The Destructive Power of Excessive Indoor Humidity

Summertime in Sandy Springs, GA, frequently brings excessive humidity along with the high temperatures. Here are three ways that excessive humidity affects your family and your home.

Health

Sweating is the body’s natural way to regulate its internal temperature. As the sweat evaporates from our skin, our body is cooled down. Excessive humidity hinders the evaporation process. Our body instinctively works harder to cool down, resulting in excessive sweating and increased respiration and blood circulation. If your body overheats, you might experience fatigue, dehydration, muscle cramps, or fainting. More severe conditions include heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Excess moisture also promotes the growth of bacteria and other microbes, decreasing your indoor air quality and aggravating conditions for asthma and allergy sufferers.

Comfort

Excessive humidity in your home compromises your comfort. Because our sweat is slower to evaporate in moist air, we feel uncomfortable and hot. Additionally, spikes in humidity levels often overwhelm your air conditioning system. The tendency is to turn down the thermostat a few degrees to increase the cool air and decrease the mugginess. However, lowering the temperature only leads to higher energy bills. It doesn’t provide effective cooling.

Belongings

When the outdoor temperature is over 50 degrees, indoor humidity levels shouldn’t exceed 50%. A high indoor moisture content damages furnishings, warps flooring, and causes paint and wallpaper to peel. Computers and other electronics are also vulnerable to excessive humidity. Excess moisture in basements and crawl spaces can lead to damaged drywall and floor joists, organic growth on block walls, and musty basement smells. Even food items in your pantry can succumb to high humidity levels.

A whole-home dehumidifier can alleviate the health and comfort problems associated with excessive humidity, boost your air quality, and reduce structural damage to your home. For more tips on improving your indoor air quality, check out our IAQ solutions, or call and talk with one of the comfort specialists at Ful-Bro Heating and Air Conditioning.