What could be worse than putting the humid summer behind us, and then walking into a home that is even more humid than it just was outside? This is especially frustrating when you consider we have all been spending more time at home this year, and fall and winter are looking like much of the same!
Many homeowners in Worcester County and Talbot County have simply learned to accept it, assuming high humidity in their house is a problem that cannot be fixed. Here at Total Home Performance, we want you to know: You don’t need to live with a humid home! Here is what can cause moisture to build up in your living space, the threat it can pose to your health, and how it can be fixed.
Where the Moisture Comes From
With how stuffy the air can get outside during a Maryland summer, it can be easy to blame high indoor humidity on the weather. However, there are plenty of sources of moisture that come from inside the home as well! You could be adding to the humidity of your indoor air through the following activities:
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Bathing
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Cooking and the associated cleaning
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Laundry
Each of these activities will add to the humidity in your home, exacerbating any underlying issues with how your home is performing.
“Seal It Tight, Ventilate Right!”
Ideally, your home is built to be sealed off from the outside air, creating what we call a “building envelope”. However, most homes contain certain inefficiencies like air leaks, poor insulation, and issues stemming from an unfinished crawlspace. At Total Home Performance, we aim to fix chronically high home humidity levels by sealing a home tight, and ventilating it right!
Solving Moisture Issues Once and For All
If there are air leaks in your home, all that outdoor humidity will be allowed to freely enter your breathing air, along with other outdoor contaminants and pollutants like pet dander, pollen, dust, smoke, and more.
Lacking or outdated insulation allows the outdoor heat to transfer into your home through the materials that your home is made of. This causes indoor drafts and inconsistent temperatures, and in some cases provides the exact right conditions for mold to grow.
Seal It Tight
In order to gain true indoor humidity control, the Total Home Performance team locates any air leaks and seals them up, in a process called air sealing. Then, we locate any areas throughout the home that are in need of insulation upgrades to stabilize indoor temperatures all year round.
Depending on the state of your crawlspace, we may recommend waterproofing and dehumidifying the area underneath your home. Building envelope issues that stem from the crawlspace can be easily overlooked, and can affect the air throughout your entire living space!
Ventilate Right
Once we know your home has a good seal, we can ventilate your home as needed. This can be done through bathroom fans and over range hood fans that vent to the outdoors (not just up to the attic!), as well as whole-home ventilation and dehumidification equipment, like energy recovery ventilators.
Stay Comfortable, Stay Healthy, Stay Dry
If you are ready to get rid of that stuffy feeling you can’t seem to shake in your Eastern Shore home, get in touch with the home humidity experts at Total Home Performance. Getting started with a humidity and moisture assessment will uncover all of the issues causing your indoor humidity, so you can make the right moves with your home improvement upgrades and experience ideal indoor humidity all year long.