Indoor Humidity Control

"It's not so much the heat, as it is the humidity." - A phrase all too commonly known in Houston homes - It's true, Houston summers can be both sizzling and sticky, but it's the combination of both the heat and humidity that contributes to Houston's often uncomfortable summer conditions. Just step outside on a summer day and and it’s impossible not to notice the effects of our humid climate and just how it amplifies the already existing high temperatures. At Adams Air, we're Houston homeowners too and that's why we understand the importance of controlling humidity levels, especially in Houston. Thankfully, when it's muggy outside, it no longer has to be muggy inside, and this is why a whole home dehumidifier makes a great addition to any Houston home.

Symptoms of High Indoor Humidity

But why exactly do Houston summers feel so hot? The reason is simple: High humidity makes temperatures just "feel hotter". Humidity and Air Temperature are actually 2 different measurements, and when combined they form a relationship with each other called the "Heat Index", or "How it actually feels" - As Humidity levels rise along with Temperature, then the "Heat Index" also rises, or "How it actually feels", See below:

How Temperature (°F) and Humidity (%RH) form the Heat Index

We all know air conditioners help control the temperature of the air in our homes, but did you know humidity affects just how well your air conditioner controls air temperature? Humidity is the measurement of how saturated the air is with water moisture, and that water moisture in the air contains heat (This is why on hot and humid days we feel hotter than what the thermometer is actually reading) which makes our air conditioners have to work extra hard to cool down the air in our homes. This is because before our air conditioners can cool down the air, they must first remove the moisture from that air, and when humidity levels are high, this essentially cancels out the air cooling effect our air conditioners are designed to provide.

So what exactly does this mean for Houston air conditioning systems? Since Air Conditioners are designed to condition and cool down the air in our homes, when that air contains lots of humidity (which is often in Houston) our air conditioners have to run longer in order to reach the desired temperature set on our thermostats. This means higher utility bills, more repairs, and shorter life spans for Houston air conditioning equipment, which is another reason a whole home dehumidifier is a great addition to any Houston air conditioning system - Providing not only comfort benefits, but efficiency benefits as well.

We've explored how humidity impacts our comfort and the functionality of our air conditioning systems, but how does humidity relate to indoor air quality? High or low levels of humidity is one of the main factors concerning the growth of indoor biological pollutants which is why humidity and moisture control is one of the key factors involved in indoor air quality improvement.



The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) recommends that indoor relative humidity levels should be maintained at around 50% - It is when humidity levels become too high or too low that indoor air quality declines due to an increase in indoor biological pollutants, see below:

Humidity and Indoor Air Quality

Houston generally doesn't have any issues with low humidity levels since our city is located so close to the equator and the Gulf of Mexico, but high humidity levels are common and most homes fail to maintain a recommended 50% relative humidity indoors. As shown above, humidity levels above 50% provide a thriving breeding ground for insects, dust mites, bacteria, viruses, fungi, mold, allergens, and the concentration of other biological indoor air pollutants. Testing your home's indoor relative humidity levels is simple: Relative Humidity gauges (also known as hygrometers) can be picked up at most hardware stores and if any of these indoor air quality issues are a concern in your Houston home, Adams Air recommends the addition of a whole home dehumidifier to your air conditioning system which not only provides comfort and efficiency benefits, but healthy indoor air benefits as well.

For more information on our whole home dehumidifier set-ups, select the tab at the top of the screen.

Is Houston's high humidity levels causing discomfort or indoor air quality concerns in your home? We all know the signs: Sweaty windows, stale odors, and that sticky uncomfortable feeling we get when humidity levels are high - Thankfully we can put an end to these symptoms with the addition of a Whole Home Dehumidifier to any existing central air conditioning system that manages and optimizes indoor humidity levels all day long.

