Turning off Your Dehumidifier

Your whole-house dehumidifier has been working in tandem with your central air conditioner all summer to keep your New Jersey home cool, comfortable and at the right relative humidity level. As summer winds to a close and the focus shifts to home heating, it’s time to turn off your dehumidifier for a few months.

It’s easy to forget this task, since a whole-house dehumidifier runs automatically with no attention needed from you. However, turning off your dehumidifier for the winter helps you save money by preventing the equipment from running when it’s not needed. After all, your home stays more comfortable in the winter if the relative humidity is a little higher. Since cold winter air is naturally drier than summer air, a dehumidifier is unnecessary this time of year.

Follow these steps to turn off your whole-house dehumidifier for the winter:

1. Set the unit’s built-in humidistat to the “off” position or to the highest percent of relative humidity possible to prevent it from running. If you can’t locate the humidistat, look in the return air plenum above or near the unit. It might also be installed on the wall near your thermostat.
2. Close the bypass duct damper or switch it to the “winter” position. Be aware that not all whole-house dehumidifiers have a damper. If yours does, it will be located in the round duct connected to the unit.
3. Clean and dry all surfaces of the dehumidifier to prevent mold and mildew growth. This makes for a more seamless setup next spring when you put your dehumidifier back into service.

If turning off dehumidifier sounds like too much of a hassle, ask one of our technicians to complete the job for you while we’re performing fall furnace maintenance! We’ll make sure your dehumidifier is set up for hibernating all winter long.

For more useful heating and cooling tips, or to schedule services for your NJ home, contact Arctic Air Conditioning today.