HUMIDISTAT Question(s) & House Checker Question (Bradenton, University: how much, vacation home)

[Husker Bob]

Some of the homes we looked at had Humidistat's in the home. Naturally the one we bought didn't. Does anyone know anything about these or know someone who does? Can anyone who has one tell me if they like or dislike it?

I'd like to leave the AC on 82 degrees when we aren't around and have a humidistat that kicks it on if it gets to humid.

I'm not worried about things because I am going to find someone to come in every now & then to check on things. If anybody knows of someone that does a house check/flushes toilets etc in Village Walk, please let me know their name & contact info, and how much they charge if you know

Thanks Bob

[Randy Forbes]

Do they work differently in Florida? All the humidistats I've installed were used to control a humidifier during the winter months when the heater was running, to add moisture to the (dryer-heated) air.

The air conditioning unit is your primary DE-humidifier, removing moisture during the summer months.

Any stand-alone dehumidifier would require frequent emptying of the catch basin, though most newer ones have a float-activated shut-off, to prevent them from continuing to run once it's full.

[TamRE]

If you own a home in Florida and you are away on vacation or are only here part of the year, you should have a humidistat.

What is a humidistat? It is a device used to control your air conditioning system that cycles the unit on and off based on humidity rather than temperature.

Why use a humidistat? Your home can develop unwanted moisture or mildew problems because of too much humidity which can be unhealthy to you and destructive to your home.

What should a humidistat be set for? If you set your humidistat at 70 percent relative humidity it will cycle the air conditioner even if the thermostat does not call for cooling. The thermostat comes on based on heat and not humidity. The thermostat and humidistat usually operate independently of the other's control setting. Check with the manufacturer to determine the best control setting during the time of year that you will be gone or check with your local air conditioning company.

[foggytoad]

We have a humidistat in our Rotonda home, and we do not live there year 'round. When anyone is present in the home we were told to put the a/c on 78 (recommendation of FPL) and to put the humidistat to the "on" position. When we're not present in the home, we were told to set the a/c at 80 and to put the humidistat on 60%. Once I forgot and left the humidistat on 60% and the a/c was set at 78. It was miserable and hot in the house. Once I remembered and turned the humidistat to "on" the house was pleasantly cool. I'm a believer!

[gardenpearl]

I rented a vacation home for a week in Bradenton which had a humidistat. Despite it being almost 90 degrees and miserably humid out, the home stayed cool and dry; very comfortable.

[Husker Bob]

Appreciate replies. Does anyone know a specific brand & model number that has worked well and the approximate cost? Thank you Bob

[Salty Dave]

Here is a link to a honeywell dehumidistat manual


http://www.honeywell-thermostat.com/...C166manual.pdf

Dave

[joeyddog]

We have a humistat in addition to a house watcher who stops by once a week, flushing toilets, running faucets. He charges $30/mo but our place is up near University so hewouldn't work for you.. One time the house watcher came in to discover our A/C had conked out and the humidity was really high. If we didn't have some one coming in, by the time we got down there we would have had a terrible mold problem

[Husker Bob]

Originally Posted by Salty Dave

Here is a link to a honeywell dehumidistat manual


http://www.honeywell-thermostat.com/...C166manual.pdf

Dave

I'm not sure this is what I am looking for because it appears it is used in conjunction with a dehumidifier. Do I need to get a dehumidifier also?

Thanks

[faithfulFrank]

Originally Posted by Husker Bob

I'm not sure this is what I am looking for because it appears it is used in conjunction with a dehumidifier. Do I need to get a dehumidifier also?

Thanks

No. A humidistat works in conjunction with your Thermostat. Dependent on how complex your A/C system is you might want to have your A/C contractor install one for you and explain how it works. I would not own a home in Florida part time and not have one.

Frank