The humidity in the Southwest Florida area can get quite high, especially during the summer months. This humid air can make its way into your home, compromising the comfort and quality of your indoor air. Rather than running your air conditioning equipment more often to try and deal with the rise in humidity, consider a whole-home dehumidifier. This equipment provides optimal humidity control throughout the year.
What Is a Whole-House Dehumidifier?
You may be familiar with portable dehumidifier units that plug into the wall. They are moveable from one room to another. While these units can remove some of the excess moisture from your indoor air, they don’t address the relative humidity of your entire residence. Instead, our team can install a dehumidifier onto your HVAC system.
All the air that passes through your heating and cooling system will encounter this dehumidifier, which will remove moisture if necessary. The air then flows through your ductwork and out into your living spaces.
The Benefits of a Whole-Home Dehumidifier
Relative humidity in your home should remain between 35% and 50%. If you allow humidity to increase over the 50% point, mold can grow. Exposing you and your family to mold can be dangerous. It can cause allergy symptoms, breathing problems, fatigue, headaches, and brain fog. Also, overly humid air can easily hold on to particulate matter, further reducing the quality of your indoor air.
When you use a whole-house dehumidifier, you can protect your HVAC system and related equipment. If high humidity is causing your system to run frequently to try and meet your indoor comfort needs, this can lead to equipment strain. You’ll find that you’re scheduling more repairs and may need to replace your setup prematurely.
By reducing the time your HVAC system needs to run, you can reduce your energy consumption. This lowers your carbon footprint and can lower your monthly utility bills as well.
If you deal with dry and itchy skin or irritation to your sinuses, adding moisture to your indoor air can alleviate some of this discomfort. This is also a great way to cut back on the number of illnesses that you and your family pass on. Dry airways and sinuses can be more susceptible to germs.
Measuring and Monitoring Indoor Humidity
It’s important to remain educated on the amount of moisture in your air at any time. You can do this using a store-bought hygrometer. You can also upgrade to a smart thermostat if you don’t already have one. This unit can be paired with a whole-home dehumidifier to provide real-time humidity data. With a smartphone app, you can control your whole-home dehumidifier wherever you are.
Routine Maintenance Needs
Your dehumidifier will require a small amount of routine maintenance to function at its best and keep your home comfortable year-round. We recommend that you schedule routine maintenance and an inspection of your AC system and heater approximately once per year. This appointment can be paired with maintenance for your dehumidifier.
We will inspect the components of your equipment, ensuring everything is in working order. We can clean components to ensure their efficiency and effectiveness. We can make minor repairs as necessary. Most whole-home dehumidifiers have a filter that should be cleaned or replaced periodically. Also, removing moisture from your indoor air requires a dedicated drain line. Check this line routinely to ensure it’s not backing up with debris or mineral deposits.
Certain models of dehumidifiers may require you to keep up with routine maintenance to protect your warranty. If you ever need work done on your dehumidifier, your warranty may cover some or all of the cost of parts and labor. If you can’t prove that you’ve been working with a professional to ensure the integrity of your dehumidification setup, this can void your warranty. You would be responsible for any expenses incurred.
Adding Moisture Back In
Several factors will determine how much moisture is in your indoor air. This includes things like showering, cooking, and the weather conditions outside. Some times of the year when the air in your home may feel dry, and removing more moisture could be damaging to your health and furnishings in your residence. You can use a whole-house humidifier to add moisture back into the air. Just make sure that you’re keeping a close eye on your thermostat or hygrometer to ensure that you’re using the correct equipment for your indoor air quality needs.
Choosing a Whole-House Dehumidifier
Many different makes and models of dehumidifiers are currently available on the market. Choosing a ducted model will require you to think about the square footage of your home. You want to choose a unit that will efficiently remove moisture from your indoor air without having to strain to keep up. This strain could lead to frequent repair needs and a short system lifespan.
Also, consider the efficiency of a specific unit. This type of equipment often comes with an Energy Star rating, which will explain how much it will cost to run your unit per year.
The price point is important. However, don’t choose an undersized model to save money. You may end up spending more in the long run when you consider repair needs and excessive running time. The cost of a whole-house model is higher than a portable unit. However, we talked about the inability of a whole-house model to address your home entirely.
Professional Installation
Always have a professional install your whole-house dehumidifier. This will ensure that your dehumidifier works properly and that all the work will be done according to local code. If you want to sell your home at some point, this can prevent you from incurring fees or fines associated with DIY work. It’s also essential for safety purposes.
Certain aspects of your dehumidification setup can be dangerous if you try to install your equipment yourself. The drain line must be in the proper location and function correctly to prevent water damage. It doesn’t take much water accumulation for mold to grow. Foundation issues and structural rot are also concerns to consider.
Because your dehumidifier has water in it and electricity is used to power it, safety should be paramount during installation. Our team can safely perform this job for you. It only takes about one day to complete the project, but the comfort you’ll enjoy as a result can last a lifetime. Professional installation protects our safety and provides peace of mind as you use your dehumidification equipment.
If you would like to inquire about a whole-home dehumidifier, Plumbing, Cooling & Electrical Nerds is here to help. We also install, maintain, and repair AC equipment and heating systems and provide essential plumbing services, including emergency plumbing, water heater service, water filtration, and more. We also help address indoor air quality concerns using duct repair, whole-house air filtration, and duct cleaning. Contact Plumbing, Cooling & Electrical Nerds today to find out more about a whole-house dehumidifier in the Southwest Florida area.
