Where can we buy a Dehumidistat in The Villages?

[Barefoot]

Does anyone know where we can buy a humidistat in TV? We've tried Ace Hardware in Southern Trace and Wildwood, Home Depot, Johnstone Supply in Ocala, Lowes, and electrical supply company on 441.

Also, should we leave our golf cart plugged in or not? Should we leave the refrigerator plugged in or not? Opinions seems to vary wildly.

Thanks in advance.

Sadly leaving TV for the summer.
Barefoot no longer

[ohiogolf]

Munn's installed ours. It only took them a short time.

[graciegirl]

What is a humidistat and what does it do? Remove humidity?

[Russ_Boston]

According to the dictionary a humidistat measures humidity while a dehumidifier will lessen the humidity. I assume a humidistat will monitor the humidity and turn on a dehumidifier if the humidity goes beyond a set point?

Something like that?

Why not just set the AC to some high number and let it dehumidify the home while gone. Can't cost much to keep it at 80 degrees or so.

Of course I'm just guessing since i don't own in TV yet.

[chuckinca]

We keep our mostly vacant 1750 SF house at 80, leave the fridge on, hot water off, brother comes in twice monthly to have a cold one and check things out and drive the car around for the day, no cart yet. Nice having relatives close - a big reason why we bought in this area.

Electric bill averages about $65/mo ($85 in high summer and $10 in Nov)

[JanetandCarol]

I got my humidistat from Sunkool when they came to service the AC. We keep it set at 60 degrees and 80 degrees while we are still up North. We also put a serge protector on the AC. JanetandCarol

[bobfl]

The big problem is preventing mold in the house. This was a big surprise for us when we came to Florida. Never was a problem up North in RI.
The Humidistat is used to control operation of your airconditioning system by only running it when humidity reaches a set point. The temperature, not being controlled, will normally go higher than usual when running like this but since you are not there it really doesn't matter. If you were to set the thermostat to say 8o degrees without humidity control you could get into a situation where the temp was 79 degrees and the humidity was 85%. This would not be a good thing! They tell me that mold will begin to form above 70%. I set my humidistat to 60% and thermostat to 70 degrees. This works because they are wired in series. In essence the thermostat is always calling for the air to come on but the humidistat will only allow it to come on if humidity exceeds 60%. I have done this for seven consecutive years now and have never seen any mold or smells at all. Unit does not run much because nobody is showering, cooking or breathing moisture into the air. You only have to deal with whatever humidity leaks into the house from outside. Electric bill runs about $18 mo. in the Summer using this system.

For what its worth this what I have learned from research and living down here for seven years. I hope it helps

[Barefoot]

Bobfl - We are absolutely convinced of the wisdom of using a humidistat. You are very knowledgeable and I thank you for your information.

I know that for $130, Munns Air Conditioning will install a humidistat. Because my husband is very handy, he'd like to do it himself.

Does anyone know where we can buy a humidistat?

[Russ_Boston]

Good info Bob! Makes sense.

[Muncle]

Try http://tinyurl.com/5k73gd

That's Home Depot for the Honeywell HE8908 Humidistat Humidifier Control

[Barefoot]

Try http://tinyurl.com/5k73gd
That's Home Depot for the Honeywell HE8908 Humidistat Humidifier Control

Thanks Muncle, that is exactly the information I was looking for. :bigthumbsup: Thanks for getting out of bed so early to send me this note! Now I can go back to sleep.

[Sidney Lanier]

The fellow who services our golf cart in our driveway, who impresses us with his real attention to detail (All About Carts--Karl--whose phone number I don't have with us), says that not only should the golf cart be left UNPLUGGED during an absence (as well as unplugging the charger itself), he goes further to say that a purist would unplug the cart whenever it's fully charged! We'd been told to unplug virtually everything, from TVs to clock radios, the issue being lightning! We did install a whole house surge suppressor but even so know that lightning has a life of its own....

