There’s a reason why air seems drier in the winter than when it’s warmer. That’s due to the fact warmer air carries additional moisture, or humidity, than colder air.
The same is true inside your West Palm Beach residence. Turning on your gas furnace makes your home feel warmer but can also dry out the indoor air. Dry air can bring a whole host of ailments, such as dry skin, cracked lips and make you more exposed to getting sick.
Here’s why your gas furnace dries out your house’s air and what you can do to combat it.
Your Furnace’s Combustion Steps are Part of the Trouble
The fuel your furnace needs isn’t the source responsible for making your home’s air feel dry. Rather, it’s the combustion process.
There are two different styles of gas furnaces, standard and high efficiency. With an older standard furnace, you can see light from the burners when it’s running. A newer, high-efficiency furnace is totally sealed.
A standard furnace, also known as an atmosphere furnace, pulls air from inside your residence to function. Because the furnace consistently depends on air to burn, it will also pull cold, dry air from outdoors, which in turn lowers your residence’s humidity.
High-efficiency furnaces, also known as a sealed combustion furnace, are better at keeping your humidity steady. They take all their combustion air from outdoors, but it stays trapped within the sealed furnace. As another bonus, they keep your home more comfy while needing less energy. Switching to an ENERGY STAR® furnace from an old furnace might save you as much as 40% on heating costs, according to Lennox®.
In addition to combustion, cold air also naturally seeps into your home during colder weather. Reduced humidity means the air will snatch moisture quickly from your skin, lips, nose and throat. It also contributes to static electricity.
How to Even Out Humidity in Your Home
Using a humidifier. While a portable humidifier can only make one room comfy at a time, a whole-house humidifier will generate that comfort across your residence.
These are just a small number of humidifier benefits you’ll get when you install a whole-home system.
Enhanced Health During Cold and Flu Season
It’s typical that winter is the worst time for colds, flu and other ailments. That’s because you’re more apt to end up sick when your nose and throat are dry. Under specific airflow conditions, air at the correct humidity level may also slow the spread of some viruses. Also, it can alleviate year-round allergy symptoms.
Relief from Dry Skin
If you have chronically dry skin or eczema, you recognize just how aggravating those conditions make you during winter. Getting a whole-house humidifier will help your skin hold onto more moisture.
Enhanced Sleep
Maintaining your bedroom at the right temperature and humidity level will keep you cozy at night. It can also reduce loud snoring, since your throat and nose will be better hydrated.
Defends the Wood in Your Home
Cabinets, flooring, furniture and basically anything in your home that’s wood is affected when humidity is too low. This is due to the fact dry air absorbs moisture from the wood and causes it to fracture. Balancing your house’s humidity at the proper level will keep your house’s furnishings looking their best.
Little Maintenance Required
Between regular filter changes and continual refilling, portable humidifiers demand a lot of upkeep. A whole-house humidifier only needs maintenance about once a year, which can be performed at the same time as your furnace tune-up.
A steam humidifier has the least amount of maintenance since it doesn’t use a pad. It holds water in a canister and boils it into steam that gets moved through your ductwork. As it’s independently powered, it can work when the furnace is off.
Request Your Free Home Comfort Consultation Right Away
If your house’s air feels less than pleasant during cold weather, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning can help. Call us at 561-629-1826 to arrange a free home comfort consultation. There’s no obligation, just free Expert suggestions on how you can keep your residence’s humidity at just the proper level. And, like our other services, our work is protected by our well-known 100% Satisfaction Guarantee for one year.*
*Not applicable to the Advantage Program. See your signed Advantage Program Agreement for full details and exclusions. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee is subject to certain restrictions and limitations as set forth in the applicable Terms and Conditions.