3 Benefits of a Whole-House Humidifier

Humidifier spreading steam into the living room

From damage to your wood and other areas of the home to the potential risk of mildew and mold growth, the dangers of high humidity levels in the home should be easy to see. However, low levels of humidity can also be problematic for your home and health.

On average, experts recommend a humidity level of around 45 percent. Of course, maintaining the appropriate humidity percentage can be challenging without the proper equipment. With this guide, you will learn a few benefits of installing a whole-house humidifier.

1. Improves Comfort and Health

High levels of humidity in the home can make your skin feel damp and uncomfortable. However, low levels of humidity in the home can also make your skin feel dry and irritated. Your skin will crack and flake off, causing you to scratch and irritate the skin even further.

Low levels of humidity can also dry out the nose, eyes, and airways. If your home is too dry, you may experience difficulty breathing, itchy, watery eyes, and even a sore throat. Studies have also shown breathing dry air increases the risk of asthma, bronchitis, sinus problems, nosebleeds, and dehydration.

Dry air leads to static electricity. Therefore, you may experience slight shocks and discomfort when touching metal objects as well.

A whole-house humidifier will maintain appropriate humidity levels in the home and reduce any discomfort you and other members of the family may experience due to dry air.

2. Prevents Damage

High levels of humidity in the home can do a good amount of damage. The excess moisture and warp and rot wood, furniture, and even seep into upholstery and linens, leading to foul odors and even mold growth.

In a similar manner, low levels of humidity can also damage your home.

If wood furniture and floors get too dry, they may begin to expand and contract. This leads to cracks in furniture that are impossible to repair and spaces and gaps in between wood floorboards.

Air that is too dry can also affect your paint and wallpaper. If you have low levels of humidity in the home, you may notice the paint is starting to crack and wallpaper is beginning to bubble or peel.

Low levels of humidity will also fade artwork, yellow books, magazines, and photos, and negatively affect musical instruments.

To reduce the risk of damage to your home and belongings, a whole-home humidifier is key to add and maintain healthy moisture levels.

3. Conserve Energy

Heating and cooling your home requires a good amount of energy, which can be costly at times. While the addition of a whole-house humidifier may require an additional amount of energy to run, this device can actually be beneficial to your heating and cooling costs.

To understand this, you need to know that the amount of moisture that evaporates from your skin will be higher if the air in the room is too dry. The more moisture that evaporates from your skin, the cooler you will feel. This extra chill will cause you to run your heat harder and longer in an attempt to warm up the temperature inside your home.

If you run a whole-house humidifier, your air will have just enough moisture to prevent dryness. This will help you feel comfortable at a lower temperature without high energy bills due to constant heating.

Low levels of humidity in the home may not be a life-threatening problem, but this problem can threaten your comfort, health, home, and HVAC system’s efficiency. For more information on low levels of humidity and how a whole-house humidifier can help, contact Steele Brothers Heating today.

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Steele Brothers Heating Inc