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There are plenty of benefits to coastal living. You’ve got easy access to the water, a mild climate, lots of options for exercise, and cleaner air. While the access to the water is nice, it also causes a lot of moisture in the air, which can lead to high humidity levels. It’s important to manage indoor humidity levels for several reasons: comfort, home longevity, and health. This blog will cover strategies, expert recommendations, and equipment options for keeping your home protected from the humidity.

Why Coastal Homes Face High Humidity

Due to the proximity to large bodies of water, there is always a lot of moisture in the air. Combine that with the warm temperatures of many coasts, and you end up with even more moisture retention. All that moisture leads to high humidity, and if the humidity isn’t managed, it can cause a lot of problems.

The Impact of Excess Indoor Humidity

High levels of humidity aren’t just uncomfortable. They can affect your indoor air quality. For example, too much humidity can lead to mold, which can cause breathing issues, especially for those who have respiratory illnesses like asthma. On top of that, high humidity can trap allergens in the air, preventing them from being cycled through your air purifier and forcing you to deal with them constantly. Finally, the humidity can force musty smells to stick around, create sticky air, and make it harder for you to get a good night of sleep.

Along with affecting your health, high humidity levels can also cause structural issues. For instance, it can cause corrosion, rot, warping, and degradation of finishes. This can quickly become expensive to repair, and if not repaired quickly enough, can cause potential long-term damage to the structure of your home.

Strategies for Dehumidification

The good news is that there are plenty of methods to tackle the high humidity in your home. Review the suggestions below and determine what works best for your home. 

Passive Approaches

To get started, take a walk around your home and note any places where you notice air leaking. Make sure these areas are properly insulated and seal any leaks. This will improve the humidity because it will reduce the amount of excess humidity that works its way into your home. Another approach is to use moisture-resistant materials that are designed to repel, resist, or prevent moisture from getting in. For example, you could use water-resistant drywall, cement boards, or PVC trim and molding. Finally, try to improve natural ventilation within your home, but avoid letting in moist outdoor air. An easy way to do this is to keep interior doors open, use fans strategically, and keep the air pathways clear from obstruction.

Active Dehumidification

Another option is to use dehumidifiers. Standalone dehumidifiers are great for targeted use and generally are inexpensive. So, if you have one room with higher humidity, a standalone dehumidifier may do the trick. However, keep in mind that they do have a limited capacity and do require maintenance.

Alternatively, you could invest in a whole-house dehumidifier. These can be integrated directly with your HVAC system to help with humidity throughout your home. They are a better long-term solution and provide consistent control.

Choosing the Right Equipment

When dealing with high humidity in your home, it’s important to choose the correct equipment. Here are a few options.

Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs)

An Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) exchanges stale indoor air with fresh, filtered outdoor air. This is a great option for coastal homes because it employs a moisture transfer that prevents humid air from raising the indoor relative humidity of your home. When looking at ERV options, you should find one with high latent recovery efficiency and one with a summer mode or humidity bypass controls.

Heat Pumps with Humidity Control Features

Another option is to invest in heat pumps with humidity control features. Modern inverter-driven heat pumps can help greatly with dehumidification. Look for a heat pump with a “Dry Mode” or dedicated dehumidification mode. It should also include variable-speed compressors and fans for better moisture removal at low loads. Finally, the pump model should have built-in or optional dehumidifiers.

UV Filters and Air Quality

Finally, to address the air quality in your home, investing in UV filters or other purification options should be considered. These filters help manage mold and microbial growth in humid environments. While they do not help remove the humidity in the home, they work with dehumidifiers to make your home comfortable and healthy. They can be placed with your HVAC system to reduce or eliminate pathogens causing problems in your home.

Maintenance Tips for Coastal Homes

When you live in a coastal home, it is important to complete regular maintenance. Make sure to consistently clean your HVAC filters and coils. Check for condensation or leaks in ducts periodically. Finally, clean and inspect dehumidifiers, ERVs, and heat pumps seasonally. Routine maintenance can identify small problems before they become big, expensive ones.

When to Call Coastal Heat Pumps

If the humidity in your home is out of control and causing persistent mold, health issues, or condensation, it’s time to call in the professionals. At Coastal Heat Pumps, we can assess the size of your HVAC, and ensure you have the best system for your needs.

Humidity isn’t just uncomfortable. It can damage your home and cause health issues for everyone living there. To combat high humidity in your coastal home, you can use a mix of strategies, like proper equipment, water-resistant insulation, and smart systems. Investing in proper humidity control will provide benefits year-round and save you money in damages down the line.

At Coastal Heat Pumps, we want you to have a comfortable and safe home. Contact us today to book an in-home estimate. We will assess your home and offer you suggestions on what would best help eliminate the humidity in your home.