There’s a reason why air feels drier during cold weather than in the summer. That’s since warmer air holds more moisture, or humidity, than colder air.
The same is true within your the U.S. house. Turning on your gas furnace makes your residence feel warmer but can also dry out the indoor air. Dry air can transport a whole host of ailments, like dry skin, cracked lips and make you more susceptible to getting sick.
Here’s why your gas furnace dries out your home’s air and what you can do to resolve it.
The fuel your furnace needs isn’t the culprit responsible for making your residence’s air feel dry. Rather, it’s the combustion process.
There are two different types 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 tightly sealed.
A standard furnace, also called an atmosphere furnace, pulls air from inside your home to combust. Because the furnace constantly needs air to burn, it will also pull cold, dry air from outdoors, which in turn lowers your residence’s humidity.
High-efficiency furnaces, also called a sealed combustion furnace, are ideal for keeping your humidity even. They pull all their combustion air from outdoors, but it stays contained inside the sealed furnace. As another bonus, they keep your home more warm while requiring less energy. Switching to an ENERGY STAR® furnace from an old furnace may save you as much as 40% on heating costs, according to Lennox®.
Other than combustion, cold air also naturally moves into your house during the winter. Reduced humidity means the air will steal moisture rapidly from your skin, lips, nose and throat. It’s also to blame for static electricity.
Using a humidifier. While a portable humidifier can only make one room comfy at a time, a whole-house humidifier will transport that comfort across your residence.
These are just a couple humidifier benefits you’ll acquire when you switch to a whole-home system.
It’s no surprise cooler weather is the worst time for colds, flu and other sicknesses. That’s because you’re more susceptible to get sick when your nose and throat are dry. Under certain airflow conditions, air at the right humidity level can also resist the spread of some viruses. In addition, it can help with year-round allergy symptoms.
If you have consistently dry skin or eczema, you understand just how uncomfortable those conditions are during winter. Installing a whole-house humidifier will help your skin keep more moisture.
Preserving your bedroom at the preferred temperature and humidity level will keep you comfortable at night. It can also reduce loud snoring, since your throat and nose will be better hydrated.
Cabinets, flooring, furniture and basically anything in your home that’s wood suffers when humidity is too low. This is because of the fact dry air moves moisture from the wood and causes it to split. Balancing your house’s humidity at the right level will keep your home’s furnishings looking their best.
Between regular filter changes and continuous refilling, portable humidifiers depend on a lot of upkeep. A whole-house humidifier only needs maintenance about once a year, which can be done in tandem with your furnace tune-up.
A steam humidifier has the least amount of maintenance since it doesn’t require a pad. It holds water in a canister and boils it into steam that gets transported through your ductwork. Since it’s independently powered, it can run when the furnace isn’t running.
If your home’s air feels less than comfortable during cold 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 sales tactics, just free Expert suggestions on how you can balance your house’s humidity at just the proper level. And, like our other services, our work is supported by our well-known 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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