Humidity… What’s The Problem?

sosmech — Wed, 06 May 2009 20:11:35 +0000

Have you ever been in your home and looked at your thermostat seeing a 76 degree home and yet you were sweating? Well, this is because the humidity level was too high in your home.

Humidity can be a good thing. A good comfortable level of humidity in your home is between 30% – 50% with 45% being ideal.

Humidity that is too high can stain ceilings and walls, and higher humidity can cause paint and wallpaper to peel. It is also a breeding ground for mold, rot and insects such as termites, cockroaches and dust mites. Homes that are more energy-efficient are also more likely to suffer from problems with higher humidity because they are tighter and less air is exchanged.

If the humidity is too low, you can suffer from dry noses and skin. Dryness can also damage wood and drywall in your home, cause your wood floors to shrink, and even cause your piano to go out of tune. Static electricity is also increased as the humidity levels decreased.

There are a few ways to help keep the humidity at an ideal level in your home. Here are a few suggestions…

1) Install a Trane 800/900 series thermostat with humidity control. These Trane thermostats do an excellent job of controlling your home humidity level using your home air conditioning system.

2) Install a Trane Fresh Effects. This will help your energy efficient home remove the humid air outside and bring in fresh outside air (pre-cooled & dehumidified)

3) If installing a new home heating and air conditioning system ( HVAC )… be sure to install

a fan system that has variable speed such as a Trane XV80 duel stage gas furnace.

It is also a good idea to install an air conditioner or heat pump system with a two stage/speed compressor (or even 2 compressors!). These air conditioning systems will run for a longer period of time at slower speeds. This allows the system to do a much better job of dehumidification making your home much more comfortable while being much more energy efficient since they are not starting/stopping as much.

SOS Mechanical is committed to helping you have the best home heating and air conditioning systems available for your home. We want to help you to be comfortable year round while saving as much energy as possible. Please click on the brochure Link at the top of our websites homepage if you would like any information on the Trane HVAC products mentioned above or give us a call at:

SOS Mechanical, Round Rock, Texas 512 238-6699

SOS Mechanical » humidity control

Humidity… What’s The Problem?