Dehumidifier

By Anne Fonda

A dehumidifier is an appliance that removes excess moisture from the air in your home. You can improve the performance of an older air conditioner by using the dehumidifier to lower humidity levels all year round. This can be done even when you're not using the AC for cooling purposes. 

This article discusses whole-house dehumidifiers, which is what American Standard provides. 

A whole-house dehumidifier works sort of like your air conditioner, in that it cools the air to remove moisture. It draws warm, moist air over an evaporator coil. The coil contains refrigerant to help cool the air. When the air cools, it creates condensation that gathers at the bottom of the coil. This water then drains into a reservoir and eventually exits your home through a drain line.

The humidity level in your home is key to your comfort. Too high, and things feel sticky and damp. If the humidity is too low, the air dries out and you experience static electricity every time you touch a light switch. You want Goldilocks humidity - where it feels just right.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has numerous recommendations to improve indoor air quality. Controlling humidity is one of them. The EPA says a healthy and comfortable indoor humidity percentage is between 30-50%. 

High indoor humidity is more than 60% relative humidity. With anything over 60%, your chances of mold and mildew growth skyrocket. That means a decrease in air quality and potential damage to your home.

Not sure what the humidity level in your home is? If you have a programmable thermostat or smart thermostat, check there first. Most newer thermostats will display the relative humidity. You can also purchase a humidity monitor (hygrometer) online or at your local hardware store.

Test the humidity in different areas of your home. If only the basement has high humidity, you may have a water intrusion issue. This also applies if you have a crawl space and only the first floor has high humidity. But if the humidity is high throughout the house, you want to start exploring solutions.

Your home may need a whole-home dehumidifier if any of these apply.

You need to find the root cause of the high humidity in your home, and then apply the appropriate solutions. This could include waterproofing the basement, sealing and insulating, installing exhaust fans in the bathrooms, or installing a whole-house dehumidifier.

If you simply live in a humid climate, you may need a dehumidifier to run during the cooler months when you don’t need the AC but it’s not time to turn on the heat yet, either. When it’s humid outside you can’t just open the windows to improve ventilation and reduce humidity.

Whole-house dehumidifiers have numerous benefits. All of those problems listed above? Proper indoor humidity can reduce or completely eliminate them. A properly installed whole-home unit can:

By ensuring proper indoor humidity, you protect your home from damage and protect your family’s health and comfort.

Whole-house dehumidifier installation is a relatively simple procedure for a trained HVAC professional. You can use it alone or connect it to your HVAC system for better results. We recommend connecting it to your system's fan for optimal performance. By connecting the dehumidifier to your HVAC system, you can increase ventilation and reduce pollutants. 

In addition, you can control the humidity from your programmable thermostat. This allows you to optimize humidity control for overall comfort. And if you have an American Standard smart thermostat compatible with remote indoor temperature and humidity sensors, you can control the humidity, temperature, and other smart home features from the Home App. 

The American Standard whole-home dehumidifier is a relatively small dehumidifier unit. The compact design fits in tight, low-clearance spaces such as closets, crawl spaces, basements, or attics. All you need is a 120V plug outlet and an adequate drain. Larger pint capacities are available to provide humidity control for nearly any home. 

Still have questions about whole-house dehumidifiers and if getting one could improve your family’s comfort? Contact your local American Standard dealer for an air quality evaluation and product recommendations.

A Content Writer with Trane Technologies, Anne Fonda researches topics and writes for Trane® and associated residential HVAC brands. She works in collaboration with Trane Technologies subject matter experts, offering easy-to-understand, informative content on complex topics. Her goal is to help consumers make informed decisions on the products and services they need. 

She has written for HVAC and other service provider websites for over 16 years. Before transitioning to web content writing, Anne had a 14-year stint as an award-winning journalist. She graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism. When she’s not working, Anne enjoys playing word games, reading, gardening, spending time with family, and visiting gardens and museums.

Expert review by Jennie Bergman, Senior Product Manager, Indoor Air Quality