Minnesota is the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes. Actually, the number is 11,842, depending on what you include as a “lake.” That can certainly make for beautiful scenery, but it has an unpleasant side effect during the summer: humidity. Also mosquitos, but we’re not talking about mosquitos in this post.
When the summer weather arrives, and it will be here soon, humidity can turn a warm day into an unbearable one. The reason is that humidity acts like a blanket around you: it traps heat in your body by slowing down how much heat you can release by perspiration. Humidity doesn’t make the temperature hotter, but it will make it feel hotter—sometimes by 10°.
Would you like to get control of the humidity in your house this year? We can help with some tips as well as with our services.
Replace your old air conditioner with a variable-speed AC.
Although air conditioners aren’t dehumidifiers (unless they specifically come with humidity controls installed), poor air circulation from old ACs is a major cause of muggy, stagnant air. Just putting in a new air conditioner can help.
But what can really help is a variable-speed air conditioner. This is a special, high-efficiency air conditioning system with a fan that works at different speeds based on need. Not only does this save energy, it allows the AC to run for longer at a lower power level and more thoroughly remove moisture from the air.
Install a whole-house dehumidifier.
This is the most direct way to attack high humidity and also the most effective. A whole-house dehumidifier must be professionally installed into the HVAC system where it will work in conjunction with the air conditioning system so that it doesn’t end up making the house too dry.
A whole-house humidifier works similarly to an AC: it evaporates refrigerant to remove moisture from the air. Unlike an AC, a dehumidifier has greater capacity and it doesn’t lower the temperature of the air it dehumidifies. You can have our technicians install a whole-house dehumidifier in Minneapolis, MN.
Improve your home’s ventilation.
Good ventilation in a house is a huge help in moving humid air out. Opening up doors and windows when there’s a breeze blowing will remove humid air and create a cooling effect from the movement of the air.
Of course, you might not want to let the heat in during the summer, and there’s a way to have better ventilation plus humidity control without opening up the house: an energy recovery ventilator (ERV). These devices bring in fresh air but pre-cool it. They also remove humidity from the incoming air. We install ERVs for homes.
Target the basement.
A basement is a place that can turn into a humidity sink for the rest of the house—and it’s usually not a place that gets ventilated or air conditioned! You can put in a moisture barrier to help stop humidity from getting up through the basement.
You can also have a ductless mini split unit installed in the basement to keep it cool and the humidity level down. Ask us about ductless mini split installation.