10 Reasons Why You Should Invest in a Basement Dehumidifier
Residential dehumidifiers for basements are essential, particularly in more humid areas like Maryland. The air quality and humidity levels in your basement may not seem bothersome. Still, the air in your basement travels around the rest of your home, which may present several challenges. Basement humidity can be an issue all year, but it is imperative to pay attention to it in the spring and summer months.
There are many benefits of a dehumidifier in your basement. This simple equipment can enhance your quality of life and even the longevity of your home.
What Is a Dehumidifier?
A dehumidifier is a machine that removes moisture from the air. They’re often used in commercial and residential applications to improve air quality and reduce the risk of harmful bacteria. In humid areas like Maryland, keeping the humidity in your home at a safe level can be challenging, especially at the basement level. Levels under 60% are good, but between 30% and 50% is ideal.
An HVAC dehumidifier distributor in Maryland will understand your needs and provide you with the best options for your basement. A basement dehumidifier is ideal for any spaces below ground level, where moisture, dampness and mold collect rapidly. The machine will use warm air and a fan system to extract as much moisture as possible from the air in your basement.
10 Benefits of Running a Dehumidifier in Your Basement
Should you run a dehumidifier in the basement? The air in your basement affects the quality in the rest of your home and poor air quality can cause illness and other health issues. Installing a dehumidifier in your basement has many benefits, some of which include the following:
1. Maintain Structural Integrity
Moisture on the walls and floor of your basement can cause structural damage to your home. Once moisture has made its way into your home’s foundation through the basement, it causes increasing damage over time. If you allow this process to continue unabated, you could find your residence is no longer habitable.
A basement dehumidifier allows you to control the humidity levels in the foundation and prevents moisture in your basement from causing expensive structural damage.
2. Reduce Allergies, Asthma and Other Health Issues
The moist air from your basement rises in warmer weather, making its way into the rest of your house. Allergy triggers such as mold, mildew, dust mites and spores emanate from your basement. Any one of these can also trigger congestion and even asthma attacks.
Keeping your basement as dry as possible will change the air quality throughout your home, making it a healthier and more allergen-free place to live for you and your loved ones.
3. Enjoy Better Energy Savings
When the damp air travels from your basement into the rest of your home, it makes your house more humid. This isn’t just uncomfortable — it drives your energy costs up as your Air Conditioning system has to work harder than usual to keep the space cool and dry, especially in a humid area like Maryland.
Dehumidifying your basement helps minimize the humidity in your home, meaning your AC doesn’t have to work as hard and you don’t have to worry about unnecessary energy costs.
4. Keep Pests to a Minimum
Many household pests thrive in a warm, damp environment like a basement. Dust mites and bacteria love to grow in the damp and then travel to the rest of your home and other pests, such as cockroaches and spiders, move in soon after. Extracting the moisture in the air makes it more difficult for bacteria and dust mites to spread into your home, affecting the health and well-being of your loved ones.
5. Hamper the Growth of Mold and Mildew
Mold and mildew adore wet, dark basement environments. They thrive there, slowly damaging the structure of your basement and the surfaces of anything you have stored there. Mold spores that get into the air in your home could pose a serious health risk — and it can all start in your basement.
Mold and mildew can’t multiply in dry environments, which is one of the many reasons keeping your basement as dry as possible is vital for a happy, healthy home. If mold and mildew can’t take hold in your basement, there’s less chance of the spores traveling throughout the rest of your house.
6. Give Your Stored Items a Longer Life
How many times have you spring-cleaned your basement and had to throw out a whole lot of stored equipment due to water damage? Even with waterproofing, your basement will collect moisture just through the humidity in the air. This can cause warping and other damage to the items you have stored down there, rendering them unusable.
A basement dehumidifier will help keep your stored items dry for longer, preserving their life for seasons to come, which is also cost-effective, preventing you from having to buy replacement items every year.
7. Protect Wooden Items from Moisture Damage
Prolonged exposure to moisture in the air can weaken and damage wooden items in your basement, from wooden furniture to paneling and support beams. Wood rots much faster when wet or damp and will ultimately disintegrate over time. It also provides the perfect breeding ground for mold, which makes its way into the wood instead of just growing on the surface.
Disrupting the integrity of wooden structures could become a hazard over time, so it’s not just a case of throwing ruined furniture away. A basement dehumidifier will help keep your furniture and other wooden items intact and help prevent potential danger due to structural damage.
8. Reduce Rust and Corrosion
Moisture in your basement air can also damage metallic surfaces in your home and the basement itself. When water sits on metal items, it causes rust and corrodes the metal surfaces, breaking them down and causing irreversible failure. This damage also impacts electronic devices, which are often made of compound metals. These are valuable items and are expensive to replace. Eliminate excess moisture in your basement with a dehumidifier to limit rust and corrosion damage.
9. Prevent Unpleasant Odors in Your Home
There’s nothing quite like that musty, damp smell wafting around your home to detract from your quality of life. In many cases, the musty smell originates in your basement and moves upward throughout the house as it gets hotter. Several things, including damp surfaces or clothing, mold and mildew, can cause the smell. Some of these are just unpleasant, but in other cases, the smell could signal something wrong with your home’s air quality.
A dehumidifier in your basement will stop these smells at the source and prevent them from permeating your entire house.
10. Have Better Air Quality Overall
Moisture buildup may start in your basement, but traveling to the rest of your home doesn’t take long. Minimizing the damage from the source is the best way to prevent serious issues, which is why your basement should be the primary space to put your dehumidifier. Improving the air quality in your home benefits your whole family, helps with respiratory issues and provides better air for you all to breathe. It’s also good for the longevity of your belongings.
Protect Your Maryland Home With Metro Services HVAC
Maryland’s climate is perfect for spreading mold and humid air, bringing many other challenges to your residential and commercial spaces. We understand these challenges and are here to help you decrease lousy air quality for a happier and healthier home. Metro Services HVAC is here to provide the best dehumidifier installation and maintenance services and ensure your basement remains as dry as possible all year.
We go the extra mile to provide you with a comfortable home. Metro Services HVAC has over two decades of experience in the industry, 24/7 emergency services and licensed technicians to provide the best customer experience and to help you get your basement humidity under control.
Please feel free to contact us and one of our experts will be happy to answer your questions.