Installing a whole-house humidifier is a great way to improve your home’s
comfort and efficiency levels and foster a healthier indoor environment.
And just as your furnace has a thermostat that allows you to adjust your
home’s temperature levels, a humidifier has a humidistat that allows
you to adjust your home’s humidity levels. People are generally
more familiar with temperature levels than humidity levels, so there can
be some confusion about the best humidistat settings to use. Today we’re
going to clear the air by talking about how to figure out the right humidistat
settings for your St. Louis area home!
First, ensure your humidifier’s damper is in the correct position
Before we talk about humidistat settings, it’s important to ensure
that your humidifier is receiving air in the first place. Most furnace
humidifiers will have a damper located on the ductwork that controls the
flow of air to the unit. During the warmer months of the year, that damper
is closed because the humidifier is not needed. So when it comes time
to start using your humidifier, someone (either you or a Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning technician)
will have to push the lever on the damper to allow air to flow
into the unit. Typically, the correct position will be labeled with something
like “open,” “heating” or “winter.”
General guidelines for humidistat settings
Now that you know that your humidifier is receiving air, it’s time
to choose the proper humidistat settings. In general, a comfortable and
healthy indoor humidity level is somewhere between 30-55%. More specifically,
most homeowners find that a setting between 35-45% achieves the best results.
Feel free to experiment with different humidity levels, but pay attention
to your home’s windows any time that you increase the humidistat
setting. If water starts to build upon your windows, that’s a sign
that the humidity is too high and you should decrease the humidistat setting
by a few percent levels.
Considerations for humidistat settings when it’s very cold outside
One thing that you must take into account in regards to your humidistat
settings is the temperature outside. On days when it’s very cold
outside, your normal humidistat setting might be too high. That’s
because the colder temperatures outside of your windows will clash with
the higher temperatures and humidity levels on the indoor side of your
windows, which will cause condensation to build upon them. This condensation
can cause water damage to the walls and floors surrounding your windows.
If you notice condensation building up on your windows on very cold days,
decrease your humidistat setting by a few percent levels to compensate
for the lower outdoor temperatures. Some humidistats will monitor
the outdoor temperatures and adjust themselves automatically when it starts
to get extremely cold.
If you have any questions about your humidifier’s humidistat settings,
or if you’d like a heating system serviced or installed in your
home, contact Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning, your furnace installation and repair contractor
in St. Charles, MO. We provide service all over the St. Louis area, including
towns like Ballwin, Chesterfield, and Clarkson Valley, MO.
