Consider a Whole Home Humidifier

Have you ever thought about installing a whole home humidifier? Physicians and other experts strongly recommend maintaining proper indoor humidity to prevent the potential damaging effects of dry air caused by low relative humidity. Dry air usually becomes a problem during the winter months because the relative humidity of the outdoor air drops significantly when brought into your home and heated. Below are some reasons why a whole home humidifier can help you maintain a healthy home:

• Breathe easier: Maintaining proper indoor humidity can reduce the chances of colds, flu and other respiratory ailments. Viruses that cause most colds and flu thrive in low humidity environments. According to The American Society of Otolaryngology, dry air can make people more susceptible to infection. Additionally dry air can aggravate allergy and asthma symptoms.
• Avoid home damage: Whole home humidifiers help prevent walls and wood floors from cracking, and electronic devices become less prone to static electricity related damage when proper indoor humidity is maintained.
• Save energy: Low humidity can make you feel cold at normal temperatures, which may lead you to turning up your thermostat. This will inevitably lead to higher energy bills.
• Live comfortably: A properly humidified home can help reduce occurrences of sore throats, cracked and itchy skin, bloody noses and dry, itchy eyes.

Unlike portable humidifiers that add moisture to just one room, a whole home humidifier is installed directly into your home’s central heating and cooling system, providing the perfect amount of humidity to every room in your home. And unlike a portable humidifier that needs constant emptying and monitoring, a whole home humidifier needs virtually no maintenance and monitoring.

There are two basic whole home humidifiers available on the market — evaporative and steam — and we’ll discuss them over the course of the next two posts.

If you’re considering a whole home humidifier, speak to an HVAC expert. They will help you make the right decision.