[Muncle]

We'd been told to unplug virtually everything, from TVs to clock radios, the issue being lightning! We did install a whole house surge suppressor but even so know that lightning has a life of its own....


I've been reading this :edit: forum too much. I read the above and was trying to understand where Sidney had The Villages plugged in and how one went about unplugging the entire community complex. Maybe I just need some rest. I saw the subject GOOD JOB FREEZERS and wondered if there was a hiring freeze on all the decent jobs in the area or if someone was bragging about a particular brand of freezer. And since I too am getting a bit burned out on some stuff, I am going to quit reading the I will not read the political forum any more thread. In fact, I believe an entire forum should be set up for the I will not read the political forum any more topic. It could lead to many variations. Right now I'm thinking about blackballing the Pet Discussion site, but I am curious about the shock collars and don't want to miss someone offering to test one on the LSL camera. Also the Churches of the Villages (TV!) is in trouble. If God wants me to know something, he probably won't send it via the TOTV threads. Yeah, I need some rest, but first, the meds.

[golfnut]

Bob, you have your thermostat set at 70 degrees and electric bill is $18 ?????

[hunt9791]

We've had a summer place up North in the mountains and it is only occupied for 5-6 weeks during the year and we always turn-off the refrigerator when we leave and prop the door open...same unit has lasted 32 years!!! Remember to unscrew the light bulb or better yet unplug it.

[bobfl]

Golfnut,

This is a little hard to explain so I'll try again. The thermostat and the Humidistat are wired in series. This means both switches must be closed to turn the air on. Kind of like the old Christmas tree light strings, one bad bulb and the whole string goes dead. Anyway, the thermostat by being set to 70 degrees will almost always be trying to turn the air on but since the signal must go through the humidistat it can't unless the humidistat sees over 60%. The bottom line is, the thermostat really is not in control at all, only the humidistat is. Therefore the temperature in the house may well go to 80 or 85 or more on hot days but air will only run if humidity climbs above 60%.

If however Humidistat and Thermostat are wired in parallel, then either on can turn the air on independent of each other. If that is the case they usually set temp to 80 degrees and humidistat to 60%. In this case max house temp will be 80 degrees and max humidity will be 60%

Hope this helps, even I'm getting confused!

Bob

[golfnut]

Bob, what happens if the temperature in the house is 68 and the humidity in the house is 90 percent?

[barb1191]

Does anyone know where we can buy a humidistat in TV?

Purchased one at Home Depot ONLINE for $26.97
Description Unit Price Qty Ship to Total

Honeywell HE8908 Humidistat Humidifier Control
Model H8908B1002
Store SKU 623194
Internet/Catalog SKU 100476731

Tax $2.27
Shipping Method UPS Standard Ground: $7.91
contact customer service at: 1-800-430-3376

[Barefoot]

Barb, thanks so much, Home Depot Online it is. That is exactly the information I wanted .. appreciate it!

[Sidney Lanier]

I just read what I wrote earlier in this thread and think I must have been losing it. Even I don't understand why I wrote what I did; maybe I was confusing this thread with another one.

Now, my question about humidistats: In practical terms, how is a humidistat installed? Is it on the wall close to the thermostat, or does it go on the a/c ductwork? How is it wired, and where does it get its power? (I gather it's a low voltage unit like the thermostat, yes?) Wiring in series as suggested earlier makes sense; how is this done?

Thanks for all info!

[barb1191]

Now, my question about humidistats: In practical terms, how is a humidistat installed? Is it on the wall close to the thermostat, or does it go on the a/c ductwork? How is it wired, and where does it get its power? (I gather it's a low voltage unit like the thermostat, yes?) Wiring in series as suggested earlier makes sense; how is this done?

Thanks for all info!


hope this helps......barb1191
http://www.diyornot.com/sample/DiySteps.asp?ndx1=2&ndx2=6&ndx3=0&Rcd=96

[Russ_Boston]

Barb, I think that is for a humidifier not a humidistat that operates the central AC unit.

