A scientific study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives showed that having relative humidity between 30% and 50% in your home is optimal for preventing most known respiratory health issues. When dealing with fluctuating conditions such as the ones in Clinton, TN, it can be difficult to maintain this ideal humidity level in your home. Humidifiers or dehumidifiers can be installed to regulate your humidity.
What Are the Similarities and Differences?
A humidifier adds humidity to the air while a dehumidifier reduces it. Ultimately, humidifiers and dehumidifiers share the same ultimate purpose: to improve the air quality in your home. Both machines can be portable or whole-home and can be programmed to run automatically based on the relative humidity in the air.
Humidifiers
Dry air in your home can cause several problems that range in severity. There are things that are simply uncomfortable and inconvenient such as cracked lips, while others are more serious such as frequent nose bleeds. The severity of the symptoms caused by the lack of humidity in your home doesn’t change the fact that it’s a problem that needs to be addressed.
While there are several different types of humidifiers, all of them essentially work the same way. In order to add the proper amount of moisture to the air in your home, a humidifier emits water vapor into the air, bringing your humidity levels to the desired percentage.
Dehumidifiers
If humidifiers work to add moisture to your air, it stands to reason that a dehumidifier reduces the amount of moisture in your home. A home that is too humid runs the risk of becoming filled with dust mites and other microorganisms that rely on dampness in the air to thrive. These undesirable environmental growths can be especially hazardous if there is anyone in your house that suffers from asthma or other respiratory illnesses.
In addition to the health risks associated with too much indoor humidity, homeowners may also notice damage to the home. This may include peeling paint and warped wooden surfaces where the moisture in the air condenses upon cooler surfaces like outside walls and windows. Condensate from humid homes can lead to more serious structural damage that can be costly to replace when not caught early.
While humidifiers rely on a source of liquid, dehumidifiers actually pull existing moisture out of the air. Inside the dehumidifier, there is a fan that pulls warm moisture out of the air and runs it over a cold coil. The moisture is then put through a process of condensation where it becomes a liquid and removed through a drainpipe in the dehumidifier or a removable tray.
After removal of the moisture from the air, the now-dry air is added back to the room after passing over a second coil, which is much warmer. Dehumidifiers have a feature called a dehumidistat, which turns the unit power on and off depending on the amount of moisture detected in the room.
Which One Do You Need?
Trying to decide between having a humidifier or dehumidifier installed in your home depends on the amount of moisture that is typically present. While it is possible to only need to have one of these devices, there is also a chance that you should look into both.
In areas with a moderate climate, you may experience extreme humidity during the summer months while the air becomes much drier during the winter. This fluctuation can leave your home experiencing less than optimal humidity almost all year. Fortunately, the solution for this issue is the simple installation of a humidifier or dehumidifier.
If you are experiencing issues that may be related to too much or too little humidity in your home, contact a professional HVAC service technician to have your home’s humidity level checked. Contact Melton Heating and Air Conditioning today to see about having humidity control devices installed in your home.
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