How often should I run a dehumidifier?

Should you run a dehumidifier while the central air on?

• My girlfriend at work told me that she was told not to run it when she had the AC on by the guy who installed her AC. We run ours all the time- helps with moisture. Your thoughts?

• Answer:

  No you do not. It will dry the air out too much resulting in nose bleeds and sinus trouble not to mention static build up. The "A" frame in your air conditioner acts as a de-humidifier during the summer months. As the air passes through it it causes the moisture to condense on it and thereby removes the moisture. So no need for the de-humidifier to run as well. As answer no.1 one stated though, runs it in the basement, that is different situation as most basements are notorious for moisture. Updated: You dehumudifier is in the basement, but is it on your central airconditioning unit or a stand alone? If it is on your unit it will be drying out the whole house air too much. If it is a stand alone unit, there is a big difference and to run it year around in the basement is fine. Just make sure you are not drying the air out too much. If nothing else turn it off for a day or two per week, this will keep basement humidity at a reasonable level while not over drying the air. If you notice excess static electricity ( rubbing feet across carpet and getting shocked when you touch metal or someone else) then you need to consider running it less or not at all. Hope this helps some.