[Barefoot]

I finally gave up trying to buy a humidistat. Munns is coming today to service the air conditioner and I've asked them to install one ... cost $130. They will install it on the wall next to the thermostat. I've heard it saves a whole bunch of money on air conditioning and prevents mould.

As Bobfl explained,
The thermostat and the Humidistat are wired in series. The bottom line is, the thermostat really is not in control at all, only the humidistat is. Therefore the temperature in the house may well go to 85 or more on hot days but air will only run if humidity climbs above 60%.

[Russ_Boston]

Barefoot - Sounds like a good deal to me. I guess you'll be back in Canada by the time i get there on the 26th? If so - safe travels and we'll meet some day!

[Sidney Lanier]

Hi Barb, yes, the link you sent is for installing a HUMIDIFIER (which I actually once did, and it worked by automatically coming on whenever the furnace fan came on), not a HUMIDISTAT. The first is to add moisture to furnace-heated air (which tends to be dry); the second is what we need in TV, where it will kick on the a/c when there is TOO MUCH humidity in the interior air.

I too am handy and would prefer to do my own installation, but I wanted to get some idea how they are actually set up before deciding one way or the other. Barefoot, can you tell me how Munn's sets it up and what the installer explains about how it works and how you are to set it? Many thanks! And now I see why I had written what I did in my first post on this thread about what to leave unplugged (most everything, we were told). Have a safe trip back to Canada, and we'll see you and Rick in the fall.

[barb1191]

Russ & Sidney....Oops!!!

Sorry for the "goof." What do I know? :dontknow: It's all "Greek" to me.

Appreciate your correction ....barb1191 :redface:

[Bubbalarry]

Bob, what happens if the temperature in the house is 68 and the humidity in the house is 90 percent?


First of all if humidistat is set properly to on and you have preset the high to 78 for AC and low to 67 for heat the humidity in the house will never get high at all because the unit is turning on for humidity not for temp.

The only time it comes on without the humidistat starting it is if the temp rises to 78 in the house or the temp drops to 67.

Now with the humidistat controlling AC & Heat it prevents the unit from coming on say 16 times in a given 24 hour period. Now it comes on perhaps half that time. So the savings comes from that both in $$$ saved and longevity of the system.

I hope this helps all who wish to get one. Believe me if your a seasonal resident why wouldn't you get one. If your not at the house during the summer why pay for A/C to run and run and...........so on.

We just had Munns put one in and the total costs came to $ 175.00 installed and they were the cheapest. According to them if you wait till the temp gets warmer outside the price is going up.

[Barefoot]

Barefoot - Sounds like a good deal to me. I guess you'll be back in Canada by the time i get there on the 26th? If so - safe travels and we'll meet some day!

Russ, sadly we are leaving on the 21st, so we won't meet this trip. But soon, I hope.

Munns installed our humidistat today .. cost $130 (plus we had the air conditioner serviced which was additional). The thermostat and humidistat are wired in series. They are side by side on the living wall. The Munns expert said to set the humidistat at 60% and the thermostat at 80 degrees with the fan on auto.

Re Columbia Par Car (golf cart), the Columbia people said it has been designed to be left plugged in. Otherwise the battery will lose 50% of its life (because we will be gone six months). Fireboy installed a surge protector in the Hydro panel and a surge strip for the battery charger.

It is a sad, sad thing preparing to leave The Villages. :barf:

[Bubbalarry]

Russ, sadly we are leaving on the 21st, so we won't meet this trip. But soon, I hope.

Munns installed our humidistat today .. cost $130 (plus we had the air conditioner serviced which was additional). The thermostat and humidistat are wired in series. They are side by side on the living wall. The Munns expert said to set the humidistat at 60% and the thermostat at 80 degrees with the fan on auto.

