Dehumidifiers can be a saving grace in the summer when the air tends to get swampy, sticky, and just way too warm. However, the transition from the dry winter to spring and summer heat can make it tough to know when exactly to turn your dehumidifier on. To determine the best time to turn on your dehumidifier, it’s helpful to know first how it works and what signs your home may give you to tell you to get it started.

How Does A Dehumidifier Work?
A whole-home dehumidifier works by being installed as an attachment to your furnace to dispel dehumidified air through your ductwork. Essentially, once your home’s humidity raises over a set percentage (traditionally 50%), your whole-home humidifier will be triggered to begin to take moisture from the air by pulling the humid air into a return duct and directing refrigerant through a coil. The moisture is removed from the air and sent down to either a collection pan or through a drain on the basement floor.

How Do I Know When I Need A Dehumidifier?
There are several telltale signs that your home has an excess of moisture and you may need a humidifier to remedy it and return your overall home comfort back to normal. These signs include:

• An increase in allergy symptoms
• One or more room in your home feels swampy, sticky, or stuffy
• Rotting or warping wood throughout the home
• Window condensation
• A new or increased presence of pests in your home
• Musty odours
• Watermarks on walls, ceilings, and/or floors
• A new or increased presence of mould in your home

When Do I Turn On My Dehumidifier?
Unfortunately, there isn’t an exact date or time that we can tell you to turn on your dehumidifier. It’s more important that you look for the signs listed above and keep an eye on the weather. Once it begins to be consistently warm and humid, it’s most likely time to turn on your dehumidifier. Some of the first signs that it’s time to turn on your dehumidifier usually present as a wet-dog smell or an uncomfortably moist or warm feeling in the air. To ensure that you’re turning on your dehumidifier at the right time, pay attention to your home and your overall level of comfort, and remember that the idea amount of humidity in your home’s air is between 30-50%.

If you’re interested in a whole-home dehumidifier this summer, contact Fahrhall for more information or to book an installation appointment.

Fahrhall has been proudly serving the Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent regions since 1967. Our team of HVAC experts is dedicated to providing our customers with quality service and equipment.

Connect with us on Facebook
for more HVAC tips and to stay up to date with our latest promotions.