High Humidity: Why AC Humidity Control May Fail

Too much humidity is bad for your house. Your air conditioner (AC) should help control humidity in the house, but that doesn't always happen. Find out why high humidity is a problem and what can cause it.

The Dangers of High Humidity

Excessive humidity can cause several problems for a house, including the following:

Hot Environment
You feel warm and uncomfortable if the humidity is high because any moisture on your skin doesn't evaporate fast enough. Moisture on your skin needs to evaporate and facilitate heat exchange from your body to the environment.

Mold and Mildew
Mold and mildew thrive in moist, humid environments, and the growths may find their way into your ventilation system. Mold is a health risk that can also trigger allergic reactions in some people. Mold and mildew can also damage your walls and house furnishings.

Damage
Many materials are sensitive to moisture exposure. Paintings, decorations, and furniture are some of the things that moisture can damage. What is more, the damage may not be immediate, and you may only notice signs of damage when you can't do anything about it.

Musty Odor
Unusually high humidity can also cause a musty odor in your home. The odor arises due to the humidity-related damage as well as the mold and mildew growth.

High Utility Bills
Lastly, high humidity may also lead to high energy bills for your household. If your house is too humid, the AC will go into overdrive in an attempt to get rid of the excess moisture and keep the house comfortable. An overworked AC inevitably consumes more energy than it should normally consume, so your energy bill goes up.

Why the AC May Fail at Humidity Control

If you’re dealing with the consequences of high humidity, find out why your AC might be failing to control humidity effectively.

Oversized AC
To control humidity, the AC cools the air that blows over the evaporator coil. The moisture in the air condenses and flows through a drain and outside the home. The condensation takes time and requires the AC to run for some time.

A properly set AC cycles between periods of On and Off, and acting cooling takes place when the AC is On. The AC runs until the house temperature matches the temperature on the thermostat. If an AC is oversized, it only runs for a short time before it switches off. The short time isn't enough for proper condensation, and humidity levels remain high.

Negative Air Pressure
Negative air pressure means the pressure inside the house is higher than the pressure outside the house. The situation arises due to poor ventilation that draws too much air out of the home. Negative air pressure leads to high humidity because as soon as the AC removes moisture from your indoor air, more humid air from outside enters the house as the inside air leaves.

Wrong Setting
Humidity control only occurs when the AC fan runs. The AC fan only runs all the time when the thermostat fan setting is On. If you set the AC to Auto, then the fan will only run during the active cooling cycle of the AC.

Too Much Humidity
Although your AC controls humidity, its primary function is to lower your house's temperature. Thus, the AC alone can only manage effective humidity control if the humidity level is not extreme. You need further measures, such as the use of a dehumidifier, to help the AC control humidity in extreme cases.

Talk to Always Ready Repair if your AC struggles to control the humidity in your house. We will diagnose the issue and provide you with a professional solution. We can also help you with any other AC issue you have.