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If the relative humidity is 50 percent, the air is only holding about half the amount of moisture it’s capable of holding at that temperature. As the moisture level in the air increases, you may begin to feel hot and sticky. An increase in moisture can also affect certain health conditions, like asthma, making it difficult to breathe. Too much or too little indoor humidity can mean health problems for you, and big repair bills for your home. Learn how to achieve just the right level of humidity in your home. The best humidity levels are not necessarily in that range, though.
What is considered comfortable humidity is often discussed as ten degrees higher. Otherwise, you’ll be optimizing humidity levels for areas of the home where no one ever visits. For a single-stage air conditioner, the answer might be “there isn’t a solution.” Or at least, there isn’t one without the aid of a whole-home dehumidifier. Since the air conditioner can only turn on or off 100%, to remove more moisture would be to also make it colder. While a whole-house dehumidifier can be ducted into your HVAC system or standalone, a whole-home humidifier will always be ducted directly into your system.
The Problems (and Dangers!) of High Humidity Levels in Your Home
Straight and angled sleeves let you fit special insulation onto your pipes. All you need to do is slide the sleeves on and seal the joints with duct tape. Most HVAC professionals agree that anything between 30-60% humidity is acceptable for a home’s indoor environment. Anything lower or higher than that can create problems. Water has a specific heat capacity of 4,200 J/kg°C and dry air has a specific heat capacity of 1.012 J/kg°C.
Other common issues include static electricity, chipping of paint, and even damage to expensive electronics. We’ll talk about the side effects of abnormally high/low moisture levels in a moment. For now, let’s focus on the normal levels at different times of the year. Too-low and too-high moisture ranges can impact your health and sleep patterns.
How does the humidity level affect me and my home?
If the humidity levels in your home are too low, consider using a whole-home humidifier. This effectively ends the dry winter season in your home while also creating a warmer atmosphere. The right humidity level is also key for sleeping throughout the night. "Generally speaking, our body needs to drop two degrees Fahrenheit to sleep comfortably and remain at that temperature through the entire sleep cycle," says Ciresi. Too little moisture in the air can have deleterious health effects. Think you can stand to live more comfortably this summer?
The heat from your furnace makes the already dry wintertime air even dryer. The more your furnace runs, the drier the indoor air will become. When the indoor air is too dry, you will often experience static electricity and dry skin.
How to reduce humidity in a house
But do you ever think about the humidity levels in your home? Controlling the humidity inside of your home can be just as crucial to living comfortably as controlling the temperature. When the air is dry, meaning the humidity level is too low, you may experience dry skin, an irritated throat, or itchy eyes.
It leads to muggy, uncomfortable conditions and often leads to sleep discomfort too. But one of the most significant problems is it provides a perfect environment for mold growth which can create a wide range of respiratory systems and illnesses. It can be particularly harmful to young children and seniors, as well as people with compromised immune systems or existing respiratory issues like allergies or asthma. Take a look at the table below to better understand the pros and cons of each atmosphere!
Tips for bringing up low humidity levels
Baby or small child, your ideal humidity level may vary within the optimal range. A humidistat is a device specifically designed to monitor humidity levels in a space. Other times, no A/C will be enough for a very humid home, and you’ll want to supplement it with a whole-house dehumidifier. But the range of options available to you with air conditioning units means you have different ways to tackle the same problem. Or to stop it from spreading when your kids bring it home from school? Want to avoid having to take out a loan just to buy enough skin moisturizer in the winter?
Here, several stylists explain how to use them to get these popular, volume-boosting looks. Where you store your food can impact how long it stays fresh and reduce your risk of cross contamination. At HVAC.com, our writers create solutions that put you in control of your HVAC system. Our product reviews and recommendations are researched and backed by real buyers and industry experts, not dictated by our partners.
You may want it to be slightly more humid indoors when it’s humid outdoors. There are also specific issues related to low levels of humidity inside your home. The top causes of humidity in the home are showering, boiling water, and drying clothes inside. If you often have high humidity in your home that is not caused by any of these, you might need to have your home’s ventilation and insulation inspected. The summer comfort range is highlighted in green, and the winter comfort range is highlighted in blue. Notice how these numbers do not directly follow the ASHRAE Standards but are close to them.
They also help reduce the air exchange that allows moisture to move in and out of the home. Humidity can make your home feel uncomfortable, especially in the summer months. In the winter, though we don’t often turn our heaters on in Southwest Florida, some heaters can also increase the moisture inside your home. Jim is an avid weather enthusiast and Amateur Radio operator. Attends Skywarn Storm Spotter training conducted by the National Weather Service.
It would be best if you placed your humidifier in the bedroom, living room, or any other room where you spend a lot of time. Place above 1-2 feet from walls or windows and make sure the mist is spaying into the open space. You may need to adjust the indoor relative humidity depending on your climate. So what’s the best way to stay healthy and avoid respiratory problems?
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