Dehumidifier Services and Installation in New Jersey

Your home and crawl space humidity levels should be below 50 percent in order to prevent mold spores, dust mites, bacterial, and harmful pests from spreading. 

However, you shouldn’t let the levels fall below 30 percent - this can lead to an increase in virus spreads, as well as cracked ceilings and separated wood floors.

The easiest way to assess your home’s indoor humidity level is to use a hygrometer. These tools are relatively affordable and can tell you if your home’s levels are too high or too low. 

You can also watch for signs of high humidity inside, such as: 

• Foggy windows
• Visible mold growth
• Rotting wood
• Unexplained allergies
• Moist/clammy air 

If you notice these symptoms, you need to look into purchasing a dehumidifier and remedying the situation - before they escalate into more serious problems.

Almost half of the air on the first floor of your home comes through the crawl space. That means if your crawl space is damp, musty, and humid, so is the air that your family breathes.

Furthermore, crawl spaces are notoriously prone to mold and mildew issues. To keep your loved ones safe from toxic spores and allergies, you’ll need to dehumidify the space and discourage mold growth.

Crawl spaces also play a factor in the overall structural integrity of your home. If mold, moisture, and other elements deteriorate the space, you could deal with long-term damage that’s expensive to fix.

Moisture underneath a home is a huge red flag. Not only does it weaken wooden floor joists and beams, but it also affects the overall structural integrity of the home. The more these crucial elements weaken, the worse the damage can become.

Additionally, moist crawl spaces can attract pests, including termites, spiders, roaches, mice, rats, and snakes. Mold growth is also common and dangerous to human health.

Most of us don’t spend too much time in our crawl space, but you don’t have to be down there to notice signs of excess moisture.

For instance, have you noticed the first floor of your home is sagging or uneven? Or are there nasty, mold-like odors? These could be symptoms of a humid, wet crawl space. Condensation on access doors and vents can also be a strong indication of high crawl space humidity levels.

Pests can also be a sign of a moist crawl space. If you notice lots of bugs or critters near or under your home, they could be attracted to the humid, warm area underneath the house.

If you have concerns about your crawl space, you may want to schedule a professional inspection to look for areas with high humidity or moisture. An inspector will be able to read the humidity levels, as well as indicate any current structure damage or wood rot.

Mold can be extremely dangerous to humans and pets alike. Although some molds do not cause serious side effects, it’s best to exercise caution at the sign of any mold growth in or around your home.

As mold grows, it releases its spores into the air - which could be toxic. These spores then move through the home and into respiratory systems, which could lead to symptoms like fatigue, asthma, allergies, sinus infections, headaches, skin rashes, eye irritations, coughing, and sneezing.

Dehumidifier designs are actually pretty simple. They pull in damp air, cool it with a condenser that removes the moisture, collect the moisture, and redistribute the dry, dehumidified air back into the crawl space or affected area.

Most dehumidifiers are used in basements, bathrooms, bedrooms, or crawl spaces, but they can be used anywhere that deals with high levels of humidity.

Typically no. However, the higher the fan setting, the more noise you can expect. On low settings, the noise is comparable to white noise - and when in basements, most dehumidifiers can barely be heard.

The cost of running a dehumidifier varies depending on your usage, but in general, you can expect to spend anywhere from $5 to $30/month on electricity costs.

Keep in mind that purchasing a larger dehumidifier can actually save some money on operation costs, versus buying a small/low-priced dehumidifier that needs to work continuously to remove excess humidity.

A residential dehumidifier typically lasts between three and five years under normal conditions. However, the lifespan of a dehumidifier is largely dependent on the amount of usage, its size in relation to the space, and its maintenance/upkeep.