidity level where the dehumidifier is located.
While there is no single perfect humidity level, keeping your relative humidity level in the range of 30-50% is recommended to prevent dust mites from thriving, keep mold growth at check, and keep your home at a comfortable level.
The ideal humidity level is around 40%, but you can adjust according to the humidity level you feel comfortable with for your space and you’re household.
Modern dehumidifiers can automatically detect the current humidity levels in your room. Once you set the desired humidity levels, it will constantly monitor them and operate the machine accordingly. You can buy a hygrometer if your humidifier does not have this functionality to gauge the RH.
The optimum humidity level also depends on the season, such as summer and winter would require different humidity settings. The RH in your home should also balance with the absolute humidity outdoors.
As per the American Society of Heating Refrigeration, Air Conditioning Engineers, the ideal level for relative humidity is between 40-60%. While there is no “perfect” humidity level, you can use a good range of humidity settings as a guideline:
If the outdoor temperature exceeds 50˚F, the indoor humidity level should not be above 50%. If the outside temperature is above 20˚F, indoor humidity levels shouldn’t go beyond 40%. When the outside temperature ranges between 10˚F and 20˚F, indoor humidity levels shouldn’t exceed 35%. For outside temperatures between 0˚F and 10˚F, indoor humidity levels shouldn’t surpass 30. If Outdoor temperature is between -10˚F and 0˚F, indoor humidity levels shouldn’t be above 25%. With an outdoor temperature between -20˚F and -10˚F, indoor humidity levels shouldn’t exceed 20%. Outdoor temperature at -20˚F or lower, indoor humidity levels shouldn’t exceed 15%.