There’s a reason why air seems drier during colder months than when it’s warmer. That’s since warmer air retains more moisture, or humidity, than colder air.
The same is true for your the U.S. house. Using your gas furnace makes your house feel warmer but can also dry out the indoor air. Dry air can transport a whole host of ailments, such as dry skin, cracked lips and make you more vulnerable to getting sick.
Here’s why your gas furnace dries out your house’s air and what you can do to combat it.
The fuel your furnace needs isn’t the thing responsible for making your residence’s air feel dry. Rather, it’s the way it combusts.
There are two different kinds 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, draws air from inside your house to work. Because the furnace consistently needs air to burn, it will also use cold, dry air from outdoors, which in turn affects your home’s humidity.
High-efficiency furnaces, also known as a sealed combustion furnace, are ideal for keeping your humidity even. They draw all their combustion air from your home’s exterior, but it stays locked in the sealed furnace. As another bonus, they keep your residence more comfortable while using less energy. Moving to an ENERGY STAR® furnace from an old furnace might save you as much as 40% on heating costs, according to Lennox®.
Other than combustion, cold air also naturally drifts into your house during colder weather. Decreased humidity means the air will rob moisture rapidly from your skin, lips, nose and throat. It also contributes to static electricity.
Using a humidifier. While a portable humidifier can only make one room pleasant at a time, a whole-house humidifier will generate that comfort around your residence.
These are just a few humidifier benefits you’ll get when you put in a whole-home system.
It’s no surprise cooler weather is the worst time for colds, flu and other ailments. That’s since you’re more susceptible to end up sick when your nose and throat are dry. Under particular airflow conditions, air at the right humidity level may also hamper the spread of some viruses. In addition, it can help with year-round allergy symptoms.
If you have constantly dry skin or eczema, you realize just how irritating those conditions can be during winter. Getting a whole-house humidifier will help your skin keep more moisture.
Maintaining your bedroom at the preferred temperature and humidity level will keep you comfortable at night. It can also decrease loud snoring, since your throat and nose will be better hydrated.
Cabinets, flooring, furniture and just about anything in your residence that’s wood is affected when humidity is too low. This is due to the fact dry air draws moisture from the wood and causes it to crack. Balancing your home’s humidity at the right level will keep your house’s furnishings looking their best.
Between regular filter changes and constant refilling, portable humidifiers depend on a lot of upkeep. A whole-house humidifier only needs a tune-up about once a year, which can be performed at the same time as your furnace tune-up.
A steam humidifier has the lowest amount of maintenance since it doesn’t use a pad. It holds water in a canister and boils it into steam that gets distributed through your ductwork. Since it’s independently powered, it can be in use when the furnace is off.
If your home’s air feels less than cozy during colder weather, Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing can help. Call us at 866-397-3787 to arrange a free home comfort consultation. There’s no pressure, 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 backed by our famous 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.
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There’s no reason to skip your seasonal maintenance that saves energy and helps ensure your air conditioner and heater will work reliably all season long.
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