If you’re interested in a whole-house humidifier, it’s important to understand the potential downsides. Having this knowledge ensures that you are fully prepared for the investment and care that goes into managing one of these systems.
Keep reading to learn if a whole-house humidifier in Eugene is the right solution for your home and family. Then give us a call to complete an in-home assessment where we review precisely how one of these systems will work in your house.
How Does a Whole-House Dehumidifier Work?
A whole-house dehumidifier works by bringing humid air into the system and running it over a cold coil. This condenses the moisture in the air down into droplets where it channels away and out of the air. Healthy humidity is usually between 30% and 50%.
If your indoor humidity is at above 50%, you may want to invest in a whole-house dehumidifier to make your home a little more comfortable. Having one of these systems in place means that you need to be aware of common problems so you can call us sooner rather than later for service.
Water Leaks
It’s easy to think that a leak here or there is simply part of life when you own a dehumidifier. However, leaks can greatly impact how your dehumidifier operates. You do not have to tolerate leaks, and you shouldn’t. Any time you see a drip or a more significant leak, you need to call for service right away.
Clogs Due to Mineral Buildup
Sometimes leaks are caused by clogs in the line. However, you may realize that you have a clog before your dehumidifier ever begins leaking. Ideally, you want to schedule an annual service for your dehumidifier so that our team can check it out and identify problems before you face any concerns.
Clogs can happen if there are minerals or dust in the water. Minerals come from hard water, and dust can get trapped in any droplets in the air and transferred to your dehumidifier. These tiny particles can quickly build up in the small lines of your dehumidifier to form a clog that blocks water flow. This can cause your dehumidifier to build up water instead of letting it drain away outside of your home.
While this is similar to a leak, water is not leaking out because of any damage to the lines. Instead, it is leaking out because the dehumidifier itself is getting too full thanks to a blockage. Our team needs to clean out the lines to remove the blockage and get your dehumidifier working well again.
Bad Odors
You may also notice that your dehumidifier begins to have a bad odor. Specifically, the air blowing out of your dehumidifier may smell bad. Again, you may just think that this is a normal part of having a dehumidifier and that bad smells are normal from time to time. But bad odors coming from your dehumidifier can mean that there is mold growing in the system that needs to be eradicated.
It’s also possible that the air filter attached to your dehumidifier is dirty. It needs to be changed or cleaned out. If you’re not exactly sure where a bad odor is coming from, call our team to check out your dehumidifier so we can get down to the root cause and fix it.
Dehumidifier Settings
You have to be careful with your dehumidifier to use the proper settings. The ideal humidity range is somewhere between 30% and 50%. Check your settings every now and then, even if you aren’t changing them, to ensure that they are where you want them to be. It’s easy for someone to bump the control panel and inadvertently change the settings.
The dehumidifier may take too much moisture from the air and make your home too dry, or it may not be removing enough moisture from the air. Even within that range of 30% to 50%, you may have a preference for slightly more or less humidity. You may also adjust your settings at different times of the year based on the temperatures outside and the outdoor humidity.
Your comfort is our business! Comfort Flow Heating serves all of Oregon, so contact our team today to schedule your appointment.