Managing your home's indoor humidity level is a big factor in creating a healthy and comfy indoor environment - Too much humidity can encourage mold and bacteria growth, musty odors, and provide a cozy home for dust mites and other pests to flourish which can trigger allergic reactions and asthma in people sensitive to these issues. And high indoor humidity levels can not only make everyone in your home uncomfortable, but your wallet as well - Humidity contains heat which puts a strain on our air conditioners because that heat contained within the moisture in the air has to be removed by our air conditioners. Because of this we tend to drop the temperature lower than we need in order to satisfy our comfort levels and alleviate that sticky, clammy feeling we get from all the humid moisture that's saturated in the air. This means air conditioning systems end up having to run longer and work harder in order to keep up with our demands - Whole Home Dehumidifiers address all of these issues and deliver a healthy, comfortable, efficient living environment to any Houston home, all year long.


Installed along side your current air conditioning system, a whole home dehumidifier draws in air from your air conditioning system's return air intake. This warm and humid air is then pulled inside the whole home dehumidifier unit where it is rapidly cooled and this causes the moisture in the air to get squeezed out and condensed into water droplets which is then collected and drained away. Some whole home dehumidifiers can remove upwards to 25 gallons of water per day, and in Houston's humid climate that amount of latent moisture is not that uncommon. Removing all this moisture from the air allows an existing air conditioning system to do what it's designed to do - Condition and cool the air, not dehumidify it, and 25 gallons of water removed by a whole home dehumidifier is 25 gallons of water the air conditioner doesn't have to strain to remove on it's own. This all translates to cooler and crisper air, faster all while reducing the work and run time of the air conditioning system itself and in turn lowering utility bills.



Since Whole Home Dehumidifiers are installed along-side your current HVAC system, they get the benefit of being exposed to all the air your air conditioner is exposed to. This means their dehumidification properties not only benefit your air conditioner, but your entire living space and not just a single room. And as most families don't spend their time in one area of their home, portable units are ultimately ineffective. Just as with portable air conditioners, or window A/C units, portable dehumidifiers are very limited on the space they impact.



Other than providing benefits to the entire home, lets explore the other benefits a Whole Home Dehumidifier can provide that portable units simply cannot.












In the world of mechanical whole home dehumidifiers there are essentially 2 types of systems with the difference being where the condenser coil component of the dehumidifer is physically located - Either indoors or outdoors. Like an air conditioning system, a dehumidifer uses a compressor to pump refrigerant through both an evaporator coil and a condenser coil. The evaporator coil is the component that gets cold and when the air in your home passes over this cold coil, the moisture in the air gets condensed out of the air and is collected and drained away, effectively dehumidifying the air. Consequently there is also warm condesner coil that accompanys the evaporator coil. When the condenser coil is located inside, the sensible heat from the condenser coil also gets added to the air in the home. Because of this added heat, manufacturers have developed split dehumidifiers, and just like an air conditioning system, the condenser coil gets located outside where it's heat cannot affect the indoor temperature. The downside to these dehumidifiers is that although they conserve energy by removing the condenser coil's heat load off the air conditioning system and provide greater comfort benefits, they also intitially cost more to install because refrigerant lines have to be ran from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit.

Q: How bad is the heat load added by a non-split dehumdifier?

A: About as bad as a hand-full of light-bulbs and a televison.

Some whole home dehumidifiers also come with supply ventilation functions which adds fresh air into the home. Lack of ventilation is the number one cause of poor indoor air quality, so if your home doesn't have a fresh air ventilation system, this may be an option to consider if you plan on making the addition of a whole home dehumidifier into your living space. The fresh is brought in through the dehumidifier, which also dehumidifies the fresh air as it is taken into the home, removing this sensible heat load from the air conditioning system. These systems are specifically designed for climates like Houston's hot and humid climate, where normal ventilatation systems typically add moisture and heat to some degree into a home. For more information on ventilation systems and their importance, click here.

So are you ready to dehumidify your entire home and say goodbye to Houston's muggy weather? Adams Air representatives are available 7 days a week to answer any of your Whole Home Dehumidifier questions and offer competitive family operated rates any Houstonian would be proud of. Our whole home dehumidifiers will ensure peak performance out of your existing air conditioning system and provide healthy air and comfort benefits to your home and family for years to come. For more information or to schedule your whole home dehumidifier consultation, call (281)-375-2011 or contact Adams Air via the form below and we'll call you back in no time.