Many in the northeast despise the winter because of what happens outside: the brutal cold, the mounds of snow, and the blustering winds. But what about what’s happening inside your home—everyone zapping each other with static electricity or going through tubes of lip balm because your home lacks sufficient moisture.
Finding and maintaining the right level of moisture improves the air quality of your home, can keep you and your family healthy, and can even protect some of your belongings. Installing the right humidifier can keep your home more comfortable and energy efficient.
Why Do You Need a Humidifier?
During the winter, your heating system dries out the air inside of your home. Humidifiers are designed to replace that lost moisture to maintain optimal levels.
Besides drying out your lips and giving you the pleasure of static electricity, low moisture can:
- Make your home feeling cooler: The lack of moisture in the air makes the air feel cooler, causing you to turn up the heat and raise heating costs. Adding moisture to the air helps you feel warmer at a lower temperature and saves you money on your heating bill.
- Make you sick: According to the Mayo Clinic, cold viruses thrive in drier conditions. It can also dry out your mucous membranes, causing a stuffy nose and a scratchy throat. Humidification is good for your nasal passages and respiratory tract when the heat is on.
- Hurt your skin: When the air inside your home lacks humidity, your skin, which is half-water, dries out as well. This can cause dry skin, itching, flaking, and even tightness around the joints. Overly dry air can even cause existing skin conditions, such as eczema and acne, to flare up.
- Harm your furniture and floors. Dry air that dips below 20% humidity can actually start impacting your furniture and wood finishes. This can cause cracks, gaps between wood flooring boards, and even piano keys to become out of tune.
How Do You Find the Right Humidifier?
The ideal humidity level is between 30 and 50%. However, without a humidifier, the moisture in your home could be as much as 2/3 less than that. But that doesn’t mean you can just install any humidifier on your HVAC system and instantly solve all your problems.
When deciding on a humidifier for your home, some aspects to consider include:
- Finding the right size: One of the most common mistakes is installing a humidifier that is too small for the size of the house or doesn’t consider other factors, such as insulation, the presence of a fireplace, or the type of heating system.
- Finding the right type: There are many types of humidifiers, such as flow through units and mist or steam units. When deciding on a humidifier, you need to consider all of the conditions of your home. For instance, if you have hard water, a spray humidification system can be more easily clogged with mineral deposits.
- Keeping up with maintenance: One overlooked feature of humidifiers, especially if your furnace has an evaporate-plate humidifier, is proper maintenance to make sure there is no build-up.
These are all considerations that your HVAC contractor should review with you before making a recommendation on the best humidification unit for your home.
Replenish the Moisture in Your Home Today!
Don’t wait until winter has arrived and your furnace or heating system dries out the air in your home. Call Bloomfield Cooling, Heating & Electric today to choose and install the right humidifier for you, your family, and your home. Contact us at info@bloomfieldcooling.com or (973) 237-0505 to set up your free consultation.