Dehumidifier Humidity Setting: What Is the Lowest Humidity Level?

The lowest humidity setting on a dehumidifier is most commonly found in the 40% to 50% range. Although the recommended humidity level for indoor air ranges between 30-60%, 38% can be considered the absolute lowest level of indoor air humidity that is considered safe for indoor air comfort.

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Read along this article to know what is the lowest humidity level your dehumidifier is able to achieve.

What Are Dehumidifier Humidity Settings?

Dehumidifier humidity settings are the humidity levels you can control when operating your dehumidifier. Most modern units have three or more different settings in which you can operate them in, including a continuous fan mode and a low humidity level setting.

What is Continuous Fan Mode?

Continuous fan mode, also known as “fan-only” mode is when the dehumidifier works in a continuous fan-only mode. Continuous fan mode uses less energy and removes more humidity because it never stops running and therefore never has to “start-up” again.

What Is the Lowest Dehumidifier Humidity Setting?

When you adjust your dehumidifier’s humidity settings, the lowest setting is typically when you are in “continuous fan” or “fan-only” mode. In this setting, the dehumidifier will run continuously without ever stopping for a break, making it more energy-efficient.

On most units, this is set to 40% or higher. This level of humidity levels should only be achieved in very dry climates and not in humid or moist ones. Although this setting will remove more moisture than any other, it is also the least energy-efficient and may cost you more money on your electric bill.

Ideal Relative Humidity Level

It is not unusual for humidity levels outside our home to drop or increase above this level. In summer, the humidity is sometimes too high to reach the ground but in winter the humidity is often much lower. The humidity sensor could give you an indication of if your household needs an adjustment.

The relative humidity is based upon the amount of water vapor in the air according to the current rate of temperature. As the temperature changes, the moisture in the air becomes more plentiful and denser. A minimum is required 60 percent for control of or precludes mold development.

To eliminate dust mite issues you need to keep it under 30%. For several useful reasons, around 45% should make for the excellent condition of dehumidifiers.

Humidity Levels in Your Home

High humidity can make you very sweaty even at a relatively normal temperature. Your body doesn’t cool in such an airtight atmosphere. For some things, a dehumidifier helps with the dry conditions by letting the temperature sink down to much higher levels.

There is no perfect humidity level – there are good ranges of humidity settings you can use as a guideline. Don’t be too concerned that achieving the proper setting is irrelevant. What we are looking at doing is reduce the humidity where you live or in your basement to the level at which: humidity is low.

Locations in Your Home With High Humidity

Basements are notorious for being damp and this is typically a place for all homeowners to put their relative humidity as low as possible. Other common areas are the kitchens, bathrooms, and mudrooms because they clearly are areas of very large air quality. Shade areas in a home when there’s less sunlight also tend to accumulate more moisture.

Also, windows that aren’t properly sealed can aggravate humidity in your house. The moisture level is controlled by a dehumidifier which will still work non-stop in summer until the humidity is met.

What Are Dehumidifier Humidity Settings?

Dehumidifiers remove moisture as it’s released and keeps the room cool. The humidity settings that you must decide depending on the humidity level of the room where the dehumidifier is located.

Dehumidifier settings are the best way to regulate humidity. The dryer it is, the more comfortable you can breathe and feel. At 40% or lower, your home will be free of mold growth – this is less than 50%, so there’s no need for concern on that level.

In rooms with high levels of moisture and humidifiers such as basement areas, a humidifier works to reduce humidity levels to prevent mold growth.

If it cannot be placed properly there might be the potential problem that your bathroom remains drier or that it becomes dry.

How Do I Set Humidity on a Dehumidifier Setting?

Newer models will have the flexibility to determine whether they want some humidity and older models can have more detail. Older models may be forced to experiment with the settings low, medium, high, or on the counted scale to land on the right moisture level for your space.

Use controls on the humidity dial to adjust the humidity level according to the desired level.

Related Article: Dehumidifier Help With Mold

How Do I Check Moisture Levels on Your Humidifier When It’s Running?

When the suction lever is in a condensed state, you can check the moisture on the tank of your humidifier. Sometimes checking humidity levels on a dehumidifier while it’s operating can be difficult.

How Do I Set My Dehumidifier To Avoid Mold Growth and Mildew?

Setting up an effective humidifier to keep your home full of fresh air can help you avoid mold growth and prevent mildew. Installing dehumidifiers in the proper location will affect the effectiveness of the operation.

Maintaining your humidity between 50 and 90% would be an ideal humidity level for a good indoor odor. If you use a condensate pump to push the moisture through it then check for proper decompression.

