Humidistat?
 

(Please forgive my phonetic spelling) Can anyone provide information on what a humidistat is, how I obtain one, do they really work, etc... I have seen them mentioned as a worthwhile item to add to your home system, etc...
Additional questions; are they seperate units from our installed system; can we expect that our new home already has one installed; I believe the firm MUND was the central installer for our home, does anyone recommend them for this item; does the unit typically work in conjunction with our existing thermostat; as you can see I don't have a clue and would appreciate any and all information.
Regards, B. Johnson

Yes, we had a humidistat installed in our Villa. It was installed by Munn's as an add on to work with the thermostat. How it works is if you are leaving for an extended period of time. The major problem with florida homes is humidity. Instead of the cooling system constantly turning on to cool the house, you would set the humidistat to 60% and your cooling to 78o. Then if the humidity exceeds 60% it will turn on your AC until the humidity level drops below the 60%. It may get very warm in the house certain times of the year, but as long as the humidity is below the setting, your AC will not have to turn on. It does save on power consumption. We plan on having one installed after we move into our new home. Call Munns and talk to them about it. Really helpful and will answer all your questions.

Thanks for the expedited response. I have Munns coming out on 2 March to give us our new home orientation; will discuss at that time. So what you are saying is that while you are actually in the home it is of no benefit; is that correct? Best regards, B. Johnson

A humidistat is a humidity controlled switch installed in your home, usually next to your thermostat. It will only allow your air conditioning to turn on if the humidity in the home exceeds whatever you have the dial set on. Typical settings for when you are away from home are to have your thermostat set at 80 - 82 degrees and the humidistat set at 60 %. This can be a real money saver for you during the months you aren't living in the home. Many caretakers of homes think the air conditioning isn't working properly,..they go into a home and it may be 85 or 90 degrees in there but the air isn't running. It's because the humidity hasn't exceeded the 60% or whatever the humidistat dial is set on. The heat won't hurt your belongings much but the humidity is pretty damaging, so if the humidity goes over what the dial is set on then the air will turn on.......Clear as mud?

It usually is an optionally installed item, and yes, Munn's does carry them. It's just a little box 2-3 inches wide by 4-5 inches tall. They usually mount this on the wall next to your thermostat.

When you are in your home you just put it to the on position and it is removed from the circuit. It's just a humidity controlled on/off switch.

No... when you are home, you can have the t-stat set to a higher temperature and still be comfortable. The lower humidity will make it seem cooler than it really is. This can save you additional money on your heating/cooling costs even when you are home.

All of the above is correct. Great add-on for your home, especially if you are away for a long period of time. And, yes, it does scare the home watch people that are not familiar with how it works. Your home with the humidistat working could very well be hot, but it will be dry.

I bought a hygrometer and set it on the end table under the de-humidistat for the home watch folks. Takes away any confusion (I think :))

I leave an index card on table with what the numbers should read.

This discussion is very interesting but confusing to me. Do you actually have a whole-house humidifier/dehumidifier? Furnace/Air or Heat pump? Or are you just using the Air conditioner for dehumidifying? Can you just install a combo-thermostat to handle heat-cool-dehumidify?
Programmable - Universal Staging Thermostats

We've saved hundred of dollars every summer by installing a humidistat. Thousands over the years. (We're not in TV in the summer so we don't care how hot it gets, we just want the humidity controlled). My husband installed it, he said Easy Peasy. We purchased it at Ace Hardware.

In this case, no, they do not have a whole house dehumidifier,...they just have either a straight cool system or a heat pump. The air conditioning does the dehumidifying. The thermostat handles the heating and cooling control. The Dehumidistat, when in use only allows the thermostat to work when the humidity in the home is above whatever you have the dial set on. 60% is the recommended humidity setting.

Thanks for posting the web site. The home we closed on last week has this but not sure which one is there, so saved to my favorites until we move in May. The owner raved about much his bill went down after he had the installed.

I'm not going to say I understand all the information that was provided but what I get is BLUF; it's a good thing! Thanks to all who helped! - B. Johnson

Humistat
 

I am a snow bird and had a humistat installed 10 years ago. I set it ay 55 and the temp at 80. My summer bills are around $30. I never had a problem with mold or anything else. The humistat is wired in series with the temp. You can have them installed by Sunshine HVAC.

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