[rjm1cc]

What have you done to control humidity in your home?
How effective is it?

[PrudentLifer]

Originally Posted by rjm1cc

What have you done to control humidity in your home?

How effective is it?

Ok, nobody's chimed in yet, so here's mine. Humidity control does not exist unless your HVAC w/electric strip heaters is modified so as to control to a dehumification setpoint by way of a dehumidistat. Effective dehumidification can only be achieved if the humidity is removed by way of the evaporator in conjunction with simultaneous heat so as to not over cool the house yet keep the unit in cooling removing moisture in the process.
In the absence of a control modification if your air handler has a multi speed blower motor, setting it on its lowest speed will draw more moisture from the air thereby decreasing the relative humidity.



"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears..."
George Orwell

[Toymeister]

This may not answer your question but I see a few ways it can be interpreted.

I set the thermostat for 82 when I am not there. Then I set a Wi-Fi humidity alarm (of course) to 62%. If I get an alarm I'll lower the temp. It has never happened.

No matter what I set the temp to while it is occupied the humidity is 52 - 61%. I have the standard builder's grade carrier hvac that most people do.

[PrudentLifer]

The lower the temperature the greater the relative humidity and vice versa.


"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears..."
George Orwell

[vintageogauge]

We keep our temp at 75 and humidistat at 55 and have never had a humidity problem.

[boxcarwilly]

I use a window AC unit in the house with a drain container underneath at our cottage in Maine.If the humidity is 70% inside it will pull it down to a very comfortable 40% in about 20 minutes...so basically using a 8000btu window unit as a dehumidifier.

[crash]

We have a whole house dehumidifier and a variable speed system. Set the humidity at 45% and temperature at 78F. This is very comfortable and with the system usually running at 35% saves electricity even though it is almost always running.

[retiredguy123]

The standard HVAC system has a humidity setting that will work to cool your house to about 3 degrees below the temperature setting when the humidity is too high. This may allow you to save energy by using a higher temperature setting when you are not living in the house. But, it is not a good idea to use it when you are living in the house, because sometimes the house will be too hot or too cold. As stated in another post, a real dehumidifier will include a heater to "reheat" the air after the humidity has been removed by overcooling. This would allow you to control both the temperature and the humidity.

[Two Bills]

As an aside.
It is also best to keep A/C running in your car, even when using heating.
Air con system carries on removing moisture, and prevents dampness inside car..
Probably teaching grandma to suck eggs, but I only learnt about this a few years ago.
I always turned mine off in winter!

[billethkid]

not knowing how old the car is, the newer models one just sets the temp and the system determines whether to heat or cool....no turning on or off of anything required.....except defrosters.

[Two Bills]

Originally Posted by billethkid

not knowing how old the car is, the newer models one just sets the temp and the system determines whether to heat or cool....no turning on or off of anything required.....except defrosters.

Yes my car has the facility to run the temp. and air control system itself, but I can also turn anything on/up/down/off, by changing any setting, and until I was told to leave it on in winter, I always turned A/C off.

It can't make tea or coffee though!!

[PrudentLifer]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

The standard HVAC system has a humidity setting that will work to cool your house to about 3 degrees below the temperature setting when the humidity is too high. This may allow you to save energy by using a higher temperature setting when you are not living in the house. But, it is not a good idea to use it when you are living in the house, because sometimes the house will be too hot or too cold. As stated in another post, a real dehumidifier will include a heater to "reheat" the air after the humidity has been removed by overcooling. This would allow you to control both the temperature and the humidity.

Actually, the "reheat" is energized simultaneously with cooling so as to maintain a constant discharge air temperature that will not over or under cool the space yet remove moisture in the process until the desired humidity set point is met.


"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears..."
George Orwell

[FenneyGuy]

Originally Posted by rjm1cc

What have you done to control humidity in your home?
How effective is it?

I bought a portable dehumidifier and the humidity in our house dropped from 60% to 45%. The AC no longer overworks to control the humidity and our house is very comfortable.

[billethkid]

Originally Posted by FenneyGuy

I bought a portable dehumidifier and the humidity in our house dropped from 60% to 45%. The AC no longer overworks to control the humidity and our house is very comfortable.

That is impressive for a portable unit.

What brand and size dehumidifier?

Where do you have it located in the house relative to the thermostat?

[FenneyGuy]

Originally Posted by billethkid

That is impressive for a portable unit.

What brand and size dehumidifier?

Where do you have it located in the house relative to the thermostat?

Here it is:

Frigidaire FFAD7033R1, 70 Pint, White Dehumidifier

The thermostat is located at the entrance to our master; the dehumidifier is located next to our kitchen island, about 14 feet away. I drain it twice a day.