Surviving summer in Punta Gorda, Florida, can be tricky without a dehumidifier. The air sometimes gets so sticky that you feel like you’re swimming. However, even the best dehumidifier will struggle if you don’t have proper ventilation. Keep your home at a comfortable humidity level by learning more about how to use ventilation to dehumidify it.
Mechanical Ventilation
With mechanical ventilation, range hoods, exhaust fans or a forced air system will transfer air outside. However, this process only works if the rest of your home is airtight and doesn’t have any cracks or gaps between windows and doors. Additionally, if you have leaky ducts in your HVAC system, you’ll find that the humid and dirty air just travels back inside.
When you exhaust the air that’s circulating in your home outside, the moisture goes with it. To refill the air that’s been pulled out, the system will then release filtered and purified air that’s dry and cool into the home.
Natural Ventilation
Older homes sometimes don’t have mechanical ventilation, so they rely on a more natural approach. To benefit from natural ventilation, homeowners in older homes can:
- Open windows when the temperature isn’t too hot or cold
- Use bamboo furnishings that encourage better airflow
- Install wind and air deflectors to redirect airflow
Mixed Ventilation
Mixed ventilation is the most common approach homeowners use to reduce humidity. Like the name suggests, it uses a combination of natural ventilation and mechanical ventilation to remove pollutants and moisture from the air in your home.
Using ventilation is a good way to take the stress off your dehumidifier and HVAC system. But it won’t be effective on its own. To ensure your indoor air quality is healthy, contact Executive Cooling and Heating at (941) 655-9070. We offer a number of indoor air quality services to battle pollutants, humidity and more.
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