Question about humidifier and de-humidifier
orange_cat
| Posted in General Questions on
We are discussing installing a humidifier (in the HVAC system)
https://www.neptronic.com/Humidifiers/pdf/SKE4/Brochures/SKE4-EBL_60Hz_220714.pdf
Aside from “is it any good” – should I also be asking for a de-humidifier?
We are in a fairly humid climate, Zone 5, nearl Lake Ontario, and while most of the humidity is in the summer – when presumably AC will take care of it – should I be worried regardless?
We have no basement (other than 7 by 20 mechanical room which is about 3 feet below grade), the rest is at grade.
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Replies
Winter dryness and summer humidity have the same cause: air infiltration. So the first step is to make your house as tight as possible.
In winter, each occupant introduces about five pints of water per day into the air from bathing, cooking, breathing and sweating. Depending on how much infiltration you have, you may need ventilation to clear the humidity or you may need humidification to make the air tolerable. In the summer the occupants are introducing the same amount of moisture, plus any outside air that leaks in brings humidity with it. But the difference between air conditioning and heating is that air conditioning also dehumidifies. Whether that's enough or an additional dehumidifier is necessary is hard to predict.