What is a Humidistat?
Is a thermostat-like device that automatically regulates the humidity of the air in a room or building. A dehumidistat is like a humidity thermostat that measures the amount of moisture in the air technically known as Relative Humidity (RH). Relative humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor in a mixture of air and water vapor.
Why is RH Relative Humidity important?
Mold can begin to take root inside your home when the relative humidity (RH) exceeds about 68 percent.
The Honeywell humidistat comes with regulation of your indoor environment. The humidistat by Honeywell lets you monitor and control humidity levels in your home. With a versatile operating range of 20-80% humidity.
Benefits of humidistat control installation
A humidistat, which directly controls indoor relative humidity, is one way to prevent mold. By setting the humidistat control to a set point below 68% tells the system to dehumidify the air to a desired point, in other words the Central Air Conditioning System comes back on to meet the desired humidistat setting in most cases overriding the temperature thermostat control settings. In the southern part of Florida many Seasonal Residents have this type of humidistat control installed to save energy, this application is recommended by many energy consultants including FPL to keep the home not cooled as if there is people staying at the home but rather controlling only humidity to prevent mold and run the air conditioning system only to maintain the RH Setting.
Humidistat controlling your AC system Vs. a Whole House Dehumidifier
The installation of a Humdistat control is simply another thermostat control that is by passing the original temperature thermostat control, this application may or may not work in some homes and the average air conditioner was not design for such after-market application. Air conditioning alone can’t satisfy your home’s humidity requirements. Your air conditioning system is designed to control temperature, not humidity, and only removes humidity as a byproduct of cooling, in other words the theory is that by running the air conditioning system it will remove the moisture out of the air by condensation. During the spring and fall seasons when it’s still cool outside but damp inside, your air conditioning isn’t running and your house is uncomfortable. During Summer seasons By using a dedicated central dehumidifier along with air conditioning, you can save energy. The dehumidifier removes moisture from the air while the air conditioner removes the heat.
Whole House Dehumidifier Installed in your home vs. a humidistat control
Whole House Dehumidifiers, All homes need humidity control. And in southern climates, they need it year round. Dehumidifiers have a solution for every size home. From compact 65-pint unit – perfect for townhomes, condominiums and homes with a closet HVAC system – all the way up to our 135-pint unit for homes that are 4,000 square feet or more. We can provide every homeowner the whole-home protection and performance of central dehumidification.
Home Energy Savings: Simply increase your thermostat by 3 degrees, set your dehumidifier to 59% RH, and be more comfortable! Never again over-cool your home to remove moisture from the air.
Preventing Mold: “Elevated relative humidity at a surface—70 percent or higher—can lead to problems with mold, corrosion, decay and other moisture related deterioration…An elevated relative humidity in carpet and within fabrics can lead to dust mite infestation and mildew (mildew is mold growing on fabrics. “There is no practical way to eliminate all molds indoors; the way to control indoor mold growth is to control moisture.”).- US Environmental Protection Agency.
“Molds are commonly found in outdoor air. However, any house can develop a mold problem given the right conditions. You might not see it growing on the walls, but it may still be present in your home. Molds require two factors to grow indoors: (1) free moisture that can occur in the form of relative humidity above 50 percent, leakage from pipes or foundations, or any ongoing source of water, and (2) something to grow on.” – American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Allergies: FACT: Did you know that dust mites (and their waste products) are one of the most common triggers for allergies and asthma? The Environmental Protection Agency advises keeping your home’s relative humidity between 30-50% to avoid dust mite infestation. Click here to see a chart containing optimum relative humidity ranges to minimize harmful contaminants such as dust mites, fungi and viruses.
