Air Dehumidifiers Can Benefit Your Home

When you live in a coastal region like the Wilmington, NC area, “humidity” becomes part of the everyday lingo. It’s that muggy, heavy feeling that fills the air, makes your hair frizzy, and seems to dampen everything. Relative humidity tends to be more noticeable when you are outside, however, it can become a problem inside of your home.

An overly humid home can start to smell musty, lose it’s structural integrity, attract pests like cockroaches and centipedes, or even make you sick from the mold/mildew that it can create. The solution to prevent any of this from happening is by having an air de-humidifier installed in your home to work in combination with your air conditioner.

What is Relative Humidity?

Depending on temperature, air can hold a fixed amount of water vapor; relative humidity is the ratio of actual vapor in the air to this fixed amount. The fixed amount would be considered 100%, and the relative humidity would let you what percentage of actual vapor is in the air. The higher the percentage, the more saturated, or humid, a home will be. This is where an air de-humidifier comes in to play.

In an average home in which the temperature is about 68 degrees Fahrenheit, the relative humidity should ideally be between 30 and 50 percent. Installed as part of your home’s cooling system, air de-humidifiers pull air from every room in your home through the return ducts. It removes the moisture and then sends dry air back throughout your home. It works in conjunction with your air conditioner to efficiently balance the humidity levels in your home.

Air Dehumidifiers Are Needed When:

Some people may not know if air de-humidifiers are necessary, well here is how to tell if your home needs one.  Start by taking a look around your home. The most noticeable symptoms of excessive humidity may include wet stains on your walls and ceilings, rotting and weakened wood, mold and fungus, condensation on your windows, peeling wallpaper, blistering paint, and a generally musty, stuffy feeling.  If any of these symptoms are occurring in your home be sure to give O’Brien Service Company a call.  You don’t want these problems to continue to destroy your home, and cause you and your family health problems.

Fact:

Did you know that dust mites (and their waste products) are one of the most common triggers for allergies and asthma?  These pests thrive in homes with high humidity levels.  The Environmental Protection Agency advises keeping your home’s relative humidity between 30-50% to avoid dust mite infestation, and air de-humidifiers are the best way to maintain the humidity level in your home.