Do I Need A Dehumidifier?

You should ask yourself: Do I need a dehumidifier? Because to maintain a healthy environment at your beloved home, you require a balanced humidity level. A balanced humidity level suggests that either of the extremities of the humidity level isn’t acceptable, i.e. neither you would like to have the malignant growth of mold and mildew inside your home. That could happen if there is a high level of humidity, nor a low level of humidity is desired because it can cause various health and environment issues like chapped lips and cracks in your precious wooden furniture.

A hygrometer can come handy if you would like to measure the exact humidity level at a particular place inside your home. Once you’ve identified the accurate humidity level, you ought to take the appropriate steps to maintain a desirable level of humidity.

However, you should be careful while measuring humidity with a hygrometer because it may unintentionally neglect the corners where critical moisture problems, can, persist.

A humidifier is a household electronic device, which helps you to add moisture to desirable spaces. On the other hand, a dehumidifier is an electronic device that removes unnecessary moisture from its employed space which means that it serves exactly the opposite purpose of a humidifier.

Depending on the location and construction of a house, moisture unbalance can only happen during certain periods of the year or maybe year round. It can also happen that moisture problem persists in the complete home, or there is an equal chance of having it only in a single room or at some fixed locations.

Though a moisture problem can be minor it shouldn’t be neglected as it can cause big issues over time and hence, it is necessary to pay heed to humidity levels.

This guide will help you to deal with the excess humid conditions inside your living space. After you have a confirmation about the excess level of humidity inside your home, your first step should be to prevent the sources causing excess humidity, e.g. remove humidifiers, if any and try to remove other causes like leakages, etc.

Further, you should try to remove the excess humidity present in the environment. This can be done by using a dehumidifier. As we discussed earlier that a dehumidifier is an electronic device which you could use to remove excess humidity from the environment, it can be employed at the affected place.

Why do I need a dehumidifier? 5 Signs indicating I need a dehumidifier

Condensation at patio door and windows

The typical signs of having excess moisture in the room include, condensation on the interior side of window glass, beading of water on the window glass, presence of fog or vapor on the window glass, etc. These symptoms often exist due to the presence of a humidifier which is too large and provides excess humidity in the room.

Such excess build-up of moisture on the sill of windows causes decomposition of wooden casings. Also, this excess humidity provides sufficient conditions for mold to grow. To identify mold, you should look for dark or black grunge present on the bottom of windows or in the track of patio door.

For prevention against excess moisture, turn off any humidifier unit which is present in the room or simply reduce the moisture output of the humidifier which will reduce the moisture content of the room.

If the high moisture output of the humidifier is the only cause of excess moisture then drawing off humidifier to a certain limit and adding air circulation in the room by opening windows will solve the problem of excess moisture.

Moreover, there are other reasons that cause building up of moisture on windows and patio door which includes the presence of moisture in the construction materials such as the presence of moisture in the cement and with improper sealing of sheetrock walls.

The outdoor climate is also one of the factors which are related to the excess indoor moisture, if it rain for several days then it can also cause excess of moisture in the air and if the place or area have a very high humidity factor.

All the problems of excess moisture can be removed easily by installing a dehumidifier unit in the home or the specific room having excess moisture. A dehumidifier removes the excess amount of moisture and thus brings down the moisture content to an acceptable level.

Presence of mold spots in corners of wall and on ceiling

Moisture problems related to bathroom are often found on the corners of the walls and the ceiling of the bathroom. Moisture problems in the bathroom mainly occur due to the rising steam which increases humidity. Efficient fans are required to divert the steam and moisture to external surroundings and thus helps in reducing the excess humidity level.

Bathrooms which don’t have such fans will have to face unhealthy mold growths. A mold can grow in many places in bathroom such as walls, ceilings, baths or shower surroundings, around the toilet. Mold grows due to the presence of excess moisture and this mold is related to some very serious health issues. Improper plumbing and leaky toilet also cause increase in the humidity.
                                                                                                                           
We can use a small dehumidifier to reduce the amount of moisture present in the bathroom. Also, it is important to find the root cause of the problem because a dehumidifier will only reduce the amount of moisture present but we have to find a long-term solution which can reduce the amount of moisture by suppressing the cause of excess moisture.

