Reduce Humidity In Your Home
Humidity In Your Brisbane Home
Living in Brisbane, QLD can often bring with it high levels of humidity, which is not only uncomfortable but can lead to issues like mould growth in your home. As electricians and air conditioning experts, our goal is to reduce humidity and keep your house cool and comfortable and improve your indoor air quality.
What Are The Signs Of High Humidity
High humidity levels in the home can be identified through a number of factors.
These include:
- Condensation on windows
- Damp patches or mould growth on walls
- An increase in dust mites and other allergens
- A musty smell throughout the property
- A feeling of clamminess
It is important to identify these signs early, as high humidity can cause further damage to your home and belongings over time
How To Reduce The Humidity
Humidity can be dealt with by two ways.
Use a Dehumidifier: A dehumidifier is an appliance that helps to remove excess moisture from the air. It works by drawing in humid air and passing it over a refrigerated coil, which causes the moisture to condense and collect in a reservoir. A dehumidifier can be used in any room of the house and can significantly reduce the level of humidity.
Air conditioners do have dehumidifying capabilities with the Dry Mode setting
Increase Ventilation: Poor ventilation can trap moisture and contribute to high humidity levels. To increase ventilation, open windows and doors to allow air to circulate, use exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens to remove excess moisture.
Dehumidifiers
Dehumidifiers are not air conditioners or air purifiers. They are specifically designed to pull moisture out of the air, making them ideal for combating high humidity levels.
Dehumidifiers can literally suck the moisture out of the air, removing it from the environment and helping to create an overall dryer atmosphere
Running a dehumidifier can help prevent mould growth on walls, ceilings and soft furnishings.
You can buy stand alone dehumidifiers and keep them switched on and they will pull the moisture out of the air in an area or room. You will then have to empty the water collection area and you will be amazed at how much water they can suck out of the air during the day.
Dry Mode on Your Air-Conditioner
As air conditioners have become more advanced and energy-efficient, many homeowners are using their air conditioning systems all year round for heating and cooling.
One feature that is often overlooked is the dry mode, which is useful during the humid months.
What is Dry Mode?
Dry mode, also known as dehumidification mode, is a setting on your air conditioner that removes excess moisture from the air without cooling the room.
On the control panel look for the icon that is a water drop.
We normally go straight for the cooling icon that is the snowflake and this cools the room but it does not reduce the humidity in the home.
When you turn on the dry mode, your air conditioner will run the fan on low speed, and the compressor will turn on and off as needed to maintain a comfortable humidity level. This mode is useful in on humid days when the humidity is making you feel uncomfortable rather than the actual heat of the day.
Think about the days that we have in Brisbane when it may rain for several days and everything just feels damp but it is not excessively hot.
These rainy times are when excess moisture can cause discomfort, mould growth, and health problems.
Benefits of Using Dry Mode
Improved Comfort: When the air in your home is too humid, it can feel muggy and uncomfortable. Using the dry mode on your air conditioner can help reduce the humidity levels and make your home feel more comfortable. This can also help reduce the risk of mould growth and health problems associated with high humidity levels.
Energy Savings: When you use the dry mode on your air conditioner, you are only removing excess moisture from the air, not cooling the room. This means that your air conditioner will use less energy, which can help you save money on your energy bills.
Extended Lifespan of Your Air Conditioner: Excess moisture in the air can cause your air conditioner to work harder and wear out faster. By using the dry mode on your air conditioner, you can reduce the workload on your system and extend its lifespan.
Cleaner Air: Using the dry mode on your air conditioner can also help improve the quality of air in your home. When the air is too humid, it can trap allergens and other pollutants, making them more difficult to remove. By reducing the humidity levels in your home, you can help remove these pollutants and breathe cleaner air.
Please note – You will need to keep your air- conditioner cleaned. If your air conditioner has not being cleaned for awhile. There is a likely hood of mould growth in your air conditioner and filters.
