Welcome to North Carolina; where for 3 months the mornings are like a crisp November day and the afternoons feel like we are back in mid-July. During this time of the year we find ourselves tampering with the thermostat in our homes multiple times a day. This type of shift in the weather poses a problem for temperature control in your home. The worst thing you can do for your home is constantly adjusting the temperature on the thermostat. When you adjust the temperature in your house you are changing the relative humidity that is in the house. You are setting yourself up for many issues; moisture, mold, and a case of dangerous indoor air quality.
Humidity issues are the number one cause to mold growth. Humidity within the home can create moisture. If there are mold spores within the air they can multiply and grow as they land on these moist surfaces. The ideal relative humidity level you want for your home is between 30% and 50%. It is easy to keep tabs on the relative humidity in your home with the help of a moisture or humidity meter, which is available for purchase at any hardware store.
Once you discover your relative humidity levels in the home you have two options in maintaining this sacred state of balance. The first being the option to invest in an in-line dehumidifier for your air conditioning unit. This device is automatically activated in order to control the air quality within your house. Instead of constantly conditioning the home, the dehumidifier will allow a fan to run to circulate air and control the relative humidity in between that safety zone of 30-50%. If an in-line dehumidifier is not the route you’d like to take there is a simpler, cost efficient method which is a small, one room dehumidifier. They are rather inexpensive and are perfect for single room use, or tiny spaces.
Unfortunately, there is no clear answer on exactly what you should do with your thermostat. Every person’s comfort level is different. Therefore, the temperature within the home is irrelevant. It’s the control of the relative humidity in the home that you should try and control. The higher the humidity, the higher of a chance you have of running into mold problems and moisture within your walls and floor. It’s important to monitor the problems your home is having then to quickly find the most appropriate solution to fix it. Your problem this time of year is humidity, and your solution lies within a dehumidifier for your home.
