Dealing with allergies that make you constantly cough, sneeze, and have itchy, runny eyes can make life miserable. Dallas, GA, has a humid climate that directly contributes to certain allergy issues and can worsen allergy symptoms. By using a whole-home dehumidifier to reduce the relative humidity level in your home, you can overcome these problems and breathe more easily.
What Allergens Are Impacted by a Dehumidifier?
The main concerns with high indoor humidity are that it increases the number of dust mites in the house and creates conditions for mold and mildew growth. Dust mites are a very common trigger for allergy and asthma symptoms, and they thrive in warm, moist conditions. Homes with a dehumidifier have significantly fewer dust mites than homes without one. Dust mites are especially a problem for people with asthma, as they can trigger an attack and airway irritation. Humid conditions also attract cockroaches, and the body parts they shed also trigger allergic reactions in many people.
Ideally, you should always try to keep the humidity level in your house between 35% and 50%. If the humidity level is higher, the population of dust mites will expand exponentially. You can also end up with condensation forming on various surfaces, allowing mold and mildew to grow and constantly release spores into the air. With a properly sized whole-home dehumidifier, you should have no issues keeping the humidity level under 50% to avoid mold and mildew issues. By controlling the humidity level in your house, you’ll also reduce the dust mite population in a short amount of time.
Another reason why high humidity is a concern for people who suffer from allergies and asthma is that it makes it more difficult to breathe. In overly humid conditions, it’s common to experience increased coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. With a dehumidifier, you’ll be able to breathe better and avoid worsening symptoms. The fact that humid air makes it more difficult to breathe is why dehumidifiers have also been shown to help combat snoring and improve sleep quality.
Do Whole-Home Dehumidifiers Help With Pollen Allergies?
While using a dehumidifier will help reduce certain allergy symptoms, it won’t do anything to combat pollen. It will still help you breathe more easily, but the only way to reduce indoor pollen is with an air filter or a whole-home air purification system.
If anyone in your house has pollen allergies or suffers from hay fever, you should use at least a MERV 10 air filter in your HVAC system during allergy season. Filters with lower MERV ratings mostly only trap dust and aren’t efficient enough to make much of a difference in the amount of pollen circulating around the house.
An even more effective solution is to upgrade your HVAC system with a media filter. Media filters are four to six times thicker than standard HVAC air filters, allowing them to trap a much higher percentage of pollen, mold spores, pet dander, and other allergens. If you have severe allergies, you may even want to upgrade to a HEPA filtration system. HEPA filters trap more than 99% of airborne particles, providing the highest level of filtration available.
Air filters are only effective against airborne particles, whereas air purification systems also tackle other issues that contribute to poor indoor air quality, including germs and chemicals. Many systems have a carbon filter that helps eliminate odors as well.
Portable vs. Whole-Home Dehumidifiers
Portable dehumidifiers can only dehumidify a small area at one time. They don’t remove nearly as much moisture as whole-home dehumidifiers. A whole-home dehumidifier is mounted onto the main supply return duct, enabling it to dehumidify the air coming through the HVAC system. As the HVAC system runs, the dehumidifier continually removes moisture from the incoming air. The system then circulates the drier air back around the house.
A whole-home dehumidifier is generally designed to run alongside a home’s heating and cooling equipment. However, you can also run the dehumidifier independently of the AC by switching the thermostat to where the HVAC fan or blower runs on its own. Most whole-home units can be controlled by a humidistat as well. A humidistat allows you to program your desired humidity level. If the AC turns on when the humidity level is below whatever the humidistat is programmed to, the dehumidifier won’t run. This ensures that you never have to worry about the air in the house getting too dry. Many smart thermostats can also function as a humidistat. In this case, you can program the dehumidifier to run whenever the humidity level is too high without having to manually switch on the HVAC fan.
One other important thing to note about whole-home dehumidifiers is that most units drain automatically, meaning you never need to empty the water reservoir. Some units just use gravity to drain water into a nearby floor drain or the main plumbing stack, while others rely on a pump to move the water. Portable units frequently need to be emptied, as they automatically shut off if the reservoir gets too full to ensure it won’t overflow.
How to Choose the Right Whole-Home Dehumidifier
The first step in choosing a whole-home dehumidifier is to determine what capacity you need, which is largely determined by the square footage of your house and how humid it typically gets. Capacity is measured in how many pints of moisture the dehumidifier can remove from the air per day. A unit with a capacity between 70 and 100 pints per day is usually sufficient for most homes. Large homes or overly damp spaces may need a capacity of 150 to 200 pints per day. Older houses typically also need at least slightly higher capacity, as they tend to have numerous places where humid air can leak in from outside.
Location is also important, as this determines what type of drain system you need. If there’s a floor drain near where you’re installing the dehumidifier, you’re better off choosing a unit that relies on gravity to drain. Units with a drain pump are more expensive upfront and use more energy.
Efficiency is also an important consideration when choosing a whole-home dehumidifier. Most units use between 300 and 700 watts of electricity per hour of running time. We always recommend installing an ENERGY STAR-certified dehumidifier when possible. While these units tend to cost more upfront, their lower energy demand means they are more cost-effective in the long term.
Since 1985, Precision Heating & Air has been helping homeowners in Dallas and the surrounding areas with all their indoor comfort needs. We offer a range of quality, energy-efficient whole-home dehumidifiers and will help you find the best unit for your home. We also offer a range of other indoor air quality solutions, including air filters, purification systems, and air duct cleaning. To schedule a consultation and learn if a whole-home dehumidifier is the right solution for your house, contact us at Precision Heating & Air today.
