The warm summers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 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 cycles, your home still feels damp and sticky.
Now, you’re cool and damp.
It can be annoying when the air conditioner seems to operate normally, yet your home doesn't actually feel pleasant. If your rooms feel humid but thermostat says cool, you're not alone. Local homeowners often have this experience.
Why? Temperature and humidity are two different measurements in your home. A temperature only tells you how hot or cold the air is within your home. It doesn't measure how much humidity is in your home. When moisture levels are very high, your home can feel warmer than the thermostat indicates, due to indoor humidity problems.
In this guide, you'll learn how humidity affects your comfort, common reasons your home feels humid even when the temperature is right and simple troubleshooting steps you can try to reduce humidity in your Fort Lauderdale, Florida, home. That way, you’ll know when you should reach out to experts like the team at Solar Air Inc. for support.
Why a 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. Indoor humidity is also an equally important consideration. Many homes are typically more 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 chilling the air without pulling out enough moisture.
Home Feels Humid? Here are 8 Common Causes
Making your home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, high humidity can be a challenge.
Countless area homeowners deal with the same question: Why does my house feel humid?
There could be multiple reasons. Determining what's creating humidity problems is a good first step toward solving the problem.
Let's look at several common reasons for high indoor humidity levels in Fort Lauderdale, Florida:
1. Oversized Air Conditioning
An AC that's bigger than your home needs cools down your home too quickly. The problem is an oversized AC often doesn’t remove humidity effectively because it stops operating before completing a complete cooling cycle.
2. Clogged Air Filter
A dirty air filter limits airflow throughout your HVAC system. This makes it challenging for your equipment to control humidity while cooling your home.
3. Blocked Condensate Drain
Your air conditioning collects moisture from the air in your home and drains it outside through a condensate line. If that drain becomes blocked, moisture can't drain from the system properly, contributing to excess moisture indoors.
4. Dirty Evaporator Coil
The evaporator coil extracts both heat and moisture from your home's air. Ice formation or excessive dirt on the coil limits its effectiveness and often requires professional AC repair services to fix.
5. Leaky Ductwork
Ductwork moves cool air throughout your living space. Gaps in ductwork can pull warm, humid air from attics, crawl spaces or other uninhabited areas into your HVAC system. This extra moisture makes it more challenging to maintain comfortable humidity throughout your home.
6. Thermostat Fan Set to “On” Change setting to “Auto”
If your thermostat fan is set to "On" instead of "Auto", the blower keeps running after the cooling cycle completes. This can circulate moisture collected on the evaporator coil back into your home instead of letting it to drain away.
7. Extremely Humid Weather
During the area’s very humid summer weather, your HVAC system has to run longer to remove moisture from the air. Even when your AC is functioning as designed, sometimes your home feels muggy because outdoor humidity continues to seep into your home through doors, windows and normal air leakage.
8. Poorly Maintained HVAC Equipment
As heating and cooling systems wear out over time, they often become less effective at controlling humidity. HVAC maintenance improves performance, increases efficiency and helps detect worn-out parts. Neglecting regular air conditioning maintenance can decrease performance, including your system's ability to control moisture.
Simple Checks to Make 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 HVAC system remove moisture more effectively.
- Replace or inspect the air filter. A clean HVAC air filter allows proper airflow, helping your system condition and dehumidify your home better.
- Verify the thermostat fan is set to Auto. This allows moisture to leave the system after each cooling cycle instead of being circulated back into your living spaces.
- Check that supply and return vents are open and unobstructed. Furniture over the vents or closed vents can restrict airflow throughout your home.
- Check for water around the indoor unit. Water around your AC equipment may signal a clogged condensate drain or another drain problem.
- Monitor 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 cooling your home, it's time to have the system checked by a professional.
Even if your thermostat still says cool but house feels humid, do not perform repairs involving refrigerant, electrical components or internal parts. Handling these repairs yourself may be tempting, but these repairs require advanced training and should always be handled by a qualified HVAC technician.
Could You Benefit from a Whole-Home Dehumidifier?
If you have humidity in your house during summer or year-round moisture problems, a whole-home dehumidifier may be a good option. Compared with portable units that only work in one room or area, a whole-home dehumidifier connects to your HVAC system to reduce humidity throughout your entire house.
Just one of Solar Air Inc.'s indoor air quality solutions, a whole-home dehumidifier helps keep 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 still have humidity even with a properly functioning AC.
When It's Time to Book HVAC Service
Ongoing HVAC humidity issues often are caused by an hidden problem that requires professional repair. The technicians at Solar Air Inc. will check refrigerant charge, airflow, blower performance and evaporator coils to determine why your system isn't controlling humidity effectively. They can also evaluate ductwork, condensate drainage and overall system sizing to identify the root cause.
We also can get you on the schedule for an HVAC tune-up. Seasonal seasonal tune-ups help find small problems before they become major breakdowns. That's why Solar Air Inc. offers an HVAC maintenance plan that helps make regular inspections budget-friendly and stress-free.
If basic troubleshooting doesn't fix your home’s humidity issues, trust Solar Air Inc. for dependable HVAC service in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Schedule HVAC service online or call 954-466-0951 today to restore your comfort.
