LL OF HEALTH? levels and requiring your air conditioning system to work harder to keep temperature and humidity at comfortable levels. For various reasons, your air conditioning system may not be able to keep up with moisture intrusion into your home. To eliminate even more moisture you may decide to use a dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers come in various sizes and are usually measured by the pints of water per day that they can remove. Small portable dehumidifiers can be used if the problem isn’t too severe. For situations requiring more capacity, centralized equipment can be installed and linked directly to your air conditioning system’s duct work. Regular maintenance of your air conditioning system should always include checking and cleaning your system’s condensate drain. This drain takes all the water that your air conditioning system removes and conveys it to the outside of the building.
by Maxine Reneé
Insects, algae, dust, and dirt can clog this drain causing that moisture to remain inside and leak onto building materials and encourage mold growth. In addition to the primary drain, make sure your system has a secondary drain pan and an automatic shutoff installed that will cut power to your system if the drain is not functioning properly. Removing dust and dirt accumulated on your air conditioning unit’s inside coil will also result in more efficient removal of moisture. Total Comfort can also clean your duct work to help reverse the effects of previous moisture damage and implement features to prevent it in the future. Additionally, the installation of UV Lights within the existing system may also help curtail conditions that could lead to mold formation. Maintaining your plumbing system will also help control moisture. A plumbing maintenance includes checking water supplies to fixtures and tightening them
to stop or prevent leaks. Make sure that all supply lines to appliances are armored including supply hoses to your washing machine. Repairs to faucets can eliminate drips that contribute to moisture problems. Visual inspection of exposed pipes can help determine the likelihood of future failure and give you time to prevent things before they happen. Simple things like running your bath fan for 10 to 20 minutes after taking a shower will help lower the moisture level in a building. When you need to replace a bath fan use a fan with a humidistat or timer and make sure it exhausts to the exterior of your home. There are many more ways to help control moisture and inhibit the growth of mold and mildew and we will discuss even more of those methods in future articles. In the meantime, be aware of conditions that contribute to excess moisture and do whatever you can to eliminate them.
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