Anybody who has lived through a summer in Louisiana knows just how humid it gets here at that time of year—and high humidity makes the summer heat turn almost unbearable. A dehumidifier in a home is a great investment when it comes to both comfort and taking some of the strain off the air conditioning system. With the indoor relative humidity balanced between 30% and 50%, a house interior will feel 8°–10° cooler! Plus, the house will have fewer issues with mold growth, mildew, and water damage.
We recommend contacting our IAQ specialists to arrange for a whole-house dehumidifier installed into your home’s HVAC system. However, there are portable dehumidifiers that you can purchase from retailers. Why not just go with this less expensive option? We have five good reasons why you shouldn’t use a portable dehumidifier:
- First, portable dehumidifiers pose safety hazards. Many of these dehumidifier models have been recalled because they have started house fires. Professionally installed whole-house dehumidifiers do not pose fire risks.
- Second, the low cost of a portable dehumidifier can be deceptive. These systems are not as energy efficient as whole-house dehumidifiers, which are centrally placed to make it easier to remove moisture from the air. You’ll have to run a portable dehumidifier so often that you’ll soon cancel out the savings. (Plus, they have shorter lifespans than whole-house units.)
- Third, a portable dehumidifier only affects one room. Dragging it from room to room to try to spread around the dehumidification isn’t an attractive option.
- Fourth, portable dehumidifiers will add heat to your house, since they blow heat out of the back of the unit as they operate. This is the opposite of the affect you want from this kind of appliance. A whole-house unit vents the heat it generates to the outside.
- Fifth, a portable dehumidifier makes a great deal of noise, and isn’t the sort of thing you want running in your bedroom at night.
Call the Doctor of Home Comfort Today! Hall’s Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration serves Minden, LA, and we offer installation and other services for whole-house dehumidifiers.
