Humidistat vs. Thermostat with humidity control
 

Hi, Just bought a patio villa built in 2011. Home inspector says it doesn't have humidity control. I've read the posts on this debate & there seems to be a difference of opinion. I will be gone for at least 3 months in the summer, the house has new carpet, furnishings & I have allergies. Any recommendations on which is the best way to go? In a perfect world it would have wifi so I could monitor it while gone. Thanks

Just set your T stat on about 80-82 and you will be fine. We installed a WI-FI thermostat that we can control with our cell phone. It will show the temperature and humidity in the house. That is a much better option than a humidifier T stat and close to the same price!

when we had a home in Ft Lauderdale we'd close it for the summer and set the temperature for 80 and never had any issues

what we also did was:
- we'd leave the closet doors open
- we'd prop up the pillows on the couches and chairs to allow air to circulate
- we'd leave a couple open boxes of Arm & Hammer around
- we'd pour some bleach into the toilet bowls
- we'd empty out the refrigerator
- I'd put a couple of ice cubes in a container and place it in the freezer...when we returned I check to see if those ice cubes were still individual cubes...if not, that means the power had gone off and all the food inside the freezer needed to be tossed
- we also had a neighbor that would check on the house
- we'd also empty out the ice machine in the frig and turn off that water line...(if you lost power, the ice would melt and you'd have a mess)
- lastly we'd turn off the water at the main

- there are folks in TV that will check you home while you're away...we've used a fellow named Don Nangle...super guy, former home inspector I believe...very reasonable 352.630.9509

Set the thermostat at 80 degrees. Close the main water supply valve. No need to worry about the humidity.

:bigbow::bigbow: 1 more thing turn off key pad garage door

Turn off the water heater.

Thank you, everyone!

I would not replace the theromostate with one that would lower your A/C 3 degrees if it got humid. If you want to reduce humidity I would put in a whole house dehumidifier or portable ones (probably portable).
What was suggest is find and should work well.

Another alternative I have read about is to lower the temp to say 70 degrees from midnight to morning. This would lower the humidity and help any damp areas to dry out. Then let the temp go back to 80 or 82 the rest of the time.

Not mentioned is the fan setting. My best guess is to set it on automatic. The problem is if the fan is running to just circulate air it is picking up moisture from the A/C drip pan and could add a little humidity to the home.