Humidity levels can be just as trying as high temperatures in Louisiana, and while most local homes are focused on temperature control during our steamy summer months, muggy weather can be just as devastating as hot weather. People tend to lean on their air conditioners to take care of the problem, and while that works – crudely – it also adds a great deal of strain to your system. A better solution is the installation of a whole-house dehumidifier to control humidity levels. Here’s a quick breakdown of how it all works.
Why Is Muggy Air So Uncomfortable?
Nobody likes dealing with high humidity levels, but few people understand why it makes us so uncomfortable. It has to do with our body’s natural way to keep cool. We sweat to cool down, but it’s not the sweat itself that makes that happens. It’s the way the sweat evaporates in the air that cools your body down. But when there’s too much ambient moisture in the air the sweat can’t evaporate. Not only does that leave you feeling clammy and gross, but your body won’t cool down, leaving the air feeling hotter than it actually is.
On top of all that, high humidity levels can foster the growth of mold and bacteria in your home, which can lead to illness within your family if you’re not careful. And in extreme cases, high humidity can even damage furnishing in your home.
Why Not Just Use Air Conditioning?
An air conditioner acts as a dehumidifier by default because, since lowering the temperature of the air is the best way to get rid of the moisture. As the temperature falls, the water vapor in the air shifts to liquid form, resulting in droplets that leave the air. (This is why you get dew on the ground in the cool hours of the early morning.)
The problem with that process is that an air conditioner is set up for temperature control, not humidity control. So while it can dry out the air, it does so imprecisely, and you have no control over how much the ambient moisture is reduced. Furthermore, the process can add a great deal of strain to the air conditioner – on top of the added strain that comes for your body feeling warmer – which increases both its energy consumption and the risks of a breakdown.
A dehumidifier, on the other hand, is built with that specific purpose in mind. Its settings can be adjusted, allowing you to set the precise humidity levels you wish, and it has a deeper drain system, which means it won’t be overwhelmed by high humidity levels the way an air conditioner will. Indeed, installing a whole-house dehumidifier is a great way to take the strain of our humid atmosphere off of your air conditioner: lowering monthly costs, reducing wear and tear and helping to extend the life of your entire system.
The friendly pros at A Professional Heating and Air can install and repair whole-house dehumidifiers throughout the Walker, LA area!