Lone Star Cooling and Heating
Get help with Humidifiers & Dehumidifiers
Call Lone Star Cooling and Heating, have us call you, or describe the issue.
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Call (325) 219-0005Whole-house humidifiers and dehumidifiers added to a heating and cooling system to hold indoor moisture in a comfortable range, for buildings that turn parched in winter or stay clammy in summer.
01Humidity
Moisture problems show up as feel, smell and water on glass long before anyone measures them.
Heated winter air carries little moisture, which shows up as static shocks, cracking wood trim and floorboards pulling apart. A humidifier on the system puts moisture back, run by a humidistat so it adds only what the building can hold.
A building that reaches its set temperature but still feels clammy is holding too much moisture. The cooling may be shutting off before it removes much water, and a dehumidifier on the ductwork can take out the rest without overcooling the rooms.
A musty smell usually means moisture is high enough for mildew to grow on surfaces. Finding any water source comes first, since a leak or poor drainage is not an equipment problem, and a dehumidifier handles the damp air that remains.
Water streaming down cold glass means the indoor air is too moist for the weather outside. A humidifier set too high, or one with no outdoor sensor, is a common cause, and the target usually needs to come down as it gets colder.
A water panel crusted with minerals, a closed supply valve, a failed solenoid or a blocked drain line stops a humidifier working or sends water where it should not go. Most humidifiers need their panel or pad replaced on a regular schedule.
02Adding or removing
Both are added to the existing system and both run from their own humidity control. They solve opposite problems.
Mounted on the supply or return duct at the furnace or air handler, fed by a water line and usually tied to a drain. Bypass and fan-powered models pass warm air over a wet panel, while steam models boil water electrically and add moisture even when the heat is not running. It earns its place in cold, dry winters.
A separate unit with its own coil and fan, ducted into the system or into the space it serves, with a drain for the water it collects. It removes moisture on its own schedule, whether or not the cooling is on, which is what humid climates, basements and mild damp seasons call for.
Humidifiers & Dehumidifiers
Serving Abilene, TX.
03Why cooling falls short
Cooling and drying happen on the same coil, but they are not the same job.
Air crossing a cold coil drops below the point where its moisture condenses, and that water runs to the drain. The coil has to run cold for a while before it sheds much water, so a system that switches on and off in short runs cools the air while removing very little moisture. Oversized equipment does exactly that.
Weather matters too. On a warm, humid spring day, or through a long spell of rain, the temperature may call for little cooling while the air holds plenty of moisture, and the thermostat has no reason to start the system. Newer, well-insulated buildings see this more, because they need less cooling to stay at temperature. A dehumidifier fills that gap without chilling the rooms.
04What changes the job
Adding humidity control is straightforward on most systems. These details decide how it is done.
A bypass humidifier relies on warm air from the furnace to evaporate its water. With a heat pump, whose supply air runs cooler, or where more output is needed, a steam humidifier often suits better.
Humidifiers need a water supply and most need a drain, and dehumidifiers need a drain for what they collect. Where those can be run from shapes where the equipment goes.
Older or single-pane windows limit how much moisture a building can hold in winter before the glass fogs, and a leaky building loses added moisture fast. Both set a practical ceiling on humidifying.
A humidistat or dehumidistat decides when the equipment runs. Models that read the outdoor temperature lower the winter target as it gets colder, which helps prevent condensation inside windows and walls.
05Questions
There is no single number for every building or season. Comfort usually sits in a moderate middle range, and in cold weather the right level drops, because the colder the glass, the less moisture it can take before water forms on it. A control that reads the outdoor temperature handles that shift on its own.
It treats the whole building through the ductwork and connects to a water line or a drain, so there is no tank to fill or empty. A portable unit can be enough for one room. For a whole floor or building, equipment tied into the system is usually easier to live with.
An air conditioner removes moisture only while its coil is cold and running. An oversized system reaches the set temperature and stops quickly, and in mild, humid weather it barely runs at all. A fan left on between cycles can also blow water from the wet coil back into the house.
What the system is doing, when it started, what the thermostat is set to and what it reads, and whether the outdoor unit is running. The age of the equipment and a photo of its label help a technician arrive prepared.
Lone Star Cooling and Heating
Call Lone Star Cooling and Heating, have us call you, or describe the issue.
Prefer to talk?
Call (325) 219-0005