Use a Dehumidifier to Prevent Humidity Damage in Your Kansas Home

Use a Dehumidifier to Prevent Humidity Damage in Your Kansas Home Decreasing the humidity level in your home with a central dehumidifier can not only increase your comfort, but it can also help prevent future moisture problems. It’s simpler and less costly to reduce indoor humidity now than to deal with the consequences later down the road. Here are just a few areas in your home that can suffer from excess humidity:

  • Floors. Mildew, a form of mold that can grow in fibers, can thrive in carpets and padding. Besides musty odor, mildew can eventually disintegrate areas with a lot of growth. If left unattended, you may need to replace your carpets altogether. Excess humidity can also swell wood flooring.
  • Walls. Mold growing inside or on drywall will eventually rot it. Some kinds of mold emit toxic compounds, and the cleanup can be extensive and costly. Paint and wallpaper can also start peeling in an excessively humid environment.
  • Basement. Controlling the humidity in your basement can be particularly challenging, since moisture can seep into your floors and walls, either directly or indirectly as water vapor. This area provides a hospitable environment for mold and mildew growth. Anything with metal parts is vulnerable to rust damage.
  • Mechanical systems. High humidity can cause water condensation on toilet tanks and pipes inside your walls. Water constantly dripping on a surface can lift flooring, damage the subfloor and promote mold growth.
  • Attic. Excessive humidity in your attic can promote mold growth on anything stored inside it, as well as on insulation. Moldy insulation loses its ability to slow thermal transfer, which can increase cooling and heating costs.

If you run your air conditioner even when the temperature indoors is comfortable simply to dry the air, a central dehumidifier can save you a lot of energy dollars. A whole-house system will pull the air in your home through the system to dry, leaving you more comfortable with drier, cooler air.

If you’d like to learn more about using a dehumidifier for your whole home, contact Overland Park Heating & Cooling, Inc. We’ve been helping Greater Kansas City homeowners with their heating, cooling and home comfort issues since 1983.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Overland Park, Kansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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