[evluoma]

As a new house owner I have been advised to have a humidistat installed so when we are not in the area, we do not have to worry about high humidity in our home. I was thinking that by keeping the air conditioning on during the summer (while we are gone) at a setting of 80 or below, that would prevent any humidity problems. Any opinions or advice is appreciated, including who you would hire to install a humidistat. Thanks.

[FenneyGuy]

I bought a dehumidifier and keep the humidity around 45% rather than 60+ %.

[villagetinker]

Not sure of the age of your home but most(?) of the newer homes have digital thermostats that have a humidity setting. Also, you absolutely need to keep the AC on when you are not here, or you will probably have a significant mold problem. If you have an older home, contact an AC service (I understand Chuck Farrel is quite good), and have a new thermostat installed. You might also consider a home watch service while you are away.

[SIRE1]

I also thought I should have a humidistat for the summers when we go back to Michigan and had one installed. When I tried to use it, however, I found that the AC would only run if the humidity got above the set level. But the AC would NOT run if the temperature in the house got over the thermostat setting. I had thought the AC would run if either the thermostat OR humidistat settings reach, but I found out it wasn't.

So now, I just leave the humidistat to ON (i.e. not engaged), and rely on the thermostat to trigger the AC when the temp in the house is over 80 degrees. I'm sure some of the newer humidistat will turn on the AC if either condition is met, but just to let you know what to look for if you decide to have one installed.

[anothersteve]

If you have a humidistat, and you are gone for the summer, you can dial it to 60% and set the thermostat to say 76. You are really only worried about controlling the humidity in the house not trying to keep it cool. This way if the humidity goes below 60% the AC kicks on.
Steve

[evluoma]

Originally Posted by SIRE1

I also thought I should have a humidistat for the summers when we go back to Michigan and had one installed. When I tried to use it, however, I found that the AC would only run if the humidity got above the set level. But the AC would NOT run if the temperature in the house got over the thermostat setting. I had thought the AC would run if either the thermostat OR humidistat settings reach, but I found out it wasn't.

So now, I just leave the humidistat to ON (i.e. not engaged), and rely on the thermostat to trigger the AC when the temp in the house is over 80 degrees. I'm sure some of the newer humidistat will turn on the AC if either condition is met, but just to let you know what to look for if you decide to have one installed.

Thanks for your reply. In my "online investigation" it appears that you can have your humidistat wired in series or in parallel. When wired in series, both your thermostat and humidistat must be asking for service for your AC to turn on. If wired in parallel, then if either ask for the AC to turn on (by either temp or humidity) then your AC will turn on. I believe it is easy to change the wiring, and it sounds like this might be what you are after. Hope this is useful to you.

[retiredguy123]

My understanding of most Carrier thermostats is that if you set the thermostat to 80 degrees, and turn OFF the humidity feature, the AC unit will run to maintain a temperature of 80 degrees and then shut off. If you set the thermostat to 80 degrees, and turn ON the humidity feature, the AC unit will still run to maintain a temperature of 80 degrees. BUT, when the humidity level in the house is higher than the humidity feature setting, the AC will continue to run and will "overcool" the house to about 3 degrees lower than the thermostat setting, or 77 degrees. So, the house will only be cooled to 77 degrees when you have a high humidity situation. When the humidity is low, the house will be maintained at 80 degrees and never go below that temperature. The humidity feature is a compromise feature that allows you to save energy by using a higher than ideal thermostat setting, while still maintaining some level of humidity control. I would only use the humidity feature when the house is going to be vacant.

[dewilson58]

There was a thread a couple years ago on this topic.


A poster, not me, said all this humidity concern was over rated. His/her point was, why is there not a lot of mold in everyone's garage??


Hmmmmmmmmm. Never thought about that.


Does someone have an answer??


Thanks.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

There was a thread a couple years ago on this topic.


A poster, not me, said all this humidity concern was over rated. His/her point was, why is there not a lot of mold in everyone's garage??


Hmmmmmmmmm. Never thought about that.


Does someone have an answer??


Thanks.

You are correct that the humidity concern is over-rated. I just checked my garage and the inside of my house. The garage temperature is 88 degrees and the humidity is 55 percent. Inside my house, the temperature is 75 degrees and the humidity is 55 percent. I would suggest that people buy a thermometer and humidity meter and monitor their house and garage. I think you can buy a combination device at Home Depot for about 10 dollars.

[Toymeister]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

You are correct that the humidity concern is over-rated. I just checked my garage and the inside of my house. The garage temperature is 88 degrees and the humidity is 55 percent. Inside my house, the temperature is 75 degrees and the humidity is 55 percent.

What is wrong with this piece of logic is these are measures of RELATIVE humidity. 88 degree air can hold more water than 75 degree air. His garage and home have different levels of absolute humidity.

[Altavia]

Mold tends to start in areas that have poor air circulation such as closets or on the wall behind dressers if you don't remove humidity.

Controlling indoor mold and mildew | Florida Health

[Professor]

We have been here 10 years and still see no need for something like that. You have the right idea. Leave the air on 80-82 when you are gone and the place should be fine...at least ours has always been.

[JudyLife]

Yes we have a humidistat installed by Munns as we are a long way away & can remotely monitor house temperature & humidity by wifi.

[daca55]

When I had an inspection done on my house before the Warrenty expired the engineer who did it advised me to get a humidistat. He informed me that the humidistat will control the humidity in my house while I am gone for the summer. He said what damages a house down here is not the heat but the humidity. He said that carpets that get wrinkled is because of high humidity.I had Sun Kool install one and I set it at 55% and the AC at 82 and after 10 years have never had a problem plus there is a savings on electricity because AC doesn’t run as often. I bought a humidity gage so my house watch people can check humidity to ensure the humidity is 55 or lower. After 10 years never had a problem with mold or wrinkled carpets. It’s the way to go if you leave your house for a long period.

[Magajane]

We’ve been in The Villages 16 years and leave for about 9 weeks in the summer and set out air at 80 and it’s fine when we get back. That’s what the air conditioning does.