If you reside in an area with humid weather, having a dehumidifier is a good idea. While a modern AC system can help with air quality, it’s sometimes not enough.
Your indoor air quality is a result of the level of humid air present inside. Many find a dehumidifier to be a great solution to reducing humidity and improving air quality in the home.
Ideal humidity levels are somewhere between 35% to 50%, levels above 50% will inhibit mold and mildew growth and let the dust mites thrive, which is a cause of common allergic conditions in many individuals.
How does a dehumidifier improve air quality?
A dehumidifier works similarly to modern AC systems, but there is a major difference between the two.
How an AC works
An AC drives the air inside and blows it in the set of cooling coils where the moisture in the air condenses and drops off into a drip pan. Later on, the water collected by condensation carries to a drain to dispose of.
The AC system fills your room with cold air, by pulling the moisture from the air (dehumidifying), this is how an AC system cools your rooms.
A large amount of heat develops during this process, it is routed outside the house through a vent.
The one main difference that differentiates dehumidifiers from air conditioners is that the cooled air is blown across another set of coils that heats the air again before it is expelled.
Where do you Need a Dehumidifier?
If you regularly have high humidity or suffer from allergies – you should install a dehumidifier in your house.
- Areas with no windows usually have high humidity with very little ventilation or sometimes zero ventilation.
- When you see condensation on some of your HVAC lines, water lines, or windows.
- Any visible black spots on walls or ceilings or areas with high moisture content, these black spots are usually mold spores, which cause many types of allergies.
- If you notice musty or mildew-type odors, especially if you have a crawlspace under your home.
Does a dehumidifier improve air quality?
High humidity levels in your house cause many problems such as
- Allergic conditions
- Health problems. The better you control the humidity in your home, the better the indoor air quality will be.
- Humid air not only promotes molds, mildews, and certain viruses or bacteria to thrive but also VOCs, i.e. volatile organic compounds that have adverse effects on our health, increase in the presence of high humidity.
- High humidity promotes insect growth,
- Foul odors make the living space feel unpleasant and stuffy.
A dehumidifier can drastically lower and stabilize moisture content where it should be, in doing so the indoor air quality will improve and allergens will be reduced.
Other benefits of a home dehumidifier:
1. Energy Saving
In the presence of a dehumidifier, your AC system will work more efficiently. It pulls the moisture out of the air, proving to be a helping hand to the AC system, whose function is exactly the same. In this way, the workload on the AC system is reduced, which in turn saves energy.
2. Prevent Metal from Rusting
In the presence of humid air, metal rusts rapidly, lowering the moisture content protects metal equipment and structural components of your home.
3. Prevents wood swelling
High moisture content can lead to warping, compressing, and weakening of structural wood components in your home. Wood absorbs moisture and reacts accordingly.
4. Increases comfort levels in rooms
A home with controlled humidity feels much more comfortable and stable.
5. Dust Control
Dust is a big cause of allergies, a dehumidifier helps to reduce dust in your home.
6. Pest control
Bugs and pests thrive in higher humidity environments, they do not like low and controlled humidity. Creating an environment adverse to insects is important in your home.
For more information about the air we breathe;
https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/introduction-indoor-air-quality
