HVAC Construction, Inc.

Did you know that most people in the USA spend about 80-90% of their time indoors? Much of that time is spent at home; therefore, it is important to consider the quality of your home’s indoor air. While air quality can suffer in a variety of ways, extra moisture is the air is a serious concern. If not dealt with properly, excess moisture in the air can cause many issues within your home, such as peeling paint, mold, warped wood, mildew, not to mention unpleasant odors.

If You Are Unsure About Your Air’s Moisture Levels

Sometimes it’s difficult to tell whether your home’s air is suffering from excess moisture. An easy way to determine the humidity of your home’s air is to purchase a hygrometer, otherwise known as a humidity gauge. These can be found at most hardware or home improvement stores.

What Can You Do About Excess Moisture in Your Home?

Investing in a dehumidifier is the most direct way to deal with poor air quality due to excess moisture in the air. Dehumidifiers vary in sizes and functions, but they all will improve the quality of your home’s indoor air. They do this by utilizing a fan, which moves moist air over a cold metal coil; the moisture then condenses into water and is simply drained away. The air that is filtered once again passes over a coil, this time warm, and redistributes the air back into your home. Dehumidifiers are a smart choice for better indoor air quality.

What Size Should You Choose?

Since dehumidifiers are available in both portable and whole house versions, it’s important to determine just how much humidity you are dealing with in your home. Portable units are perfect for when the excess moisture is confined to just one area of the home, such as in the laundry room or basement. Whole house units are better suited to home’s that have overall high humidity throughout the entire area of your house.

Smaller, portable units can be picked up at home improvement stores and are rather inexpensive. Whole house dehumidifiers, however, are a bigger investment as they connect to your home’s pre-existing HVAC system and require installation by professional HVAC technicians.

Here is an easy way to determine your needs:

Calculate the square footage of the area with excess moisture. If it is your whole home, then use the square footage for that. In general, you will want a dehumidifier that can hold about 10 to 12 pints of water for 500 square feet. For every additional 500 square feet, you’ll need to add four more pints in capacity. For instance, if you are looking to dehumidify an area that is 1,000 square feet, then you would need at least a 14 pint capacity dehumidifier.

Dehumidifiers can be beneficial for a home with excess moisture in the air. If you’re curious about what products would best reduce the amount of moisture in your home’s air, give us a call today. At HVAC Construction, we have over 25 years of HVAC experience and guarantee the best possible service when it comes to all your indoor air quality needs. We’ll help you find a solution that fits your needs and your budget. Call us at (801) 298-4822.