The hot and humid summers in Chelan and Wenatchee, Washington, can get muggy and uncomfortable. You adjust the thermostat to a pleasant temperature. The air conditioner begins running automatically. But, even after your cooling system operates, your home still feels moist and clammy.
That’s not very comfortable.
It can be annoying when the air conditioner seems to operate normally, yet your home doesn't actually feel very comfortable. If your rooms feel humid but thermostat says cool, you're not alone. Many area homeowners have this problem.
The reason is simple: Temperature and humidity are two different things. A temperature only tells you how warm or cool the air is within the room. It doesn't measure how much humidity is in your home. When indoor moisture is too high, your home can feel several degrees warmer than the thermostat indicates, due to indoor humidity problems.
In this article, you'll learn how humidity affects your comfort, common reasons your home feels humid even when the temperature is comfortable and simple troubleshooting steps you can try to reduce humidity in your Chelan and Wenatchee, Washington, home. That way, you’ll know when to contact experts like the team at Lakeside Heating & Air for support.
Why Your Home Can Feel Humid Even If the Temperature Is Nice and Cool
Your home's temperature is only part of what makes your house comfortable. The amount of moisture in the air is an extremely important factor. Most homes are generally more comfortable when indoor relative humidity stays 30-50 percent. When a home has high indoor humidity, the air feels warmer, more oppressive and stickier—even if the actual air temperature is cool.
Too much indoor moisture can also encourage dangerous mold growth, mildew, bad smells and other indoor air quality issues. That's why your house feels humid but the AC is running—your system may be cooling the air without removing enough moisture.
8 Common Reasons Your Home Feels Humid
Residing in Chelan and Wenatchee, Washington, high humidity can be a challenge.
Many area homeowners ask the same question: What's making my house feel humid?
There could be multiple reasons. Understanding what's creating excess humidity is a good first step toward resolving the problem.
Here are several common reasons for high indoor humidity levels in Chelan and Wenatchee, Washington:
1. AC is Too Large
An AC unit that's too big for your home cools down your home too quickly. The problem is an oversized AC often doesn’t remove humidity effectively because it shuts off before completing a complete cooling cycle.
2. Clogged Air Filter
A blocked air filter restricts airflow throughout your heting and cooling system. This makes it challenging for your equipment to control humidity while cooling your home.
3. Clogged Condensate Drain
Your AC collects moisture from your indoor air and and then it drains from the equipment through a condensate line. If that drain becomes restricted, moisture can't leave the system properly, contributing to increased humidity levels.
4. Dirty Evaporator Coil
The evaporator coil removes both heat and moisture from your home's air supply. Ice formation or excessive dirt on the coil decreases its effectiveness and often requires professional AC repair services to fix.
5. Damaged Ductwork
Ductwork transports cool air throughout your house. Openings in ductwork can draw warm, humid air from attics, crawl spaces or other unconditioned areas into your HVAC system. This added moisture makes it harder to maintain comfortable humidity conditions.
6. Thermostat Fan Running on “On” Change setting to “Auto”
If your thermostat fan is set to "On" instead of "Auto", the blower keeps running after the cooling cycle is finished. This can blow moisture collected on the evaporator coil back into your home instead of letting it to drain away.
7. Exceptionally Humid Weather
During the area’s very humid summers, your HVAC system has to work harder to remove moisture from the air. Even when your air conditioner is functioning as designed, sometimes your home feels muggy because outdoor humidity keeps entering your home through doors, windows and normal air leakage.
8. Aging HVAC Equipment
As HVAC systems wear out over time, they often become less efficient at controlling humidity. HVAC maintenance improves performance, improves efficiency and helps find worn-out parts. Putting off regular air conditioning maintenance can reduce performance, including your system's ability to reduce moisture.
What You Can Check Before Contacting an HVAC Technician
If your home feels humid, there are some simple things you can check before requesting service. These strategies are easy ways to improve indoor comfort by helping your heating and cooling system remove moisture more efficiently.
- Replace or inspect the air filter. A clean heating and cooling system air filter allows proper airflow, helping your system circulate air through and dehumidify your home effectively.
- Make sure the thermostat fan is set to Auto. This allows moisture to drain away after each cooling cycle instead of being sent back into your living spaces.
- Check that supply and return vents are open and unblocked. Rugs or household furnishings over the vents or closed vents can restrict airflow throughout your home.
- Check for water around the indoor unit. Water near your AC equipment may indicate a clogged condensate drain or another drain problem.
- Know how your air conditioner should run. If the AC is short cycling or turning on and off repeatedly, or it seems to run constantly without improving comfort, it's time to have the system checked by a professional.
Even if your thermostat still says cool but house feels humid, do not try repairs with refrigerant, electrical components or system components. Handling these repairs yourself may be tempting, but these repairs require specialized training and should always be handled by a qualified HVAC technician.
Does Your Home Need a Whole-Home Dehumidifier?
If you deal with humidity in your house during summer or year-round moisture problems, a whole-home dehumidifier may be the right choice. As opposed to portable units that only help reduce moisture in one room or area, a whole-home dehumidifier connects to your HVAC system to reduce humidity throughout your entire house.
Just one of Lakeside Heating & Air's indoor air quality solutions, a whole-home dehumidifier keeps your home more comfortable while helping reduce the risk of mold, musty odors and excess moisture. It can be extremely beneficial for homes in humid climates or properties that continue to have humidity even with a properly functioning AC.
Signs It's Time to Schedule HVAC Service
Ongoing HVAC humidity issues often trace back to an hidden problem that requires professional repair. The technicians at Lakeside Heating & Air will inspect refrigerant charge, airflow, blower performance and evaporator coils to find why your system isn't controlling humidity effectively. They can also check ductwork, condensate drainage and overall system sizing to find the root cause.
We also can get you on the schedule for a heating and cooling tune-up. Seasonal seasonal tune-ups help catch small problems before they become complicated, costly repairs. That's why Lakeside Heating & Air offers an HVAC maintenance plan that helps make regular inspections easy and affordable.
If basic troubleshooting doesn't solve the indoor humidity problems, trust Lakeside Heating & Air for dependable HVAC service in Chelan and Wenatchee, Washington.
Schedule HVAC service online or call 509-300-1829 today to fix your indoor humidity issues once and for all.
