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Posts Tagged ‘home dehumidifier’

So, you’ve been in your new house a while and have just about finished unpacking the boxes. You open the door to your cupboard to view the remaining boxes but startled by an unpleasant smell coming from somewhere inside. After some looking about you find it…mould.

There are many types of mould but all of which survive and do well in places where moisture is present, which can be there because of walls seeping water, damp surrounding fabrics, cardboard boxes and so on. It may be that your local area is very prone to high humidity levels air for example some climates and seasons will undoubtedly affect the humidity inside of your house. Air dehumidifiers can help in all these cases

Mould may cause allergic reactions for some people and may even set off lung irritability in people who normally are not susceptible to this knid of thing. It can harm anything it comes into contact with and be the cause of a nsaty smell occuring which maywell be persistent and difficult to remove. It could be a symptom of a drainage problem inside your house or even an air moisture problem.

To confront mould arm yourself with a mask and eye shield so that you don’t expose yourself to potentially harmful mould spores. After getting off as much as you can, with soap and water then use a commercial mildew cleaner or alternatively a quater of a cup of chlorine bleach.

Obviously depending upon the level of damage any damaged materials will have to be replaced and unless you solve the original moisture problem it will most likely need replacing again from further damage.

It may be worth checking your humidity level by purchasing a humidity meter (), if it gives you a measurement og over 50 then you really should get a dehumidifier. On the market today there are a wide range of dehumidifiers for sale starting from the 0 price. Here are a few guidelines to follow when purchasing a dehumidifier for your home: If you need a dehumidifier in more than one room then you will likely be better off purchasing a whole house dehumidifier rather than one for each room. It will do the job more efficiently and last longer than running several smaller dehumidifiers continuously which will incur more maintenance costs.

Also don’t forget that if you will be running your home dehumidifier in particularly cold places that it has an auto-switch off when it starts to freeze. If it doesn’t have one then it will become damaged if you run it and it starts to freeze. Itis a good idea to check that the noise level is uncomfortably high before you make a purchase.

Further more it may well be worth getting a trusted builder/contractor to take a look at the area to check for possible causes and remedies of the moisture problem. Also consult a doctor if you get any allergic symptoms and to discuss any further dangers it may pose in order to assess how seriously you need to take the mold problem.

Despite the cost of doing the above in the long run the value of your house and the health of your family should be your priority and taking a few simple steps such as buying a home dehumidifier (Comfort Aire dehumidifiers are particulary highly recommended) would be well worthwhile in the long run.

Musty odor is at the top of the list of undesireable qualities a house should not feature,it gives the impression of a place that is dirty and not looked after well. It may not be immediately noticeable for the residents there, but guests will certainly notice it. Furthermore musty odors are often the first sign of mould which is can also be associated with allergic reactions.

The season of the year may well determine whether the odors are present or not. For example, you may well leave the air conditioning unit on all the time during the hotter times of the year and the odor may go unnoticed but when the weather turns bad in the colder seasons the air-con will be off and the odor may comeback. Home dehumidifiers can definetely help here.

One of the main causes of musty odors is that of poorly maintained basements that have high humidity possibly due to wall cracks or condensation both of which give water an easy way to enter the property. If you want to stop musty odor you really need to put a stop to the cause of the smell but there may well be more than one cause. The following will enable you to track down the cause of the problem most quickly:

To prevent condensation on water pipes which can be a source of moisture particularly in winter months is to cover the water pipes with an insulated pipe wrap, these are relatively cheap and are an easy w3ay to prevent moisture dripping of the pipes and onto the floor.

A musty odor can permeate through an entire house when a households basement is allowed to develop high humidity levels through lack of air flow. Installation of a basement dehumidifier can prevent this problem from occurring and remove excess moisture, just make sure you have a drain available in order to take away the excess water gathered by the air dehumidifier otherwise you may have to purchase an air dehumidifier with a hose pipe and pump.

Ensure that moisture suspected to be from condenstion is not simply from leaky pipes with very small holes. Problems like this can be solved by fixing on a pipe leak clamp, or if the hole is very small, purchasing an epoxy compound from your local building supplier.

A problem of greater seriousness is when you have weeping walls that permit water to gain entry from the outdoors by seeping through them. The following method will help reduce the amount of moisture coming through the walls:
Ensure that there is a dry forecast.
Run home dehumidifiers and fans to dry the walls.
Using a brush with strong stiff bristles scrub the weeping areas with trisodium phosphate, which can be found at most regular home improvement stores and will clean the surface for you, allow the scrubbed walls to dry again completely.
Fully seal the walls using a latex concrete sealer and by following the guidelines provided by the manufacturer.
This technique by itself will usually do the trick, if not then get the professionals in.

