The summers in New York can be notoriously humid, turning what would normally be pleasantly warm weather into something much more unpleasant. It’s not that the high moisture levels is making that day any hotter. What’s actually happening is the moisture in the air is making it harder for your body to release heat—and when there’s more heat trapped in your body, the temperature will feel around 10°F hotter than it is!
There’s not much you can do about humidity when you’re outside, but with our help you can significantly improve humid conditions inside your home. You’ll enjoy better comfort and energy savings, and you’ll even help protect furnishings and keep out unhealthy molds.
The AC vs. Humidity
First, let’s look at the air conditioner. An AC isn’t a dehumidifier, although it has some dehumidification properties. When the air conditioner evaporates refrigerant along its indoor coils, it draws moisture from the air along with the heat. (This is why you hear water dripping inside the AC. It’s the condensate moisture dripping into a pan where it is then drained away.) This isn’t enough to control high humidity levels, although it can do the job on regular days.
If the air conditioner wasn’t properly installed in the first place—it’s too small for the space—the humidity will probably get out of control. If you’ve always experienced humidity issues with your current AC, we recommend having our professionals look it over to see if it’s the right size of unit or if it’s wearing down and needs to be replaced.
The Whole-House Dehumidifier
You have the right air conditioner, but to deal with high humidity you’ll probably need our technicians to install a special whole-house dehumidifier in Staten Island, NY. These devices work similarly to air conditioners: they circulate refrigerant through a coil and evaporate it to draw moisture from the air, along with heat. However, they recirculate the air they dehumidify and heat it back to its original temperature so they don’t cool down the air too much. This allows a dehumidifier to balance out the air conditioner with more powerful humidity control without interfering with the AC’s temperature control.
A whole-house dehumidifier is put into the HVAC system so all the rooms connected to the ducts receive the benefits. The humidity controls are then integrated into the climate controls on the thermostat so you can find the ideal humidity balance—you don’t want your house to become too dry! We recommend a relative humidity setting out 45% to 50% for comfort. Above 60% is considered too humid, and below 30% is too dry.
Duct Repair
Ductwork in poor condition can contribute to humidity problems around the house. If the ducts are leaking and drawing humid air from closed-off parts of the building, it can undo any good the AC or dehumidifier does. Incorrectly sized ducts can also contribute to humidity issues. Our HVAC experts can find out if you need duct repairs or replacements to assist with balancing your indoor humidity.
Beat the humid summer: call Bob Mims Heating & Air Conditioning. Serving Staten Island’s Heating and A/C needs since 1955!
