From muggy summer days to melting winter snow, the fluctuating weather outdoors often leads to high humidity levels indoors. Excess humidity wreaks havoc on your home in a variety of ways, including mold and mildew growth, damp spots on floors and walls, increasing dust mite populations and unpleasant musty smells.
Many homeowners turn to whole-house dehumidifiers to maintain ideal humidity levels and remedy these problems, but do they actually work? Discover the benefits a whole-house dehumidifier offers for your home and health.
What Is a Whole-House Dehumidifier?
A dehumidifier is an appliance that removes excess moisture from the air inside your home to lower the overall humidity level. A whole-house dehumidifier is a type of dehumidifier that has the capacity to control humidity throughout your entire home instead of just in one room or area.
What Is the Difference Between a Humidifier and a Dehumidifier?
A humidifier is the opposite of a dehumidifier, which means that it puts moisture into the air instead of taking it out. Because the weather in Anoka, MN, varies so much throughout the year, many local homeowners have both a humidifier and a dehumidifier to help maintain ideal indoor humidity levels in any season.
At Liberty Comfort Systems, we provide installation, maintenance and repair services for both dehumidifiers and humidifiers. Humidity-control equipment is a perfect complement to your HVAC system that not only improves air quality but also helps it run more efficiently.
How Do Whole-House Dehumidifiers Work?
Whole-house dehumidifiers take in air from your home and remove the moisture from it through condensation coils similar to the ones in your air conditioner or refrigerator. A whole-house dehumidifier can either be a stand-alone unit installed in the basement or connected to your home’s HVAC ducts.
Stand-alone models work well if your problem is isolated to the basement and first floor. However, moisture issues that are present throughout the upper levels of your home usually require a whole-house dehumidifier that operates through your ductwork.
What Are Some Signs That My Home Needs a Whole-House Dehumidifier?
You need a whole-house dehumidifier if your home has excessive indoor humidity. The easiest way to know for sure if your indoor humidity levels are too high is to use a hygrometer, which is an instrument that measures humidity. Your HVAC thermostat may already include one, but you can purchase one at a hardware store if it doesn’t.
Ideal indoor humidity is between 30% and 50%. If you get readings above 50% on a regular basis, it’s time to consider a whole-house dehumidifier. You can also watch for common problems that arise from excess humidity. Here are few signs that point toward high humidity levels in your home:
- Frequent respiratory problems
- Mold and mildew
- Unexplained odors
- Damp spots and pools of moisture
- Constant muggy feeling
How Does a Whole-House Dehumidifier Improve Indoor Air Quality?
Humidity levels have a surprising number of effects on your home’s indoor air quality. Excess moisture in the air impacts indoor air quality in both direct and indirect ways. The moisture itself makes the air inside your home feel sticky, muggy and uncomfortable while high humidity increases the levels of indoor contaminants.
Organic pollutants like mold, mildew and dust mites thrive in damp environments, and these pollutants are some of the worst offenders when it comes to poor indoor air quality. If members of your household are experiencing frequent respiratory illnesses, allergies or asthma, check your humidity levels.
Can a Whole-House Dehumidifier Help Prevent Mold and Mildew?
Mold and mildew cause unsightly stains and unpleasant odors, but this problem goes beyond aesthetics. Extensive mold growth can damage your home’s structure by weakening wooden beams. It can also ruin carpets, destroy drywall and seep into windowsills and door frames.
The spores produced by mold are responsible for a variety of health issues ranging from coughing and sneezing to respiratory infections. Many homeowners think that bleach and other household cleaners are enough to remedy a mold problem, but the mold will continue to return as long as there are spores in the air and a moist environment that allows them to grow.
A whole-house dehumidifier is one of the best solutions for mold and mildew because it removes the excess humidity that makes them thrive. Cleaning, painting and other solutions are only temporary without controlling your home’s humidity levels.
Are There Alternatives to a Whole-House Dehumidifier?
Although a whole-house dehumidifier is your best solution for excessive humidity throughout your home, here are a few other options to consider:
- Single-room dehumidifier
- Dessicant dehumidifier
- Ventilating dehumidifier
- Absorbent packs
A single-room dehumidifier can work for small areas of high humidity like bathrooms, utility rooms and crawl spaces, but they are too inefficient to use for your entire home. They are also useful for temporary situations like flooding and spills. Ventilating humidifiers are another solution for small areas.
Dessicant dehumidifiers are an option for garages and outdoor spaces that get too cold for refrigerator-style dehumidifiers to work properly. Absorbent packs with plug-in drying units are a good option for controlling moisture inside of drawers, cabinets and safes.
What Is the Difference Between Whole-House and Single-Room Dehumidifiers?
There are two types of dehumidifiers that use refrigerator-style coils to remove moisture from the air. One type is the small and portable single-room dehumidifier, and the other type is a permanently installed whole-house dehumidifier.
Whole-house dehumidifiers are quieter, more efficient and have a longer service life than single-room models. Single-room dehumidifiers can be a good option for temporary humidity problems, but homes that experience frequent issues with high humidity need a whole-house dehumidifier.
Another difference between the two is the amount of maintenance you have to keep up with. Whole-house dehumidifiers drain away the moisture they collect while single-room dehumidifiers store it in receptacles that have to be emptied on a regular basis. You can schedule routine maintenance for your whole-house dehumidifier alongside your regular HVAC maintenance services.
Are There Any Reasons Not to Get a Whole-House Dehumidifier?
The only reason why you shouldn’t get a whole-house dehumidifier is if your home never experiences high humidity levels. Even a few weeks of excessive humidity can cause damaging mold growth and increase the number of allergens, irritants and organic pollutants in the air. Once installed, a whole-house dehumidifier is always ready to tackle rising humidity and stop these problems in their tracks.
Your Source for Dehumidifiers and Indoor Air Quality Services
Are you interested in making your home healthier and more comfortable with a whole-house dehumidifier? At Liberty Comfort Systems, we can help you choose the right equipment for your needs, and our expert technicians will make sure it’s installed right. We also offer other indoor air quality services and products for our customers in Anoka, MN, and the surrounding areas.
Whether you want to breathe easier or protect your home from moisture and water damage, a whole-house dehumidifier is an effective, low-maintenance solution for excess indoor humidity. If you’re ready to discuss your options and schedule installation or you want to learn more, contact Liberty Comfort Systems for a consultation today.