Cracks in walls are also another potential source of moisture and may occur even in very new houses. The cracks are likely to be classed as active and may widen further or they could be inactive and be unlikely to expand more. Most cracks are not major and can be done with ready mixed concrete easily enough and a knife.

By following the above suggestions, focusing on your specific problems and with addition of a dehumidifier it is likely that you will be able to solve even the most persistent of household musty smells. Remember that home dehumidifiers and an air portable dehumidifier can help considerably

On a warm summers evening often higher than normal humidity levels will cause a good deal of discomfort and loss of sleep. It is for this particular reason that people struggling to sleep adopt the use of a home dehumidifier. For some people they might think that this is going a bit too far but take a look at the negative effects of long term excess humidity:

Disrupted sleep patterns, allergy problems surface due to an increase in dust mite populations, damage can be caused to wallpaper, wood finishes and painted surfaces i.e. Blistering because of condensation that may accumulate on the surface of water pipes inddors and occasionally on walls themselves. Metals in the house can also rust, condensation in electrical appliances can cause irreparable damage not to mention danger and finally musty smells can develop and form mould, mildew and fungus which can all be damaging to your health.

The most preferrable humidity level is somewhere between 40-50%. Air dehumidifiers can help maintain those levels twenty four hours a day. However selecting the most dehumidifier is not always that easy. As there are a wide variety of different makes and models on the market. Most manufacturers state what size room a dehumidifier is intended for but in reality because humidity levels alter a great deal between rooms it is not the best way to gauge which dehumidifier you ought to select.

A more preferrable question is: “About how much water do I need to remove from the air?”. From this answer you can then view the dehumidifer information to discover the one that gets rid of the most moisture from the enviroment each day, this figure is normally given by most manufacturers and is a fair guide, however be aware that both air flow and air temperature play a role in the dehumidifiers capabilities. Once you have figured out how much water per day you would like to remove from the are you are in a much better position to start shopping.

It is also helpful to identify the source of your high humidity, if it is an ongoing problem such as a leaky roof, bad plumbing and so on which cannot be fixed immediately/if ever then you are going to need a more powerful home dehumidifier. If however the problem is not that severe and just occasional then clearly a smaller home dehumidifier would be more suitable.

Furthermore here are a few features to look out for if you decide to purchase a air dehumidifier:

A continuous drainage feature will mean you don’t have to keep emptying the tank, or at least ensure that there is an auto-switch off mechanism to prevent it from flooding. Buying a home dehumidifier with wheels is helpful particularly for the elderly who may find them difficult to manoeuvre otherwise, a frost sensor that will switch it off when it becomes to cold is useful especially for basement areas. Low noise levels are very important especially if it is to be used in your bedroom and it is worth checking in the shop before getting it home as to how noisy it is, furthermore an air filter will ensure allergy sufferers aren’t adversely effected by the air flow and suffering unduly.

Considering all of the above factors and purchasing an air dehumidifier (ebac dehumidifiers are recommended) should enable you to maintain suitable levels of humidity that won’t interfere with you sleep patterns and ensure you are comfortable at night.

Humid indoor air in the home environment is not especially comfortable for anyone in the house. In addition to being insufferable at times, high humidity levels can set up conditions where different types of mold and mildew can thrive that in turn can be detrimental to both health and home. On top of that, humidness also creates a thriving atmosphere for dust mites. Whole house dehumidifiers are a simple and effective way of combating the problem of household humidity.

Humidity is a measure of the amount of moisture that air will hold and means much the same as the term relative humidity. The latter is the quantity of moisture in the air expressed as a percentage of how much moisture the air can retain at a certain temperature. For example, if the relative humidity is said to be eighty percent, the air is eighty percent saturated. The ideal level of relative humidity for an indoor environment is between thirty and fifty percent in warmer conditions and thirty to forty percent when it is colder. A home dehumidifier is capable of maintaining the optimal relative humidity indoors, which helps to minimize musty odors as well as protecting furnishings from harm by excessive dampness.

Fans are used in a dehumidifier to pull in air from the room into the unit. Once the air is in the device, the fans push it through a series of refrigeration elements that consist of warming and cooling coils. This process causes condensation. The condensed moisture that is removed from the air forms droplets which are allowed to dribble into a collection bucket or pan.

Once the dampness has been removed by this condensation process, the remaining air, that is now less humid, is blown back into the room. A home dehumidifier will increase the temperature of the surrounding air slightly, as opposed to window or portable air conditioners, that cool the air and also dehumidify it at the same time. Many of the more recent house dehumidifier models are designed to ventilate this warm air either through the back of the unit, or through ductwork. This is done so that this warmed up air is not moved into a living area where it is undesirable, particularly during warm weather.

