The Effects of Dry Air on Your Health & Home

Winter weather is more than just plummeting temperatures, it also means low humidity levels and dry air. Humidity is determined by the amount of moisture in the air.  Cold air holds much less moisture than warm air, which is why your home always feels dry in the winter and more humid in the summer.  These humidity fluctuations can directly contribute to problems relating to both your family’s health and the preservation of your home.

Air That is Too Dry Can Cause:

Increased Risk of Colds, Flu & Infections

Prolonged exposure to low humidity levels can cause the mucous membrane that lines your throat and nose to dry out and become compromised.  Under optimal conditions, these membranes act as a barrier to capture allergens, viruses and bacteria before they reach your lungs. Membranes that have lost too much moisture, increase your likelihood to contract colds, the flu, and other infections.

Dry Nasal Passages

Have you ever woken up on a brisk winter morning with congestion, sinus pressure, sneezing or worse – a bloody nose?  Breathing in air that is too dry can cause your nasal passages to not only dry out but become inflamed and irritable – leading to many unpleasant symptoms.

Dry Skin

It seems like everyone gets dry skin or chapped lips at some point right?  But did you know that these two things are linked directly to low humidity conditions?  It makes sense because your skin is over half water.  When there isn’t enough moisture in the air, your skin can dry out causing itching, cracking, flaking or even a flare up of eczema or acne.

Static Electricity

What makes cold weather so shocking? It’s the dry winter air.  As humidity drops, the voltage of static discharges goes up, turning everyday items such as a door knob or light switch into a shocking zap.

Damage to Your Home & Furnishings

If your indoor air is too dry, it’ll pull moisture from wherever it exists.   As temperatures get cooler and humidity levels drop, you’ll notice that your hardwood floors start to shift, door jams might stick, gaps tend to form between windows and their frames letting cool air in.  Even your valuable wood furnishings may begin to bend or crack.

How Whole-Home Humidifiers Help Fight Dry Air

Winter is bad enough with its brutally cold temperatures and frequent snowfalls, don’t allow the harmful effects of dry air add to your discomfort.  Take control of your home’s humidity levels with a whole-home humidifier, offered in 3 types:

Bypass Humidifiers utilize your home’s furnace to add moisture to the air. Air is taken in from your home’s ductwork, where it passes through a water panel absorbing moisture. This air is then dispersed back into your home as steam.

Fan-Powered Humidifiers operate exactly like bypass humidifiers but they are fan-powered. The fan blows air across the water panel which increases the amount of evaporation that takes place. Power humidifiers can produce up to a gallon more humidity per day compared to the bypass humidifier.

Steam Humidifiers are popular because they offer the fastest and most efficient method of maintaining the right level of humidity in your home.  Steam humidifiers use boiling water to produce steam that is pushed through your home’s vents by the system’s fan.

Contact us for more information about whole-home humidifiers and how they offer a healthier more comfortable home – year-round.