Living in a hot and humid area like Florida sometimes means dealing with uncomfortable temperatures pretty much all year long — even inside your home. While the most ideal indoor relative humidity level is below 60%, or more specifically within the range of 30%-50%, it can be hard to enjoy that if you live in the Southeast.
Unfortunately, due to a variety of factors, it can be fairly easy for outdoor heat and humidity to get inside your home. When the humidity levels start to creep outside of the ideal range, you may notice signs ranging from a musty smell to a moist feeling in the air.
Luckily, you can use your air conditioning system to prevent or control humidity, creating a comfortable and healthy living environment for you and your family.
Humidity measures the amount of water vapor or moisture in the air and can be classified as absolute, relative and specific. This amount is expressed as a percentage, and the higher it falls outside of the ideal range, the more uncomfortable — and potentially harmful — the inside of your home will be.
Indoor humidity levels can go up whenever moisture or water stays or gets inside your home. This can happen if you have a crack in your walls or roof and water enters when it rains. Moisture levels can also increase just from normal daily activities like taking a shower.
When your home becomes too humid, the air will start to feel damp and sticky. High humidity will also make the temperature feel hotter than it really is. You may start to feel fatigued or even experience physical effects like dehydration or heat exhaustion. High humidity can also contribute to indoor mold growth, which can cause physical symptoms and health concerns, including rash, eye irritation, and respiratory issues like throat irritation and wheezing.
Lower humidity levels help keep you cool and allow you to breathe much easier. They also help prevent harmful mold and mildew from growing inside your home. When humidity levels fall in an ideal range, you’ll feel better and experience peace of mind knowing you and your family are safer, too.
Being able to maintain ideal humidity levels — even when it’s hot and humid outside — can have a positive effect on your air quality, comfort and health. One way to achieve this is through your air conditioning system. While it’s common to think of an air conditioner as producing cool, dry air, it’s actually designed to remove heat and moisture from the air.
When your indoor air enters through the ductwork, it passes over the evaporator coil, which contains a cold refrigerant. The refrigerant then absorbs the heat and moisture and condenses on the coil. When condensation occurs on the evaporator coils, it will start to drip into the pan and then drain away. Once this process is complete, the cooled air flows from your air conditioner back into your home.
If you’re dealing with high humidity indoors, you can make a few adjustments to your air conditioning system to ensure it’s running as effectively as possible:
If you are unable to adjust the settings or your air conditioning system isn’t working as it should, turn to a team of professionals. They’ll be able to access your system and determine what may need to be adjusted, repaired or replaced to keep your home cool and comfortable throughout the year.
If your system is old or damaged beyond repair, it’s time to consider a new one. A newer model can provide you with additional features, making it easier to control the humidity levels inside your home.
Along with running your air conditioner, you can try out several other alternatives to control the humidity level in your home:
At Strada Air Conditioning & Heating, we are committed to helping Florida homeowners effectively manage humidity levels inside their homes. Whether high humidity is negatively impacting your comfort levels or you just want to take proactive steps to protect your family’s health, our team has you covered.
We provide air conditioning installations, repairs and maintenance services to help you monitor and maintain a cool, comfortable environment inside your home. Our team of experts also offers a 10-year labor warranty so you can feel confident in the quality of our work. We’ll do whatever it takes to make sure your system is well-maintained and running as it should.
Ready to learn more and get started? You Oughta Call Strada. Reach out at 860-200-2854 today to schedule an appointment or get a quote.
Joe Strada, owner of Strada Electric, Security & Air Conditioning, started working at the young age of 14. He’s never attended college, but he has spent his life dedicating his time and energy to his trade and providing high-quality services to his customers. At 19, Joe started working at a well-known air conditioning company and developing his commitment to excellence. He has state certifications in electric, plumbing, air conditioning, residential building and general contracting. During his years of training and experience, Joe noticed a sincere need for a dependable electrical contractor in Florida who embodied the same dedication to customer service in which he believed. In 2003, Joe co-founded Strada Electric, Security & Air Conditioning. Since then, the company has been in the business of providing peace of mind to customers. We offer expert electric, security and air conditioning solutions for homes and businesses, leveraging our experience to deliver professional and responsive service with reliability and respect.
