Discover How to Reduce Humidity in Your Home

When you think of summertime, what comes to mind? For most folks, summer is all about relaxing in the sunshine while enjoying a cold glass of lemonade or taking that big family vacation. And at the end of your summertime adventures, there’s nothing quite like coming back home to a cool, air-conditioned living room to unwind in.

But if your house is sticky and humid, it’s hardly a respite from the summer heat. If high humidity levels leave you longing for winter’s chill once more, it’s time to take action. In this post from General Heating & Air Conditioning in Shakopee, we’re breaking down some of the steps you can take to get your home’s humidity under control. Give us a call to connect with our residential indoor air quality technicians today!

Humidity and Your Family’s Health

We all know that there’s a huge difference between dry heat and humidity when it comes to your home’s comfort level. Humid air feels much more stifling, our bodies seem to overheat easily, and it can even be more difficult to breathe. That’s because humidity in the air interferes with our body’s natural cooling mechanisms.

How Humidity Causes Overheating

High humidity levels mean that there’s an excess of water vapor or moisture in the air. Since the human body cools itself by producing sweat, this moisture can interfere with our body’s ability to cool our skin.

When humidity levels are manageable, our bodies will produce sweat that evaporates with our body heat, cooling our skin in the process. However, when humidity levels are high, the already humid air means our sweat doesn’t evaporate as easily. This causes us to feel much hotter and less comfortable.

The Impact of Humidity on Breathing

Breathing is also affected by humidity. Due to the presence of moisture in the air, nitrogen and oxygen become displaced, which means there is less oxygen available to breathe. And because we’re already less comfortable, this problem can be compounded. For asthma sufferers and individuals with heart or lung conditions, high humidity levels can even be dangerous.

Why is My House So Humid?

If you live in a home with high humidity, it may seem like everyone else’s home is more comfortable than yours. And with all of the health problems humidity can cause, living with humidity is more than just a minor frustration.

To get your home’s humidity level under control, it’s important to first understand what’s causing the problem. These are some of the most common causes of high humidity:

1.    Wrong AC Size

As experienced heating and cooling technicians, you’d be surprised at how often we encounter this problem. Too often, building contractors are in a hurry to put together a home and they don’t put a lot of careful consideration into the AC unit they’re installing.

Unfortunately, when the air conditioner is the wrong size for a home, it can cycle on and off inconsistently, which means humidity isn’t adequately drawn out of the air. If you suspect your air conditioner may be the wrong size for your home or you’re due for replacement of an older model, our AC experts can make a recommendation.

2.    Poor Ventilation

Does your home get enough fresh air? Maybe you live in a home with poor circulation or an older home where the windows are nailed shut. No matter what the reason, poor ventilation means there isn’t enough fresh air circulating through your home. Not only can this increase your home’s humidity levels, but it can also prevent pathogens from getting cycled out of your home.

Ductwork and HVAC design can both play a role in a home’s HVAC system functionality. If inadequate ventilation is a problem in your home, a new HVAC design will completely transform your home’s air circulation.

3.    AC Equipment Neglect

Any experienced air conditioning and heating technician will tell you that the key to HVAC function is regular maintenance. A system cleaning and tune-up can go a long way in increasing your AC’s function. It can also extend the lifespan of your unit.

To stay on top of your HVAC repairs and keep your system in good working order, we recommend scheduling regular tune-ups once or twice a year. We can even call to remind you that you’re due for a tune-up if you’d prefer.

Winter Humidity Control

Just as summertime humidity levels can be miserable, dry air in the winter comes with its own share of problems. From dry and cracked skin to respiratory issues, dry winter air can be just as uncomfortable and unhealthy as humid summer air.

As your heating system circulates heat through your home during the winter months, it can dry out your home’s already dry winter air. Our HVAC technicians at General Heating & Air Conditioning can install a whole home humidifier to replenish the moisture in your air so your home is more comfortable during the winter months.

Contact Our Twin Cities HVAC Pros Today

Is your home plagued with wet, muggy air this summer? If oscillating fans are no match for the humidity in your home, give General Heating & Air Conditioning a call today to connect with our heating and cooling technicians. Contact us online or call 952-445-2820 to connect with an air conditioning specialist to schedule your inspection and find out what we can do for your home.