Temperature is only one of the things a comfort system controls. Humidity, filtration and ventilation account for most of the complaints that survive a correctly sized system.
Humidity is the usual culprit in this climate. Air at 78°F and 45% relative humidity feels better than air at 74°F and 65% — which is why an oversized air conditioner that short-cycles leaves a house cold and clammy. Winter brings the opposite problem: heated air that is far too dry, causing static, cracked woodwork and irritated sinuses.
Filtration is the next layer. A one-inch fiberglass filter protects the blower, not your lungs. A properly sized media cabinet or an electronic air cleaner captures a different order of particle entirely, without restricting airflow the way a high-MERV filter forced into a one-inch slot does.
Then there is what the air carries: UV lamps at the coil to stop biological growth on wet surfaces, ventilators to bring in controlled fresh air in a tightly built house, and carbon monoxide monitoring anywhere fuel is burned.
What we install and check
- Whole-house media and electronic air cleaners
- Humidifiers for dry winter air
- Dehumidifiers for clammy summers and crawlspaces
- UV lamps to keep coils biologically clean
- Heat and energy recovery ventilators
- Carbon monoxide detection
- Humidity measured, summer and winter
- Airflow diagnosis and correction
The numbers behind it
A house that feels cold but clammy almost always has an oversized air conditioner short-cycling, rather than a filtration problem.
- Target humidity
- Around 45–50% in summer. Air at 78°F and 45% feels better than air at 74°F and 65%.
- Filter depth
- A one-inch fiberglass filter protects the blower. A four- or five-inch media cabinet is what protects you.
- Before you buy a denser filter
- Forcing a high-MERV filter into a one-inch slot starves airflow and can harm both efficiency and the equipment.
- UV lamps
- Worthwhile for keeping the coil and drain pan free of growth, which is what we install them for.
Four things we look at
- 1
Humidity
We measure it in summer and winter. A dehumidifier helps with clammy summers, a humidifier with dry winter air.
- 2
Filtration
A properly sized media cabinet or electronic air cleaner cleans the air without restricting airflow.
- 3
What the air carries
UV lamps keep the coil and drain pan clean, and carbon monoxide monitoring belongs wherever fuel is burned.
- 4
Ventilation
Heat and energy recovery ventilators bring in controlled fresh air in a tightly built house.
Cooler is not always more comfortable
In this climate, humidity is often the reason a house does not feel comfortable.
74°Fat 65% relative humidity
Cold and clammy. This is often an oversized air conditioner that satisfies the thermostat before it has run long enough to pull the moisture out.
78°Fat 45% relative humidity
More comfortable. Around 45–50% is the summer target, and we measure humidity in both summer and winter.
Temperature is only one of the things a comfort system controls.
Family owned in Church Hill, Tennessee, since 2001
Before you book
My house is cold but clammy. Why?
Almost always an oversized air conditioner. It satisfies the thermostat on temperature so quickly that it never runs long enough to remove moisture. Correct sizing fixes it properly; a whole-house dehumidifier can help where replacing the equipment is not an option.
Is a better filter enough on its own?
Only up to a point, and forcing a high-MERV filter into a slot designed for a basic one can do real harm — it starves airflow, which hurts both efficiency and the equipment. The right answer is usually a properly sized filter cabinet, not a denser filter in the wrong housing.
Do UV lamps work?
For their intended purpose, yes: keeping the evaporator coil and drain pan free of biological growth. That is a real and measurable benefit, because a fouled wet coil both smells and restricts airflow, and it is the reason we install them.
Prefer to call?
(423) 357-1922- Office hours
- Monday to Friday, 8–5
- Outside those hours
- Emergency service is available — call the same number.
- Where we go
- Church Hill, Kingsport, Mount Carmel, Surgoinsville, Rogersville, Johnson City, Bristol, Greeneville, Morristown and across into Southwest Virginia. Full service area.
- Where we are
- 119 E Main St, Church Hill, TN 37642
Air quality near you
Prefer to speak with someone?
Monday to Friday 8–5, with emergency service available outside those hours.
(423) 357-1922