The winter brings great fun. Especially when we have a full blown winter like we have had this year. Those of us who like to frolic in the snow on ski’s and snowmobiles have had a perfect year to do that. However, the cold weather can also bring other things that aren’t so fun to deal with. One of those things is over-dry air. Turning your temperature up during the winter to warm your home will keep you and your family warm, but it will only decrease your home’s humidity level. Daily activities such as showering, cooking and doing laundry don’t produce enough moisture to keep your home’s air from becoming too dry.
Over-dry air can cause simple problems like a dry nose or cracked itchy skin. Sore throats are common along with dry, cracked lips. Worse are the many viruses that thrive in low humidity, increasing the likelihood of catching colds, flu, and upper respiratory ailments. Those with asthma and allergies can have it worse as they are more susceptible to air born particles and dryness.
In addition to health issues caused by low humidity levels; your home itself, can be damaged as well. Have you noticed static electricity by being zapped with that static shock when you touch a door knob? Your wood floors may have started to split. Furniture can split and come apart. The paint and plaster on your walls can crack. The list goes on.
If you have been frustrated with symptoms of dry air, you now may wonder what to do about it. The best option is to have a whole house humidifier installed in your home. A whole house humidifier is installed directly to your central heating and cooling system. Humidity is introduced into your homes air in the form of water vapor, which prevents minerals from entering the air in your home and potentially entering your lungs. Water is supplied to the distribution tray, allowing it to flow evenly across a water panel. The resulting humidified air is then distributed via your heating and cooling system ductwork throughout your home.
Some people may choose to purchase a portable humidifier. This can be a problem in more than one way. The main problem being that there is no way to control the level of humidity, and too much humidity can be just as bad as too little humidity. Portable units also require daily cleaning and disinfecting to stop microbial organism growth from the standing water. A whole house humidifier does not require this and because they have a humidistat, the humidity level is monitored continually.
When choosing a whole-house humidifier, it is important to make sure that the humidifier has precise control, sufficient capacity, trouble-free performance and minimum maintenance. Our recommendation is an Aprilaire Whole-House Humidifier, which satisfies all these considerations. They were introduced in 1954 as the very first evaporative, flow-through design humidifiers. Only Aprilaire offers Automatic Digital Humidifier Control to monitor outdoor temperature as well as indoor humidity levels while providing convenient troubleshooting and maintenance reminders.
So go outside and have some fun in the snow knowing that when you return home, your valuable furnishings will be protected and your family’s level of comfort will be much higher with just the right amount of moisture in the air.