Be sure to check the air filter and look at your owner’s manual to ensure the maintenance for your particular model. Dehumidifiers have humidistats on board which automatically regulate the humidity levels you set.

The Optimal Humidifier Humidity Setting

The humidity level in your home should be between 40 and 60% for healthy air.

A dehumidifier’s humidity setting is an important factor in how it operates, so you want to make sure the humidity level is high enough when you need it to be, such as during a party or other event where people will be congregated in a smaller space.

Finding the optimal humidity level for your dehumidifier is a matter of knowing what it does and when to use each setting. You will typically have an easy-to-use lever or dial on the unit that allows you to turn it up and down.

Choose the Right Dehumidifier Setting

In basements, it is important not to lower the relative humidity level in dehumidifiers if you’re not able to keep the humidity high but have some issues developing with moisture.

Relative humidity between 45% should suffice in a basement. Keep your basement dry in case they overfill with 50 pints or more if they can reach their maximum capacity. Basements generally need dehumidifiers with a capacity between 70 and 90 ppm.

As far as other areas, it is generally easier to retain the humidity there.

Home Dehumidifier Settings

A dehumidifier can put more comfort in your home. They’re particularly great if you don’t have air conditioning but suffer from hot air with high humidity. This can be extremely effective in very humid or wet places and during the hot months.

The living spaces in your house aren’t quite as different from the kind you would use for storing humidity in a basement dehumidifier though they have certain considerations.

Basement Dehumidifier Settings

Many dehumidifiers have an attachment point for the drainage hoses which are routed into a drain or a sump pit to keep any water collected within easy access. The lack of adequate sealants can also increase the levels of outdoor humidity in the space.

Your humidifiers are required to operate continuously if your basement is exposed to external air. So your electric bill is going to be high and your lifespan will be short. Not to mention how much water you need to remove from the container if you don’t use a water removal drain.

How Do I Get the Most Out of My Dehumidifier?

You must keep the humidity at 50 degrees Fahrenheit and 45% relative humidity.

Dehumidifiers that obtain excellent ratings at their tests on humidistat can hold that standard humidity level that you have selected for your room’s location.

Room Conditions

Your dehumidifier settings and capabilities vary from room to room. Energy Star classifies the rooms by their four different categories: Very wet, dry & damp. A basement is wet or very wet and it requires extra space. A regular 5000 square feet room is usually categorized as moderately damp and needs 20 pints.

Fresh and Dry Air Out

Dehumidifiers work best once your windows are closed. When warm air continuously enters the room the humidifier continues to work. The dry, regenerated cool air from the deamidated air also escapes the air in the house. There won’t be significant differences in the humidity levels in the room.

Winter Preparations

After a temperature drop, humidity naturally decreases into the air. The temperature should not exceed 60% where humidity levels are above 40%. At very high temperatures ice and freezing risks can arise on the condensers.

Some places have humid winters and there are certain machines configured to operate below zero temperatures. The condenser is designed for lower-term operation.

How To Put Your Dehumidifier to Work

According to Energy Star, the optimal relative humidity levels are around 30 – 50 percent. If the humidity above this is high it can attract dust mites, mildew, and mold then immediately empty this tank during peak times.

You can clean an air filter regularly and use it daily and follow any instruction in your manual. Some dryers feature a pump or hose which lifts the air through the water supply vertically or horizontally into a sink, etc.

Do Dehumidifiers Really Work?

A Dehumidifier draws fresh and moist air all over the room. The compressed air passes in a condenser to cool down. It loses its moisture when it is cool. The cooler and dry air is then released to rooms via a fan.

Areas closer to water and lakes tend to be more humid than areas away from water sources. Warmer climates also make areas less humid because warmer air holds more heat. Dehumidifiers reduce the temperature overall in a room.

Related Article: Do Dehumidifiers Work?

Dehumidifier Humidity Setting FAQs

Why won’t my dehumidifier drop the room below 60% humidity (outside 20c and 80 to 90%)?

It would be great if you could turn the dehumidifier on and let it run at full speed to get your room humidity levels lower. But worrying about too low of humidity is not such a good idea either. The room humidity level should be between 45% to 55%. Going below 40% can lead to dry air issues, which isn’t good either.

What is the significance of the dehumidifier mode of an air conditioner?

It’s not pivotal, but it might be good to know whether or when your dehumidifier can help you in different ways. For example, your AC cannot simultaneously cool and dry the air in the room (at least not at its best).

If your basement has a relative humidity of 60%, is this a problem or is this the norm?

It’s not that big of a deal. Particularly if the basement is rather small in size. The high humidity is likely due to water treatment, which is common in most basements, including homes with finished basements.

Read more: How do I start my dehumidifier?