[bonrich]

I hang Damp Rid in all the closets, open doors, and also open up dresser drawers that have clothing in it. Set your A/C and Humidity settings at whatever level you are comfortable with. Been doing this for years and so far, no problems.

[crash]

Originally Posted by Garywt

We keep the AC at 80 and the humidity under 50 and all has been fine for 2 years.

Agree no mold with these settings. Added a thermostat connected to the internet so I can see what the settings are and sends a notification if it stops working. This way if your air conditioner fails you can call a repair service.

[maggie1]

Originally Posted by Laker14

This wasn't intended to be a thread about what settings to use for temp and humidity. I am asking about desiccants to augment that, and what products folks use.
Thanks again.

We have the humidistat and A/C settings, but we also set out Damp Rid canisters to absorb the moisture in the closets. The combination of all three seems to have taken care of any problems with mold.

[Jeanette.U]

3 large damp rid containers set at different spots in house

[Malsua]

We never had an issue at 80 degrees set point.


That said, I have had other places where I put a damp rid suspended over the bathroom sink. When water collects, it goes down the drain.

Damprid really works well. If you ever leave the windows down in a vehicle during rain, one of the smaller damprids will fill up in a day or two.

[Rodneysblue]

Originally Posted by Laker14

This wasn't intended to be a thread about what settings to use for temp and humidity. I am asking about desiccants to augment that, and what products folks use.
Thanks again.

We use Damp Rid in the closets an keep the doors open.

[sallyg]

Agree to set thermostat at 80'. We leave all closet doors open and one ceiling fan on low. Have not had a problem in six years.

[leej63]

Been here 8 years, humidistat set 55, temp at 80. Closet doors open. No need for any additional measures.
Enjoy

[kkingston57]

Was in the insurance adjusting business.

1. Leave AC on 80-81 degrees
2. Turn water off at house valve
3. Have someone physically check home, Ideally once a week
4. Make sure AC pan drain line is cleaned out before you leave

[kkingston57]

You mentioned desiccants. Usually they are used IF their is moisture is above normal.

[SusanStCatherine]

You should be fine with a humidistat keeping humidity below the 60% magic number.

I used DampRid (calcium chloride crystals) in all closets and the pantry. There are at least three formats. One is a disposable hanging bag. Another is a cup your refill with flakes. My favorite is a container that you place a big tablet of DampRid in. DampRid removes moisture from the air and the water collects in the container. So if you're not around to empty the container, that's probably not good. I had a hanging bag of it leak onto the tile floor and was an oily mess.

Any valuables you have subject to humidity like photographs, camera equipment, musical instruments, etc. can be protected by adding silica gel packets and sealing them in an airtight container. The silica gel packets can be purchased on Amazon and some have indicators on them when they are saturated. They can be placed in the oven to dry out and be reused.

I find the humidity inside my house is higher in the winter because the air conditioner runs less and the air conditioner is what lowers the humidity. With a humidistat, thankfully that is taken care of for you. I would make sure your air conditioner and humidistat are functioning properly.

[GPGuar]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

We have lived here since 2008. The first four years we were snowbirds and were told to set the air at 83. We were gone for months at a time and had no issues. We did not have a separate dehumidifier, just air conditioning.

Same here, we were gone 5/6 months at a time and kept ac @ 83 and never had a problem and also did not have a separate dehumidifier.

[stebooo]

Just humidastat nothing else. Ok

[Tunesmith]

Up in Wisconsin, our A/C doesn't have a 'humidistat' control on it, so I had to look up what it was, and what it does. I thought this info might be useful to others, so here is what I found:

How Do Air Conditioners With Humidistat Work?
By Michelle Miley, updated November 28, 2018
Running a central air conditioning unit to maintain a comfortable temperature level inside your home when you won’t be there is costly, yet turning the air conditioning off completely in humid areas creates mold and mildew problems inside the home. The solution is a humidistat, which runs the air conditioner to control the humidity level inside the house independently of temperature.

How It Works:
While the thermostat on your air conditioner measures the temperature inside the home, a humidistat measures the humidity. If the temperature is high but the humidity level is low, the humidistat does not allow the air conditioner to run. This prevents using electricity to cool your home when you aren’t there. If, however, the humidity level inside the home creeps into the range where mold and mildew could become a problem, the humidistat runs the air conditioner until the humidity level is reduced. In this way, you protect your home from mold problems while you are away without having to maintain a specific temperature in the home.

Settings:
Make sure the air conditioner is set to the “cool” and “auto fan” settings, then set the temperature on the thermostat to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the humidity level on the humidistat to 58 percent. Although mold and mildew do not form at humidity levels below about 68 percent, Craig Muccio of the Florida Power & Light Company recommends a setting of 58 as humidistat gauges can be off by as much as 10 percent.

[rhood]

Originally Posted by Laker14

My HVAC tech said 80-60..why do you recommend 83?

Because she knows everything.