Sizing a Dehumidifier for Your Palm Beach Home
Humid air isn’t just uncomfortable; it can also be damaging to your home. Humidity, if left unchecked, can lead to warped wood, discolored and damaged furniture, nasty odors, and even mold and mildew.
Relative humidity should never exceed 40 to 50 percent. If you’re not sure if your home’s air is too humid, look for signs such as musty smells, mold, condensation on glass, and stains on walls or ceilings. If you see any of those symptoms, you may have a humidity problem.
One of the most effective ways to deal with humidity is to use a dehumidifier, either a whole-house model for a home-wide issue with humidity, or a room/portable model for a more localized problem. Room dehumidifiers are small appliances that reduce the humidity levels in the air immediately around the appliance. A whole-house dehumidifier is connected directly to your forced-air HVAC system, with connections to your home’s plumbing and drainage systems.
Because room dehumidifiers are available in a wide range of sizes, consumers often have a difficult time choosing the right one. These dehumidifiers are measured in pints. It’s always better to err on the side of too many pints than too few. A dehumidifier that is too large for the space may not need to run as often to be effective. On the other hand, a dehumidifier that’s too small may need to run constantly without ever fully reducing the home’s humidity.
The following provides a good general guideline for appropriate sizes portable humidifiers for different sized spaces. The low end of the range should be used when the air is only moderately damp in humid weather. The high end of the range is best for humidity that leads to wet floors and stained ceilings and walls.
- 500 square feet – 10 to 16 pints
- 1,000 square feet – 14 to 23 pints
- 1,500 square feet – 18 to 30 pints
- 2,000 square feet – 22 to 37 pints
- 2,500 square feet – 26 to 44 pints
For more information on how a dehumidifier can improve your comfort and air quality, please contact us at NisAir Air Conditioning and Heating. We’ve proudly served St. Lucie, Indian River and Martin counties since 1973.