A home dehumidifier works best at indoor temperatures that are above 65° F. At temperatures below this level, it can cause these air control machines to function less effectively with some models actually icing up. When these appliances are not working efficiently you do not get the benefit of dehumidified air and the unit will wind up costing more money to run as well. If you need to dehumidify a room or house at those lower temperatures on a regular basis, you should look for a model that is specifically certified by Energy Star to function at temperatures as low as 42° F and are fitted with an auto defrost function to keep ice from forming.

The model of dehumidifier that you ultimately choose for your house should be based on the overall humidity levels in the area, on the condition of the space that needs to be dehumidified, and by the square footage of the area. All air dehumidifiers are labeled to show the capacity for holding the water removed from the atmosphere. The most popular sizes range from thirty pint up to fifty pint with several able to hold even more than that. Prior to making a final buying decision, it is a good idea to read reviews on the individual models that are available, together with their energy ratings.

Believe it or not, the air inside modern houses can be up to five times more contaminated than outdoor air. When you also consider that we can spend up to ninety percent of our lives indoors, the term sick building syndrome should require little explanation.

Unlike outdoor air, inside air is recycled over and over again with pollutants such as tobacco smoke, pollen, mold, dust and pet dander all adding towards allergy induced asthma and allergic reactions.

There are various symptoms connected with so called sick building syndrome including stuffy nose, watery or itchy eyes, headaches, sluggishness, lack of concentration and nausea.  Certain immediate effects are akin to those from colds or other viral diseases, so it is often hard to decide if the symptoms are a result of exposure to inside air pollution.

If you discover that the symptoms fade when you outside, you should try to discover inside air sources which may be possible causes and endeavour to eliminate them. Fortunately, inside air pollution is one health risk that you can do something about.

Make a great difference to indoor air quality in your home with the following seven tips.

No Smoking Inside

Even though this may sound obvious, you should effectively ban smoking within your house or at the least confine it to one room. In our case, any friends or family that visit are restricted to the kitchen area or the back garden if they want to smoke. In the kitchen, an extractor fan drives the smoky air outside as it does with cooking odors.

Let the Bad Air Out

Provided that it is not freezing cold or blowing a gale outside, let some outdoor air in by opening up your windows and doors every now and then. Doing so will also get rid of some of the pollutants that have built up within your house. Make good use of kitchen and bathroom extractor fans. Clean and check the fan and any vents on a regular basis and clean or replace any filters that may be fitted.

Use Natural Home Cleaning Products

Take any one of those so called wonder kitchen cleaners from your cupboard and somewhere on the label will be a warning as to how dangerous they are to your health. Furthermore, look at what they are made of and see if you can recognize the names of any of the substances in that bottle. In fact, I doubt you will even be able to pronounce the name, not to mention know what it is. As soon as you use that product, a lot of those chemicals go into the air, the fumes of which are inhaled. How is it that some well known anti bacterial cleaners start your eyes watering and bring on a coughing fit. Personally, I have taken the enviromentally friendly route to household cleaning. Bicarbonate Of Soda, washing soda crystals, white vinegar and pure lemon juice will work wonders for most cleaning jobs. Not only do they cost less but they also do not release any toxic fumes into your house.

Clean and Dust Your House Regularly

Vacuuming your rugs and floors regularly will help to keep dust and airborne allergens at bay. Did you know that around seventy percent of dust inside the home is composed of dead skin which we humans continually shed. Dust mites like to feed on this dead skin which in turn makes them grow. They then shed their own skin and that, combined with their faeces is what causes allergic reactions in people.

Pet Dander Triggers Allergic Reactions

If you have a family pet, they will molt dander that can spark allergic reactions and asthma. If you suspect that you or a family member may be allergic to your family pet, action is needed. Ideally, it is better to keep pets out of the house altogether although that is rarely possible. As a possible alternative, try and restrict the rooms that the pet is allowed into. One definite area to keep them out of is the bedroom.

Reduce Indoor Air Humidity

Living in a damp clime or an area of high humidity can both result in moisture levels in the house rising dramatically. This excessive moisture or humidity is the ideal breeding conditions for mold. For anybody with allergies, mold spores can cause as many health problems as airborne dust. For that reason, a home dehumidifier can be vital. An air purifier dehumidifier will extract moisture from the air and into a water tank which you can then remove and pour away.

Get an Indoor Air Purifier

Home air purifiers or room air cleaners do as their name indicates and clean the air of pollutants and allergens like mold spores, pollen, cigarette smoke and pet dander.  As well as being employed to keep down the concentration of these airborne contaminants, they are especially useful for individuals who suffer from allergic reactions and asthma attacks.  Air purifiers and room air cleaners are rapidly increasing in popularity because they make indoor air healthier and cleaner. However, there are various types of air purifier, some of which can in reality make allergies worse rather than better.