If you're seeing consistent condensation around windows and walls, you may have a humidity problem that could lead to mold growth. Controlling humidity in your home is essential for preserving its structure and contents, as well as maintaining a healthy indoor environment. Thankfully, there are a range of solutions available to help you keep your home at the ideal humidity level safe. From exhaust fans to whole-house dehumidifiers and vapor barriers, Rytech Restoration mold remediation service experts have provided guidance on the perfect solutions to prevent moisture damage and mold in your home.
Humidity control helps preserve the house and its contents, as well as keep the indoor environment healthier. Because today's homes are built to higher energy efficiency standards, they are very tightly sealed. This means accumulating water vapor can rise to extreme levels that cause ongoing damage, such as warping/rotting wooden structural components and peeling paint, as well as triggering the growth of toxic mold. Overly humid homes also feel hotter in summer and clammy cold in winter, raising cooling and heating costs.
The Environmental Protection Agency recommends maintaining indoor humidity "ideally between 30% and 50%." Here are some methods of humidity control to keep your house in the ideal range.
How To Keep Ideal Humidity Levels In Your Home
Exhaust Humid Rooms
Bathing and cooking are sources of high indoor humidity. Exhaust fans should be installed in bathrooms and kitchens to vent water vapor through dedicated ducts all the way to the exterior of the house. Also, make sure the clothes dryer is adequately vented to the outdoors, and the vent is regularly cleared of lint.
Maintain Your HVAC System
A forced-air furnace helps dry out humidity in winter, and an air conditioner extracts water vapor during summer. Proper airflow through the system is critical to this process, so make sure the filter is changed regularly in all seasons and that your HVAC ductwork is intact and does not leak conditioned air.
Check Your Crawlspace
Rising groundwater that keeps soil under the house chronically moist can form a source of water vapor that migrates up into living spaces. Installing a vapor barrier to contain soil moisture reduces humidity infiltration. Also, look for ongoing plumbing leaks as well as uninsulated pipes that "sweat" and produce large amounts of condensation that can lead to water damage.
Consider A Whole-House Dehumidifier
Installed in your HVAC ductwork, a whole-house dehumidifier system continuously senses your home's humidity level in its airflow and extracts excess water vapor. Because all air volume in the house passes through the ductwork multiple times daily, comprehensive humidity control is achievable. These units are permanently plumbed into the household drain system and require only annual cleaning.
Prevent moisture damage and mold with effective humidity control.
PRO TIP: How To Prevent Humidity And Mold
Install a humidistat. Humidistats are devices used for monitoring and controlling relative humidity in a home. They can be used to set an ideal humidity level for your home and turn on the cooling or heating system when the humidity level exceeds the desired level. Humidistats can help maintain an optimal level of humidity in your home and can help reduce the potential for mold growth.
What To Do If You Have An Extreme Humidity Problem In Your Home
Humidity control is a necessary step in preserving the structural integrity of your home, protecting its contents, and maintaining a healthy indoor environment. Exhaust fans, whole-house dehumidifiers, vapor barriers, and humidistats all work to prevent moisture damage and mold.
Prevent moisture damage and mold with effective humidity control. If your home suffers from a severe humidity problem, the next step is to call Rytech Restoration for a mold inspection and recovery plan to remedy the situation.
