The humid summers in Hodgenville, Kentucky, can get muggy and uncomfortable. You adjust the thermostat to a ideal temperature. The air conditioner starts up automatically. But, even after your cooling system runs, your home still feels humid and uncomfortable.
Now, you’re cool and damp.
It can be annoying when the air conditioner seems to be doing its job, yet your home doesn't actually feel pleasant. If your rooms feel humid but thermostat says cool, you're not the only homeowner. Local homeowners often have this experience.
Why? Temperature and humidity are two different things. Your temperature only tells you how hot or cold the air is within the room. It doesn't measure the amount of moisture in the air. When moisture levels are very high, your home can feel much hotter than the thermostat indicates, due to indoor humidity problems.
In this blog, you'll learn how humidity affects your indoor comfort levels, common reasons your home feels humid even when the temperature is right and easy troubleshooting steps you can try to reduce humidity in your Hodgenville, Kentucky, home. That way, you’ll know when it’s time to contact experts like the team at Phelps Heating & Cooling, Inc. for expert assistance.
Why a Home Can Feel Humid Even When the Temperature Is Nice and Cool
The temperature is only part of what makes your living space enjoyable. The amount of moisture in the air is an extremely important consideration. Most homes are the most comfortable when indoor relative humidity is between 30% and 50%. When a home has high indoor humidity, the air feels less comfortable, heavier and stickier—even if the actual air temperature is cool.
Excess moisture can also promote 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 extracting enough moisture.
8 Common Reasons Your Home Feels Humid
Living in Hodgenville, Kentucky, high humidity can be a challenge.
Plenty of area homeowners ask the same question: Why does my home feel so humid?
There are a variety of common explanations. Determining what's creating excess humidity is a key first step toward fixing the problem.
Here are several common reasons for indoor humidity problems in Hodgenville, Kentucky:
1. AC is Too Large
An AC unit that's too big for your home cools your home too quickly. The problem is an oversized AC often doesn’t eliminate humidity effectively because it stops operating before completing a full cooling cycle.
2. Dirty Air Filter
A dirty air filter limits airflow throughout your heting and cooling system. This makes it challenging for your equipment to extract humidity while cooling your home.
3. Clogged Condensate Drain
Your air conditioner collects moisture from your indoor air and drains it outside through a condensate line. If that drain becomes restricted, moisture can't leave the system properly, contributing to excess moisture indoors.
4. Dirty Evaporator Coil
The evaporator coil removes both heat and moisture from your home's air. Dirt buildup on the coil reduces its effectiveness and often requires professional AC repair services to restore performance.
5. Damaged Ductwork
Ductwork carries cool air throughout your living space. Openings in ductwork can pull warm, humid air from attics, crawl spaces or other unused areas into your HVAC system. This extra moisture makes it more challenging to maintain comfortable humidity throughout your home.
6. Thermostat Fan Running on “On” Change to “Auto”
If your thermostat fan is running on "On" instead of "Auto", the blower keeps running after the cooling cycle is finished. This can push moisture collected on the evaporator coil back into your home instead of letting it to drain away.
7. Unusually Humid Weather
During the area’s especially humid summers, your HVAC system has to operate more to remove moisture from the air. Even when your air conditioner is working properly, sometimes your home feels muggy because outdoor humidity keeps entering your home through doors, windows and normal air leakage.
8. Poorly Maintained Heating and Cooling Equipment
As home comfort systems age, they often become less capable at controlling humidity. HVAC maintenance optimizes performance, improves efficiency and helps detect worn-out parts. Putting off regular air conditioning maintenance can limit performance, including your system's ability to remove moisture.
What You Can Check Before Calling an HVAC Technician
If your house feels humid, there are some simple things you can check before scheduling service. These strategies are easy ways to improve indoor comfort by helping your heating and cooling system remove moisture more effectively.
- Check your HVAC air filter. A clean heating and cooling system air filter allows proper airflow, helping your system circulate air through and dehumidify your home effectively.
- Verify the thermostat fan is set to Auto. This allows moisture to leave the system after each cooling cycle instead of being blown back into your living spaces.
- Make sure supply and return vents are open and unblocked. Furniture over the vents or closed vents can restrict airflow throughout your home.
- Look for water around the indoor unit. Water around your AC equipment may suggest a clogged condensate drain or another drainage issue.
- Know how your air conditioning should run. If the AC is short cycling or turning on and off repeatedly, or it seems to run constantly without cooling your home like it should, 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 involving refrigerant, electrical components or internal HVAC parts. Do-it-yourself fixes may be tempting, but these repairs require specialized training and should always be left to a qualified HVAC technician.
Does Your Home Need a Whole-Home Dehumidifier?
If you have humidity in your house during summer or year-round moisture problems, a whole-home dehumidifier may be the right choice. Compared with portable units that only remove humidity from one room or area, a whole-home dehumidifier works with your HVAC system to manage humidity throughout your entire house.
Just one of Phelps Heating & Cooling, Inc.'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 a great choice for homes in humid areas or properties that continue to have humidity even with a properly functioning cooling system.
When You Need to Schedule HVAC Service
Ongoing HVAC humidity issues often point to an underlying problem that requires professional repair. The technicians at Phelps Heating & Cooling, Inc. will check refrigerant charge, airflow, blower performance and evaporator coils to find why your system isn't controlling humidity effectively. They can also inspect ductwork, condensate drainage and overall system sizing to find the root cause.
We also can get you set up with an HVAC tune-up. Routine seasonal tune-ups help find small problems before they become complicated, costly repairs. That's why Phelps Heating & Cooling, Inc. offers an HVAC maintenance plan that makes regular inspections cost-effective and hassle-free.
If simple troubleshooting doesn't fix your indoor humidity problems, trust Phelps Heating & Cooling, Inc. for dependable HVAC service in Hodgenville, Kentucky.
Schedule HVAC service online or call 270-358-3167 today to take care of high indoor humidity issues for good.