So keep your air conditioners professionally cleaned each year.
Book in for your yearly air con cleaning in August/September before the weather starts to heat up!
How to Use Dry Mode
To use the dry mode on your air conditioner, simply follow these steps:
- Turn on your air conditioner and select the dry mode setting.
- Set the temperature to a comfortable level.
- Wait for the air conditioner to reach the desired humidity level.
By removing excess moisture from the air, you can reduce the risk of mould growth and health problems, and breathe cleaner air. So, next time your home feels damp consider trying the dry mode and enjoy the benefits it has to offer.
Reduce Humidity And Mould In Your Home
With Brisbane being known for its humid climate, ceiling fans also help with air flow which helps to prevent mould growth. Ceiling fans effectively move air throughout the room, which helps reduce stagnant air. Running ceiling fans with your air conditioner will help to push either cooled air or de humidified air around the home.
Utilising Fans To Improve Air Circulation
Ceiling fans to improve air circulation is a great way to help with humidity levels but more importantly to keep air circulating around the home. Still damp air allows mould spores to take hold and flourish. We have all seen it happen in our home – One day a couch or a cushion looks fine and the next day it is splotchy with mould growth. It can happen so fast! You need to have good ventilation and air flow to ensure that moisture cannot build up in areas in your home. Keep areas like wardrobe and cupboards doors open and allow air to circulate
Don’t have large furniture pieces placed up against walls – Allow air flow around your furniture. In rooms that you don’t have air conditioning in- Install ceiling fans and keep the fans on to keep the air circulating
Keeping Humidity Down With Proper Ventilation
Other dehumidifying options include better ventilation and using extraction or exhaust fans in your bathrooms, laundries and of course your kitchen.
Ensure that your exhaust fans are working and in good order. Look up at your bathroom fan – does it need to be cleaned. They get dirty quickly with dust and dirt being sucked up and getting caught in the filter or grill. Regular cleaning will help it be more effective at removing the steam in the bathroom.
Is the range-hood in your kitchen effective at removing the steam and smoke while you are cooking?
A new range hood is not expensive and they are straightforward to install.
If you have a tumble dryer in your laundry – Have you got an extraction vent or hose set up where the hot damp air is sent outside rather than being pumped into your laundry?
Another option is to replace your old style tumble dryer with a heat pump dryer.
These suck the moisture out of the clothing and are cheaper to run.
Improve Your Homes Ventilation
At Spanos ElectriCool – We can help you will the installation of all appliances and this include range hoods, tumble dryers and bathroom extraction fans.
Proper ventilation is key to keeping the humidity bearable and ensuring that your home’s environment remains comfortable and mould free.
Here are four strategies for making sure your home stays drier:
- Installing exhaust fans. Exhaust fans help to draw moist air out of the house, allowing it to be replaced with drier outdoor air. Consider installing an exhaust fan in the laundry or replacing older exhaust fans with a new model.
- Utilise cross-ventilation. Open windows on opposite sides of your house at the same time to allow air to move through your home and circulate away any moisture build-up. Have open windows in the bathroom to help remove steam and condensation from hot showers.
- Consider buying a dehumidifier to reduce the amount of moisture in the air. They come in varying sizes depending on how large or small your space is.
Proper ventilation is a key part in dealing with humidity. Ensuring that air can circulate freely in and out of the house will help eliminate moisture and prevent mould outbreaks.
Book An Electrician To Help You Manage Humidity
By understanding how to tackle high humidity, your local electrician and air conditioning experts at Spanos ElectriCool can help you with better ventilation, better air circulation and we can even to install an newer model of air conditioner that comes with a Dry Mode.
Or if your air conditioner does have dry mode but it does not seem effective – Book us for an air conditioning service all and we can look at your system to see why it is not as effective as it should be.
So don’t let humidity become a problem; make sure you tackle it early before any potential harm is done and book us in to help you!