For removing mold and repairing walls, such type of paint is recommended which is formulated to resist the growth of mold and can seal areas which have been repaired earlier. If such kind of paints is not used then it will be certain that the mold will grow back.

There are other areas of the house which are affected by the excess moisture problem which includes, storage areas, basement rooms, garages and closets. All spaces with poor air circulation.

Mold spots can also be discovered below the windows which are caused due to the use of faulty window seals and rotting casings. Such types of windows should be replaced along with the insulation, sheetrock and frames which will remove all the wet areas.

Musty smell or odor

If there is a presence of musty odor in places such as entrances, crawl spaces, basements and garages then this is a sign of the presence of mildew and mold. This problem is related to moisture which could be a recurring issue or a one-time problem. There are some reasons that are responsible for causing such problems, including construction sealing issues, wet basement areas, improper door/window seals, high ground water seepage. Such problems can be a natural occurrence or can be due to the improper installation of weeping tiles.

If there is a musty smell, it indicates the presence of mold which could be anywhere and is related to various health issues. In such cases, the use of a dehumidifier is necessary for an immediate removal of excess moisture. But one should also go for the cause of the problem so that the recurring events of excess moisture should be minimized. The affected wet areas will require heat to get dry.

In the laundry room, musty smelling towels, bedding and the presence of musty odor in the air indicates problems related to a front load washer or HE. Although front load washers are more efficient than the traditional top load washers but still, mold issues have been found in some front load washers. Many advances have been made by the manufacturers in order to reduce the problem of mold but still it can exist.

No specific brand can be related to mold issues, though there are some washers which are designed in such a way so that they are better than other washers. Learning the differences between a highly efficient front load washer and a top load washer is very important for avoiding mold issues.

The presence of musty odor in the laundry room can also be caused due to a plugged exterior vent or due to an interior dryer lint filter that has been neglected. This can cause moist air to be released by the dryer when drying a wash load and this moist air gets trapped inside since there is no unobstructed or clear air flow and this in turn causes a musty smell.

A fire hazard can be caused by interior or exterior plugged lint filters. Interior filter should be emptied after each dryer load and the exterior lint filter is cleared as required.

Recurring of spring ground water dampness

If spring water dampness re-occurs often or you have bought a home which has grayish or white water level marks in its basement then it is a sign that you need a dehumidifier to prevent the problem and to remove the extra moisture.

Also, it is necessary to investigate the cause of spring ground water to exist in the basement which may be due to inadequate weeping tiles, re-purging and sealing requirement of concrete or due to the reason that the house is built on a low plain or a historical river bed.

Inspect for mold, water stain marks before buying a home

If you are buying a home or an RV, it is a good idea to look for signs of excess moisture problems. These problems can annoy you as well as they can also cause serious health issues and may require an immediate corrective action. There are certain signs which indicate the excess moisture and water problems and these are, water level marks in basement, presence of mold or mildew in bathroom ceilings/walls, presence of mold in corners of walls.
                                                                                                         
Also, check for mold or musty smell behind furniture at baseboards, inside closets at the walls, below windows. If a fresh coat of paint is applied then it is also possible that the potential problems got masked and is done when a house goes on sale. This can cause the detection of water problems difficult. A solution to this problem is that you have to check the foundation and basement of the house.
                                                                  
If problems related to water and excess moisture are found or noticed then be sure to ask the seller about the reason behind the problems and confirm if any remedial action was taken or not. You could also bring an expert with you who could give you some advice related to the water problems that exists in the house and also provides an estimate of the possible costs of the remedy to the situation.

I hope we answered when do you need a dehumidifier with this article. And read more here if you are interested in dehumidifier benefits. So, these 5 are the certain indications which imply that you should need a dehumidifier at your service. Be sure to search the Internet and have a look at the various reviews for finding yourself the best dehumidifier.