Is Your HVAC Contributing To The High Humidity In Your Home? 5 Important Things To Know


When your home isn’t comfortable, you’re not happy. You can’t sleep right, which makes everything about life more difficult, and you may even be compromising your health with environmental conditions such as humidity. Here are five important things to know:

1. Your Air Conditioner Condenses Air

While humidity tends to be higher when the air is colder, if your air conditioning unit is functioning properly, it should work off some of the humidity, by condensing the air. Once the room or home is sufficiently cooled, the air should feel less thick and sticky.

2. The Heating System Can Burn Off Humidity

Although it sounds crazy to run the heat in the middle of the summer, if your house is particularly cool due to being in the shade and situated around soil that retains moisture, turning the heat on can help. Hot air handles moisture and humidity better than cold; thus, the temporary heating should make the air more comfortable in your home, albeit a little warmer. Especially if the temp doesn’t extend past 70 or so throughout the day (indoors), humidity will simply linger around.

3. Ventilation Is Crucial To Lowering Humidity

A home that is properly ventilated, particularly in the bathroom, will experience less staggering humidity. Since relative humidity means there’s moisture in the air already, when you add to that by taking showers and not circulating the air enough, your humidity is only going to rise.

If you don’t have ventilation or ceiling fans, the moisture retained in your home can lead to very unpleasant and often expensive situations.

4. High Humidity Can Lead To Mold And Respiratory Issues

Left unchecked, humidity can directly and indirectly lead to a myriad of problems for both you and your home. Bacteria, viruses and other harmful particulates remain airborne when the air is thick with humidity and unmoving. This, unfortunately, may lead to respiratory infections, especially for individuals with compromised immune systems, allergies or asthma.

Additionally, constant moisture in any home will likely lead to the development of mold. Not only does mold have the potential to make people sick, it can literally destroy a home. If you notice a musty smell or observe any dark growth on floors, walls, ceilings or in lower cabinets, you’re likely dealing with mold and need to talk to a professional right away.

5. You May Need To Call An HVAC Professional

Whether you’re simply uncomfortable or you’re experiencing health issues, you should contact an HVAC repair professional if problems persist. The humidity can be rectified, leaving you better able to breath and less likely to have mold growth in the home. Sometimes, it takes a professional to solve a sticky and tricky problem like humidity.

Don’t leave humidity unchecked in your home for very long and never ignore a potential mold problem. HVAC systems are designed to modify the air to make it more comfortable and totally healthy. If you’re having issues, contact a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning service immediately; they’ll solve your problems, so you can breath again.

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