5 Reasons to Install a Whole-House Humidifier This Fall
Your home is a lot like your body. It needs to stay properly hydrated in order to maintain the comfort and health of those living in it. Air that’s too dry can act like a giant sponge, soaking up moisture from everyone and everything in your home. It can also dry out woodwork, floors, and furnishings.
All this dryness takes a toll on not only your home, but also your health. Dry skin, chapped lips, scratchy nasal passages, increased static electricity in rugs and blankets, and furniture/floors that always need moisturizing polishes are just some of the dry-air symptoms that can lead to discomfort.
And while overly dry air is annoying in the summer, summertime humidity mitigates conditions somewhat. However, the warmer indoor air is, the drier it becomes, meaning that in the wintertime, your house can become a literal moisture-sucking machine!
The recommended humidity range for healthy indoor air is 35-50%, and with the furnace running, this is a difficult level to achieve and maintain. The best way to create a healthier and more comfortable home, especially during the winter, is to install a whole-home humidifier to your HVAC system.
With a whole-home humidifier, you can alter humidity levels through your thermostat, and you will have the ability to set the humidity to any level you choose without worrying about turning the system on and off. When the heating season concludes, your humidifier can be drained and powered off until it is needed again. The only maintenance your humidifier needs can be performed during your regular HVAC tuneups.
While smaller humidifiers that disperse cool mist, or vaporizers that disperse steam, can work in some situations, they often only moisturize one room. They can also be annoying to maintain. They usually need to be refilled by hand, only run on distilled water, and need to be cleaned weekly. Their filters often need to be regularly replaced, which can get expensive quickly.
For both cost and convenience, it’s worth looking into installing a whole-house humidifier before another furnace season leaves you (and your belongings) parched and miserable.
Here are some great reasons to consider installing a whole-house humidifier today!
1. They are virtually maintenance free
As mentioned before, it can be a nuisance to constantly refill and clean typical humidifiers, and they usually only humidify one room at a time. Whole-home humidifiers are installed directly in your ductwork, placed close to your furnace, and hooked up to your plumbing system. They filter the air in your system and add moisture to it automatically, with no maintenance required.
Once your whole-home humidifier has been installed, you can pretty much forget about it. It benefits from yearly maintenance like any part of your HVAC system, but beyond that, it is self-operating. Because it is connected to your duct system, it is able to humidify the air in your entire home rather than a single room at a time.
Every room, and every member of your household, will be able to benefit from a whole-home humidifier.
2. They help prevent illness
Did you know flu germs survive better in dry air conditions? It’s one of the reasons we get sick more regularly in the winter.
Humidifiers are a great way to kill germs floating around in your home’s air. For a family sharing a living space, a humidifier could be extremely helpful in preventing the spread of illness.
Humidifiers also help moisten your nasal passages, which can dry out during the winter. Dry nasal passages often struggle to prevent germs, bacteria, and contaminants from entering your body.
While a whole-home humidifier won’t be able to magically erase all sickness from your home, it can help reduce the number of germs in the air and give your immune system a little relief.
3. They make sleeping and breathing easier
In addition to dry nasal passages, dry air can also cause the rest of your respiratory system to suffer. If you regularly wake up with a dry mouth or a random cough, this could be due to low humidity levels in your home.
Dry nasal passages and sinuses make breathing more difficult, especially for people with conditions such as allergies, asthma or emphysema. Even for healthy people, dry air can make it easier to develop conditions such as bronchitis, sinus infections, and bloody noses. Dry air and the resulting coughs that come with it can also make it harder to fall and stay asleep.
By improving indoor air humidity levels with a whole-house humidifier, you and your family will likely sleep better, avoid regular illness, and generally maintain better respiratory health.
4. They protect your furniture and other belongings
Air that is too dry can negatively affect the finishes and furnishings in your home, particularly those made from wood. Dry air can cause wood to shrink, warp, and crack. Without the proper level of humidity, your door frames might start to stick or create gaps, and your flooring could start to split.
Low humidity could also cause paper products, such as photos, posters, artwork, and books to grow brittle over time. Dry air is also quite tough on any musical instruments you might have in your home.
By using a whole-home humidifier, you can ensure that your home, and many of your belongings, are safe during even the harshest winters.
5. They Help You Save on Energy Bills
A whole-home humidifier doesn’t just improve your health – it can improve your finances as well. Increasing the amount of moisture in the air normally helps your home feel warmer at a lower temperature, reducing your heating expenses. To that end, low humidity in your home means the air will feel cooler, prompting you to crank up the heat more than necessary to be comfortable.
If you would like to discuss installing a whole-house humidifier, and are located in the Twin Cities metro area, we here at Quality Systems Heating & Cooling would love to talk you through your options!
Contact us today for a free quote. We bring three generations of experience to our HVAC business and are leaders in the installation of whole-home humidifiers, and other air quality technologies.
Financing options are available, and we guarantee kind and responsive customer service and expert workmanship! Call today, and say goodbye to dry skin this winter!