I just moved into a newly built home in hot and humid atlanta. We have 2 main floors and a finished basement which sits mostly above grade. We have several digital humidity guages and all the floors have humidity in the mid to high 60's. The A/C works fine for cooling and is able to keep the house in the low 70's even when the outside air is 95+. My question is what is a minimal acceptable standard for indoor humidity. My warranty book states that the a/c shall be capable of "maintaining summer design conditions as specified in the ASHRAE handbook" I've done a bit of research, but can't come to a definitive conclusion on humidity standards given all the revisions and addendum to the ASHRAE handbook. I obviously need to get the humidity down, but do the builder and HVAC folks have some responsibility to? thanks in advance for the help.

hello i have a 54501 model dehumidifier by kenmore ,the unit works for about a couple of minutes then quits .it~s over a year old. i also notice that theres white residue under the collector tank. the light comes on and the tank is empty, use drain hose. any ideas what`s wrong or do i need a new one. any good brand out there because it runs all the time in my basement (damp)