NEW CONSTRUCTION HUMIDITY OVER 60%

[hagmayer]

Please help!! We moved into a BRAND NEW DR HORTON home 2 months ago and have had nothing but problems (gas leak, water leak, mold....). One of the issues the inspector found was an AC ducts in the attic not connected. They have fixed that but the humidity in the home is consistently 58-65% no matter what we do. We have had to run our ventilation fans and AC constantly (on auto, not 'on') just to keep it comfortable which is running up our electric bill. My question is, is there something else I need to be looking for? What else could they have screwed up to make this happen? I have been reading that the ventilation might not be adequate?? IF we crawl up in the attic what should we be looking for? I don't trust these people ONE BIT after all the problems we have had. We just moved out into a hotel for 5 days for mold mitigation. I DO NOT need more mold problems due to humidity!! PLEASE HELP. Thanks in advance for any advice.

[beshvac]

You have a trac home built by the lowest bidders Horton could find.

Running your ventilation fans didn't help the problem.

You need a specialist in building science, but don't expect horton to pay.

[beenthere]

Too much ventilation could be causing some of the humidity issues. Is the A/C over sized.

[teddy bear]

What is the location of your home? What is the outdoor dew point and temperature?
Ducts off of the a/c is a tough start.
A/c set-up is critical. During any extended cooling load, a new home should drop to 50%RH when setup properly.
Its about a properly functioning a/c with the ideal air flow to provides dried air to the home. The cooling coil should be 30^F colder than the return temperature from the home. This will provide air that is dried to a minimum of 6-7^F dew lower than you want in the home. If you want 75^F, 50^F, a 55^F dew point, 45^F coil temperature with a 48^F dew point supply air to the home. Show this to your a/c tech, if does not understand, I will give him a call.
Unfortunately, during low/no sensible cooling loads and high outdoor dew points, your a/c does not run enough to remove the moisture from infiltrating damp plus occupant moisture. During damp wet weather, a small whole house dehumidifier will maintain <50%RH. I would not miss around with this and get whole house dehumidifier to keep the entire home <50%RH from here on.
Check out a site sponsor, Ultra-Aire whole house dehu with the fresh air option.
Ultra-Aire.com
Keep us posted.
Regards Teddy Bear

[kdean1]

You’ll need to hire a good tech who is knowledgeable in air flow and system performance. They will need to measure static pressure and review or perform both Manual J and annual D. It is unlikely these were done for your house.

[dan sw fl]

Is this residence in Barrow AK or Mexico City?

Houston.!

[dan sw fl]

Please help!!

We moved into a BRAND NEW DR HORTON home 2 months ago
and have had nothing but problems (gas leak, water leak, mold....).

One of the issues the inspector found was an AC ducts in the attic not connected.

They have fixed that but
the humidity in the home is consistently 58-65% no matter what we do.

My question is, is there something else I need to be looking for?
What else could they have screwed up to make this happen?
I have been reading that the ventilation might not be adequate??

IF we crawl up in the attic what should we be looking for?

I don't trust these people ONE BIT after all the problems we have had.
We just moved out into a hotel for 5 days for mold mitigation.
I DO NOT need more mold problems due to humidity!! PLEASE HELP.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Ventilation Fans = OFF.

T-stat = 76'F

Air flow needs to be 360 to 380 CFM / ton.
Example, 3 ton = 1,080 CFM total

Superheat and subcool need to be set to MFG Specifications
by independent mechanical contractor.

Dehumidifier set to 55%.

[dan sw fl]

http://www.drhorton.com/Warranty/New

?
Results of Blower Door Test. ? ?

[hagmayer]

I have no idea about the size. The houses around mine are bigger and they all just went up at the same time. I'm sure they used the same one for all.

[hagmayer]

No Bluffton SC, near Hilton Head

[hagmayer]

We are in Bluffton SC, near Hilton Head. I guess what I'm really looking to get out of this is, do I need to report this to the warranty company? Is there something they did wrong? Or do I need to just dump my own money into a dehumidifier and call it a day? I've had so many problems I am really tired of fighting with them but at the same time, if it's something they did wrong than I need to get it fixed before warranty expires. Thanks for your help!!

[vstech]

The issue is, the builders are only required to meet minimum standards at design temps...

They DONT CARE ABOUT YOUR COMFORT OR HEALTH... only dollar turnover.

Best option is hire a contractor to install a whole house dehumidifier. A quality job will lower your energy Bill's and make your home healthier.

[hagmayer]

I did submit this to the warranty company but I don't trust them one bit. They have tried to screw us so many times with shoddy repairs of all the problems we've had. I want to know what to look for and find out if this is something I need to try to get them to fix or is it normal?

Not sure of the blower door test results. With a duct not connected I would think it wouldn't have passed, but they let us move in like that. We also had a nail through our gas line and that got through their "inspection" as well soooooo.....They probably didn't even do one.

[hagmayer]

Pretty sad that I have to sink my own money into this when I spent 300K on this house already. It has been nothing but stressful and inconvenient when it should be a very happy time for my family. ugh. Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.

[teddy bear]

You need to get your a/c setup properly. Adding a whole house dehumidifier to a poorly setup a/c will not provide the ideal temperature/%RH control you need for comfort and indoor air quality. Also the installation of the dehumidifier is important.
Mold problems caused by ducts not connect in the attic may have liability issues, see an attorney.
I would have a heart to heart with the a/c contractor about some concessions on a whole house dehumidifier. Plus assurance that you get the a/c to maintain 50%RH during high sensible cooling loads.
Check out the Ultra-Aire whole house. We are willing to talk your a/c contractor through the whole thing.
Keep us posted.
Regards Teddy Bear