Indoor air quality often slides in the winter because of the lack of humidity, caused by cold temperatures outdoors and heating the air inside. In many cases, the damage to your home and discomfort low humidity causes is easy to remedy with a humidifier. They’re available as portable units and whole-house systems that attach to your HVAC system that offer these benefits:
- When wooden cabinets, flooring and furniture are exposed to overly dry air, the glues that hold them together can shrink and the wood develop cracks. While it’s possible to re-glue joints, cracks in wood are difficult to impossible to heal.
- You and your pets may find static electricity annoying, but it can be a serious problem for anything electronic that uses low-voltage electronic components.
- An overly dry home will feel cooler. The moisture on your skin evaporates faster that immediately cools you down. Maintaining humidity between 40 and 60 percent slows the evaporation process to the point where you can set the thermostat a degree or two lower without feeling colder.
Adding a humidifier to your HVAC system will have significant health benefits like:
- Reducing viral and bacterial transmission. When air is dry, the bacteria and viruses develop a protective shell, making them more infectious.
- Improving skin health. Dry skin not only flakes and itches, it can also crack or develop rashes, both of which take time to heal.
- Lowering respiratory distress. Medical professionals often recommend higher humidity levels to relieve the discomfort associated with upper and lower respiratory congestion and asthma.
In most cases, the easiest option to increase humidity is with a whole-house humidifier that disperses water vapor evenly throughout. The amount is easy to control with a humidistat, which is just like a thermostat.
There’s less maintenance with a whole-house system, unlike portable units that use more energy and need weekly cleaning and frequent filling.
A humidifier will eliminate much of the discomfort associated with winter, and a whole-house system simplifies maintenance, along with protecting your home’s health and comfort. To learn more, contact Arpis Industries, providing top-notch HVAC services for Calgary homeowners.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Calgary, Alberta about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about TOPIC and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide.
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