During a humid summer, excessive humidity can cause mold growth around your home and trigger allergies as a result. The heavy mugginess in the air that humidity causes can make it difficult for people with asthma to breathe as well. Drying your indoor air can help with both problems. Drier air can make a ceiling fan more effective at keeping you cool, in addition, and help you cut down on your use of the air conditioner. Lower levels of humidity can even make your home less prone to insect infestations.
A dehumidifier appliance can help you dry your indoor air for all these benefits. If you're considering a dehumidifier, however, you need to be aware of what could happen with incorrect use and know how to avoid these pitfalls.
Overly dry air could cause other health issues
Taking too much moisture out of your indoor air can make your skin and hair feel uncomfortably dry. It can cause flareups if you have eczema, and it can make you more uncomfortable if you have a cold or a cough, sinus trouble, or dry eyes. You also need to make extra sure that you stay hydrated, as your body loses moisture more quickly in a dry environment.
The answer is to make sure you don't overly dry the air in a room by improperly using your dehumidifier.
Overly dry air could affect your home
People tend to think that a dehumidifier can only be good for their home. Turning the air dry in your home, however, may cause drywall and water-based paint to dry up so much as to crack.
Some people attempt to use a dehumidifier in a room that's been freshly painted, in the belief that dry air will make the paint dry quickly. The truth is, however, that air that's overly dry can cause problems. Water-based paint, for example, bonds better to a wall when you allow it to cure at its own pace. Low levels of ambient humidity cause poor adherence and brittleness. Solvent-based paints aren't affected by humidity levels.
Lowering the humidity too quickly in a room with drywall can be a bad idea, as well. It can cause the drywall to crack. It isn't just dehumidifiers that achieve this effect, however. Turning on the central heating system and raising the temperature very quickly can do much the same thing. It's important to reduce humidity gradually.
The answer is to buy a dehumidifier equipped with a humidistat
A humidistat is a humidity sensor that measures the moisture content of the air passing through it. When you have such a device in your dehumidifier, it can help make sure that the air in your room doesn't become too dry. In general, a humidity level of 50 percent in the summer and 40 percent in the winter is healthy and ensures that you don't end up causing damage to your health or your home.
Buying a dehumidifier can be a good move if you live in a place with very high levels of humidity. The trick, however, is not to go overboard when you use the appliance. You could do as much harm as good using it incorrectly. Buying a model that comes with the right dehumidification capacity for the room you plan to put it in, and making sure that it allows you to set the level of dehumidification that you want it to stop at, can help make sure that you enjoy the benefits and comfort that dehumidification offers without the negatives.
Whole-house dehumidifiers are also available; they work in tandem with your central HVAC system to dehumidify the air. And finally, if your home has an older AC system, upgrading to a high-efficiency air conditioner might just provide the dehumidification you desire without the need for a dedicated dehumidifier.