Re Columbia Par Car (golf cart), the Columbia people said it has been designed to be left plugged in. Otherwise the battery will lose 50% of its life (because we will be gone six months). Fireboy installed a surge protector in the Hydro panel and a surge strip for the battery charger.

It is a sad, sad thing preparing to leave The Villages. :barf:




Please tell me who was your service man, because I was told to turn it only to on not at 60% and how could they charge you only $ 130.00 when everyone in my neighborhood in Hadley village paid what I posted.

[Barefoot]

Please tell me who was your service man, because I was told to turn it only to on not at 60% and how could they charge you only $ 130.00 when everyone in my neighborhood in Hadley village paid what I posted.

Re price of Dehumidistat .. I'm assuming your air conditioning unit is new and it doesn't require servicing yet! Our air conditioner is four years old and we were paying for a service call anyway to have an annual a/c check. Service calls cost $96 per hour.
$130 is the discounted price to have a dehumidistat installed at the same time the guy is already being paid to be at your house doing a service call.

We were told: When leaving for an extended period, place thermostat in Cool Mode, Fan to Auto, and set the temperature to 78 degrees. Then turn the Dehumidistat to 60%.

[Bubbalarry]

Re price of Dehumidistat .. I'm assuming your air conditioning unit is new and it doesn't require servicing yet! Our air conditioner is four years old and we were paying for a service call anyway to have an annual a/c check. Service calls cost $96 per hour.
$130 is the discounted price to have a dehumidistat installed at the same time the guy is already being paid to be at your house doing a service call.

We were told: When leaving for an extended period, place thermostat in Cool Mode, Fan to Auto, and set the temperature to 78 degrees. Then turn the Dehumidistat to 60%.


I gotta call Munns as we got the complete opposite. Turn to auto set high for AC to 78 and low for heat to 67. Then turn unit to on which is past 60%.

BTW did the service man give you a instruction card? I have mine and read it again today. It's still telling me my setup is correct when leaving for extended periods of time. My unit is less than 6 mos old and since we had a free service call decided to install the item. So whatever the fee is my objection is we are getting 2 different answers here.

[Ice Cold]

The wall dehumidistats that wire into the thermostat is old technology. Have Sun kool put in a digital programmable thermostat with the humidity control built in. I have one in my house and they work together all the time not just in the summer. I set my temperature two degrees higher than I used to because my humidity is always at 55% Sometimes I felt clammy in the winter months, even when the temperature was low. I feel a lot more comfortable now :o

[Sidney Lanier]

I just finished researching and agree with your suggestion, Ice Cold! We just bought a Honeywell Vision Pro 8000 TH8321U1006 digital thermostat which has the humidity control as part of the operation, and I will install it when we get back to TV. I'm sure there'll be a learning curve with it (like you need a Ph.D. to figure it out, probably...), but my having replaced our older thermostats in our upstate NY home a few years ago with programmable digital ones, I have some idea and I'm sure we'll figure it out. Hopefully....

[mom2five]

I just had my dehumidistat installed and got the same directions as Barefoot. The card they gave me says the same thing.

The directions for when you return and are living in the house are to Turn the dehumidistat to the on position. set the thermostat to the desired temperature.

i also asked about the programable thermostat that runs all the time and he says it will not save you as much money as this system. It would be better for someone who lived in the house all the time not like us snowbirds.

[Russ_Boston]

Thanks for info ICE COLD and SL.

That looks like the way to go IMHO. I think I'll even install one on my AC system here in MA.

[Ice Cold]

:agree: check out this website and be amazed

http://www.forwardthinking.honeywell.com/visionpro_demo.html
This one of the coolest things I have seen, you can see the touchscreen thermostat and practice playing with the proramming. they made it user friendly

the old dial honeywell humidtsat is designed to over ride the thermosat, If it got set wrong it would freeze your ac coil and make a water leak in the garage or house

New technology my friends, get rid of the VHS tapes, its time to DVD's
maybe even blue ray.... whatever the heck that is ??? :dontknow: