Last updated 9 hours ago
I’ve received more emails dealing with the topic of humidity in your homes than anything I’ve written about to date. After the last article I received many emails with “home” remedies to the moisture problem, so I decided to do one more article on this topic for now.
Some of the home remedies sent in by readers will be grouped together and discussed. One writer heard from a friend that crumpled newspapers will remove the moisture and odor. Another wrote in and said leaving kitty litter out in open pans did the trick for them. Yet others have used things such as open containers of baking soda and charcoal in open containers throughout the home.
I’ve got good news and bad news for you. The good news is these home remedies may remove the odor (the symptom of moisture issues) but the bad news is they don’t remove the real problem (excessive humidity and moisture). It is very much the same as taking a cold medicine to remove the symptoms of a cold though no cure is available as yet for the common cold.
High humidity and excess moisture can still do hidden and damaging things within the home, even though you have reduced or eliminated one of its most telling features. For those who are not convinced, I would suggest you get a device that measures relative humidity in your place and check the reading when you return. Humidity in the 60-80% range is beyond the optimal which I believe is closer to 50%. Dust mites, molds and allergens still thrive in humidity levels of 60-80% but are not likely to exist when the humidity is 50% or slightly less. Dust mites, pictured here, are microscopic bugs that live largely on human and animal dander. They need heat and humidity to live. They do not bite people but their presence and feces may cause allergic reactions in humans. Unfortunately, simply removing your odors without reducing your humidity will not take care of these bugs. Every time I see a picture of these, I am motivated to take care of the humidity in my home!
There is one other large issue in Florida concerning humidity. That is the several months each year the temperature is such we don’t need cooling or heat. Many open windows and enjoy the beautiful temperatures. Though it feels comfortable during those seasons our humidity level is still too high and quickly will rise to 60% or higher. This humidity issue will be an ongoing battle for all of us who live in a hot humid climate. There is no “one size fits all” strategy. Finding a competent HVAC contractor who is up on these matters can be as challenging as dealing with the problem itself. Talk to building science people who aren’t trying to sell anything to discover solutions best for you. Then take those solutions to contractors to implement. You may want to check with the Florida Solar Energy Center for building science information. Learn about building science using the library or Internet. For your energy related questions or comments email sranck@fpuc.com.
Last updated 5 days ago
The Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach, Yulee Chamber of Commerce selected our own Linda Winston, NE Florida Commercial Sales Account Manager, as 2011's Ambassador of the Year!
Chosen from a pool of 22 Ambassadors, this 600-strong body acknowledged and rewarded Linda for her recurring presence at area events and her boundless dedication to the community.
Congratulations Linda!
Last updated 7 days ago
My last two articles have struck a chord with the readers. I’ve gotten emails with questions about what to do with your homes here in Florida when you go back north for several months per year. Many of you have written that even with your best thinking and efforts you have not solved your dilemma. You still are returning to your Florida home after several months only to find a damp and musty home. Some folks have a thermostat/humidistat combination on your cooling system. The way this system should operate is when the thermostat is satisfied but the humidistat is not, the system will continue to run till both temperature and humidity settings are achieved. In Florida, the majority of the time the temperature will be satisfied first. But some readers have said they set their temperature at 80-85* while setting their humidistat at 70% relative humidity. That is a problem! As the graph shows the ideal humidity is between 40-60%. I would even recommend 45-50% is better yet. If you have both and set your at 50%, your temperature will end up being cooler than 80* because the system will run till the humidity is correct. This will eliminate the dampness but you will see higher utility costs for the summer months. Unfortunately, you can’t have a less humid home and lower costs at the same time. Winter months in Florida are also a problem. We may have days that are 55-70* where neither heat nor AC come on, yet our humidity is still in the 70-90% range. A humidistat set at 50% would cause your system to come on.
Separate dehumidification systems, which are stand alone models, have issues of their own. They may raise your electric bill from $25-$50 per month. They also do not do much to circulate the air. Finally, you either have to continually empty the bucket or connect a drain to the outside or to a drain.
The best solution is a properly sized and installed HVAC system with thermostat and humidistat tied to the system. There is also residential dehumidification or desiccant systems that are directly tied into your HVAC system. These are more effective than the stand alone models because they use the HVAC system to circulate the air, thus aiding in the dehumidification process. For all these type decisions find a reliable HVAC contractor and discuss your options. For all energy related questions or comments email sranck@fpuc.com.
Scott Ranck is Senior Conservation & Energy Specialist at Florida Public Utilities Company. Mr. Ranck is a state certified energy rater 1. He speaks all over the state of Florida on energy related topics. Mr. Ranck is available to speak to your group, HOA, Realtors Group, County Builders Association, classroom or any other group on energy related topics.
Last updated 12 days ago
I really enjoy hearing from those reading this column. I generally get several emails each week with questions or comments. I personally respond to each one and attempt to answer the questions. I recently had a reader write in with a question that I thought could apply to many who read this column. We have many, many “retirement” type communities with manufactured or modular type homes where the occupants are only here part of the year. Here is a question from someone in that category. I share this question with their permission.
“We are "snowbirds" but we own our 1987 28 x 48 manufactured home in Central FL. This home sits empty from June through October. We have a 4 ton air source heat pump, 4 yrs. old. We have found that it has good and bad features. In cold weather, it produces nice warm air--for a while-- then goes into the defrost mode and blows cold air for a while. That must be the nature of the beast. At least that's what the "experts" tell us. Now--my question to you: we leave the thermostat in the a/c mode, set at 83 degrees while the house is sitting empty. When we return Nov. 1 there is dampness present. Should we invest in a humidistat?”
The first thing I did was determine the square footage of the home. I multiplied the length times the width and discovered the home has 1344 square feet of conditioned space. I have no other information than what you have in this email. So, I had to make some assumptions. By the year, 1987, I know this modular home is not built to the current energy code. In most cases, however, manufactured homes are insulated and are fairly tight construction. A full manual J calculation would have to be done to determine the proper size of air conditioner. My home is 2050 square feet of living space built in 2002. I have a 3 ton air conditioning unit. I despise rules of thumb for air conditioner sizing, but the old rule of thumb was 1 ton of AC for every 500 square feet. That doesn’t work with newer construction, but, may be fairly close on older construction. If a full manual J calculation was done to determine the size of the AC unit, I’m thinking it would be 2 – 3 ton maximum.
What is happening while the family is away is this. The AC unit is too big for the space. It will run to cool the home to the 83* and turn off. Because it is so big, it can achieve that temperature too quickly. The air conditioner needs to run 20 minutes per hour to remove the humidity from the air. If it is “short cycling,” that is only running 5-8 minutes and satisfying the temperature, the moisture (relative humidity) is never removed and continues to build up the entire time they are away. Upon arrival back, the house will be at the desired temperature but will feel clammy because the relative humidity will be too high. The temporary solution may be a dehumidifier. The long term is replace the unit with a properly sized AC. For all energy related questions or comments email sranck@fpuc.com.
Last updated 14 days ago
The State of Florida is a leader nationally in building energy efficient homes. In 1979, the Florida State Government established a statue that allowed us to have our own building energy code, largely due to our unique climate. That code was developed and been in place since. The state currently has only one provider of energy related training and oversight for those working in the building energy rater system world (BERS), which is the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) in Cocoa, FL. FSEC is affiliated with the University of Central Florida. Our state has a certification for energy raters. Energy raters are people who may perform varying levels of energy related audits and evaluations on our homes. There are currently three levels of state certified energy raters. A level 3 energy rater may only input information from blueprints into approved software on new construction. They may help a builder know if he has achieved compliance with Florida’s Energy Code or project an unofficial HERS (Home Energy Rating System) Score which is measuring the builder’s home against the International Energy Conservation Code.
A state certified energy rater level II, may do what a level three may do but also may go out to a job site or existing home to both gather information or verify information to perform the computerized energy rating of the home. Whenever you have someone approach you to perform a “Free Energy Audit,” of your home, I would ask to see some evidence they hold this level II state certification. There is an online search engine you can search to verify for yourself a person’s credential.
A state certified energy rater level I, may do what both the other levels may do but also does diagnostic testing of both how “leaky” your home is and how “leaky” your duct system is. The level I certification is nationally recognized and someone with that credential may do energy rating work in every state but California. The pictures are the two diagnostic tests. The one with the big red frame in the doorway is testing the leakage of the walls, windows, basically the exterior of the home known as the envelope. The other unit attaches to the duct work and all the vents are taped off. A slight depressurization will pull air in through all the leaks in the ducts and the equipment will measure exactly how much leakage there is.
I highly recommend when doing energy upgrades to your home to investigate the rater search engine and find a rater near your home who can advise you. These people are trained, have spent thousands of dollars on training and equipment and are overseen for quality control purposes. There is also now a state registered trade association that many raters have formed to help develop and educate the industry. You may see that organization’s website at www.beapfl.org. For any energy related questions or comments email sranck@fpuc.com.
