One thing for those running central AC and still have higher humidity, see if your thermostat has a swing adjustment. I found out mine was set to a +/- 1/4 degree swing, so the unit never ran long enough to really dehumidify the air. Once changed to 0.5 or 0.75 degree (one of those...) the unit runs the ideal 2-3 times per hour and my humidity levels are much better, usually around 42-45% (from above 50% before). Just something to keep in mind!
Those in Humid Areas, What Summer Indoor Humidity (RH) Do You Try to Maintain?
- Thread starter LoneRanger
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Originally Posted by CDX825
Originally Posted by atikovi
Is humidity even adjustable on newer A/C systems? I'm still using a 29 year old unit.
Some of the newer thermostats allow you to run the ac to dehumidify. What it does is allow the temperature to drop a few degrees below the set point if needed to remove the humidity.
This is exactly what the Honeywell Prestige IAQ thermostat does that was included in the pkg deal w/ our new system installed in February. There is a button on the touch screen titled "Dehumidification" and it's page is a slider scale to select the desired indoor humidity allowing choice of RH levels in 5% increments from 40 on up to, I think, 70 although I forget the upper limit. And there is a setting you can get to with the installer code that allows you to choose the over-cooling limit that the system will use trying to maintain the selected RH. I think the over cooling limits were 0, 1, 2, and 3 degrees below the current temperature set point (temp you have the thermostat set to).
I've noticed that with the Dehumidification feature active (select "Auto" and choose desired RH on the slider scale) the blower fan runs at a low speed just as you'd expect.
Originally Posted by atikovi
Is humidity even adjustable on newer A/C systems? I'm still using a 29 year old unit.
Some of the newer thermostats allow you to run the ac to dehumidify. What it does is allow the temperature to drop a few degrees below the set point if needed to remove the humidity.
This is exactly what the Honeywell Prestige IAQ thermostat does that was included in the pkg deal w/ our new system installed in February. There is a button on the touch screen titled "Dehumidification" and it's page is a slider scale to select the desired indoor humidity allowing choice of RH levels in 5% increments from 40 on up to, I think, 70 although I forget the upper limit. And there is a setting you can get to with the installer code that allows you to choose the over-cooling limit that the system will use trying to maintain the selected RH. I think the over cooling limits were 0, 1, 2, and 3 degrees below the current temperature set point (temp you have the thermostat set to).
I've noticed that with the Dehumidification feature active (select "Auto" and choose desired RH on the slider scale) the blower fan runs at a low speed just as you'd expect.
I turn off my humidifier in the spring because living by the lake here in Ontario the humidity will be anywhere between 40-50% usually until the really hot weather gets here and then it's a bit higher but that is with the A/C running so it skews the results.
My house leaks a lot of air because it's really old and has no insulation.
My house leaks a lot of air because it's really old and has no insulation.
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