Many San Marcos, CA homeowners know that poor indoor air quality harms their health and home. But did you know that high indoor humidity is an air quality problem? Experts say the ideal indoor humidity range is between 30% and 50%. If yours is higher than that, it may cause multiple issues. Here are 10 signs that your home’s indoor humidity is too high and what to do about it.
1. Condensation on Windows and Hard Surfaces
One clear sign of high indoor humidity is the appearance of condensation on your home’s windows and hard surfaces. It can happen any time there’s high humidity and one of those surfaces’ temperature falls below the dew point. The dew point is the temperature at which your air reaches maximum water vapor retention. As the humidity in your home rises, so does the dew point. Then, even moderately cooler surfaces like windows can be cool enough for condensation to form.
Other places to check for this phenomenon are your home’s exposed pipes, mirrors, and toilet bases. You may also see condensation in your basement since it’s likely cooler than the rest of your home. Any time you see condensation inside your home, don’t ignore it. It’s a sign that your home is likely already suffering moisture damage.
2. Stains on Walls and Ceilings
You may believe that water stains on your walls or ceilings indicate a leak somewhere in your plumbing. However, prolonged high indoor humidity can cause them, too. It happens when condensation appears on those surfaces. Since walls and ceilings are permeable, they absorb the condensation, leaving stains behind. Most of the time, stains from high humidity will be yellow or rust-colored.
3. Crumbling Walls or Ceilings
Depending on your home’s construction, excess humidity may cause walls and ceilings to crumble instead of stain. It’s a common issue for homes with drywall walls. When drywall panels absorb moisture from the air, it causes them to swell. Eventually, the swelling separates the drywall’s paper backing from its internal gypsum layer. With nothing holding it together, the gypsum will start falling apart.
The first indication of this problem may be the appearance of cracks in your drywall seams. That’s a sign of the expansion and contraction process caused by the humidity. If you get your home’s humidity under control immediately, you may avert further internal drywall damage.
4. Warping Wood Floors
High indoor humidity can also cause wood floors to warp over time. As floorboards absorb water, they swell, which may loosen fasteners. That can make your floors squeak as you walk on them. Eventually, the floorboards will deform as they swell and contract with changing humidity levels. They may even crack from the excess strain. If your home’s wood floors seem to be shifting, cupping, or loosening, your indoor humidity is likely too high.
5. Peeling Paint or Wallpaper
Excess moisture may also damage your home’s paint and wallpaper. It can cause painted surfaces to bubble as the moisture attempts to escape from beneath the paint. A similar thing happens with wallpaper, whose seams may separate from expansion and contraction. In some cases, moisture trapped behind the wallpaper can cause bubbling. Repainting or adding more adhesive to your wallpaper alone won’t fix the problem. To do that, you need to lower your home’s humidity before taking remedial steps.
6. Mold and Mildew Growth
Mold and mildew are microscopic fungi that thrive in damp and dark environments. If your home experiences mold and mildew growth in unusual places, you could have a humidity problem. For example, the upper corners of your rooms may develop black spots. It happens because light doesn’t always reach those spaces, making them ideal breeding grounds for mold and mildew. Generally speaking, mold and mildew require at least 55% relative humidity to grow.
7. Musty Odors
Sometimes, mold and mildew growth in your home won’t happen in places where you can see it. Excess humidity can lead to it growing in carpets, bedding, and inside wall, floor, and ceiling cavities. As mold grows, it emits gasses called microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs). Those gasses create a musty smell that can be a telltale sign of high indoor humidity.
8. Worsening Allergy Symptoms
If you suffer from allergies, high indoor humidity may make them worse. Moist air can lead to the growth of bacteria, dust mites, and other allergens. High levels of those things in your home’s air can trigger allergy symptoms. And if you suffer from mold allergies, excess indoor humidity will help trigger those, too.
9. Respiratory Problems
High indoor humidity can cause respiratory problems for those in your home. When air absorbs moisture, it sheds oxygen molecules to do it. That means your lungs extract less oxygen from each breath and must work harder than usual. So, if you struggle to breathe easily in your home, humidity could be working against you. In people with asthma, humid air triggers airway constriction, exacerbating their condition.
10. Struggling Air Conditioner
Finally, a struggling air conditioner in your home could alert you to unusually high indoor humidity. Moist air holds more heat, increasing the workload on your AC. Plus, air conditioners remove moisture from your home’s air as they run. Unfortunately, they have a limited capacity for doing so. As a result, your conditioned air may still have more moisture in it than it should.
Humidity also interferes with your body’s natural cooling mechanism. When you get hot, your body sweats, counting on the sweat to evaporate, taking heat with it. If there’s already too much moisture in the air, there’s nowhere for your sweat to evaporate. As a result, you’ll feel warmer than the air temperature suggests you should. That can cause you to turn down your thermostat and force your AC to work overtime.
How to Tackle High Indoor Humidity
The first thing you must do to get your indoor humidity under control is to measure it. Use a hygrometer to determine how far out of the ideal range your home’s humidity is. If it’s only slightly too high, you might be able to fix the problem with some additional ventilation. A whole-house fan or an energy recovery ventilator may be all you need.
If your home’s humidity is significantly above the ideal range, you may need a whole-home dehumidifier. They work alongside your HVAC to keep your home’s humidity in check. A whole-home dehumidifier pulls in air through a return air duct, extracts moisture, and returns drier air to your home. It can run simultaneously with your HVAC or on its own.
Your Indoor Air Quality Specialists
Since opening in 1998, Oak Island Heating and Air Conditioning has been the go-to indoor air quality specialist in San Marcos. Our team has over 70 years of combined industry experience. They’re also NATE-certified, signifying their industry-leading knowledge and skill. Aside from our indoor air quality services, we also offer complete HVAC services and smart thermostats. We’re also a Lennox Premier Dealer and have a long list of five-star customer reviews. If you’re looking for a solution to the high indoor humidity in your San Marcos home, call Oak Island Heating and Air Conditioning today!
