How To Dehumidify Your Home
Excess humidity in the home decreases comfort. On top of that, the risk of mold and moisture damage to furnishings rises significantly. You have two options for how to dehumidify your home. You could plug in one or more portable dehumidifiers. Alternatively, a whole-house dehumidifier offers the ideal solution. A whole-house dehumidifier ties into your existing HVAC ductwork.
Advantages Of A Whole-House Dehumidifier
A whole-house dehumidifier pulls moisture from the entire house. This exceeds the capabilities of a portable dehumidifier that can only work in a single room. You’ll find that a whole-house dehumidifier is more convenient too. The appliance automatically drains the condensate to the outside through a dedicated drain line. This means it can operate continually. This compares quite favorably to a portable unit that shuts off until you manually empty the collection bucket.
Tools Needed
- Measuring tape
- Power drill
- Drywall knife
- Tin snips
- Flexible ducting
- HVAC-grade aluminum tape
- Electrical pliers
- Fish tape
Step by Step Directions:
Choose whether you want to use portable dehumidifiers or install a whole-house dehumidifier.
For Portable Dehumidifiers:
- Clear a space on the floor in a room with a moisture problem.
- Confirm that an electrical outlet is within reach of where you want to position the dehumidifier.
- Position the dehumidifier and plug it in.
- Check the dehumidifier daily to see if you need to empty the water collection tank.
For A Whole-House Dehumidifier Independent Of The Air Conditioner:
- Find a location, like a hallway ceiling, where you can cut in a new air-return duct.
- Determine where you can mount a dehumidifier near the new return-air duct and existing supply duct.
- Measure your new return-air vent and cut a hole in the ceiling with a drywall knife.
- Using your power drill to drive screws, install the new return-air vent.
- Run flexible ducting from the return-air vent to the inlet pipe of the dehumidifier.
- Secure the ducting with screws and tape.
- Cut a hole with tin snips in the supply duct the diameter of the flexible ducting.
- Connect flexible ducting from the outlet of the dehumidifier to the supply duct.
- Connect the dehumidifier to an electrical supply.
- Connect the dehumidifier to its controller.
- Use fish tape as necessary to feed the new electrical wires through walls.
- Connect the condensate drain line and direct it outside or to a drain.
For A Whole-House Dehumidifier Connected To The Air Conditioner:
- Mount your dehumidifier in a level location near your air conditioner’s return-air duct.
- Reroute the air conditioner’s return-air duct to connect to the dehumidifier’s inlet pipe.
- Connect the dehumidifier’s outlet to the air conditioner’s return air supply.
- Connect electrical wires for the dehumidifier according to the manufacturer’s directions.
- Connect the condensate drain line for the dehumidifier to a drain or outside.
Custom Dehumidifier Installation
The indoor air quality professionals at Oliver build dehumidifier systems tailored to your moisture challenges. We can design a system that operates efficiently and protects your home from uncomfortable and damaging moisture. We ensure that your dehumidifier integrates effectively with your existing ducts and drains correctly. Talk to our expert team about how to dehumidify your home. Contact Oliver today for services you can trust.
