Is Your Home More Humid Than it Should Be?

Do you feel like you’re never comfortable at home, even though the AC reaches the set temperature?

Your home’s humidity level may be too high. A home should have a relative humidity of 30% to 60%. Above 60% and you have what’s considered “high” humidity.

Besides being less comfortable, high humidity causes a host of other problems in your home, including:

• Growth of fungus and mold in various parts of the home
• Bubbling and peeling wall paper
• Wood rot in furniture
• Musty odors
• Aggravation of allergies and asthma due to increased number of dust mites

We’ll discuss what can cause a home to be overly humid and how to test your home for high humidity.

What causes a home to be more humid than normal?

Well, obviously the weather in Georgia naturally causes us to have high humidity.

But there are other factors – things you can control – that cause the humidity in your home to get too high:

• Oversized air conditioner—Part of your air conditioner's job is to dehumidify you air. But if your system is oversized, it “short cycles”—meaning it turns on and off constantly. This short running time prevents it from properly dehumidifying your home. The contractor who installed your AC should have performed a heat load calculation to make sure you have the right size.
• Houseplants—Plants release moisture in the air through a process called transpiration. Put them outside to enjoy the sunshine.
• Long showers—Long hot showers release a lot of humidity into the air. Take shorter showers when possible.

If your home is still humid after correcting these issues, consider installing a dehumidifier.

How to test your home for high humidity

So, how do you know for sure if your home is too humid? An obvious sign is that you see a lot of moisture on the inside of your windows.

But to be 100% sure there are a couple of ways to measure the relative humidity in your home:

• Get a hygrometer— Place this inexpensive device in the room you want to measure the relative humidity, and it will give you a percentage. Like we said, anything above 60% in the summer is considered high.
• Install a thermostat that displays humidity—Some thermostats can read the humidity level in your home’s air.
  

Need professional help?

Need a dehumidifier? Wondering if your AC is oversized? If you live in the metro Atlanta area, Coolray can help. Contact us for help.

Coolray is your Atlanta-area home comfort expert with specialists in heating, air conditioning, air quality and plumbing. Have more questions? We’d be happy to help – just contact us online.