There’s a reason why air feels drier during colder months than in the summer. That’s due to the fact warmer air carries more moisture, or humidity, than colder air.
The same is true within your Belleville house. Turning on your gas furnace makes your residence feel warmer but can also dry out the indoor air. Dry air can carry a whole host of ailments, such as dry skin, cracked lips and make you more likely to get sick.
Here’s why your gas furnace dries out your home’s air and what you can do to fix it.
Your Furnace’s Combustion Procedures are a share the Trouble
The fuel your furnace uses isn’t the thing responsible for making your residence’s air feel dry. Rather, it’s the combustion procedures.
There are two different kinds of gas furnaces, standard and high efficiency. With an older standard furnace, you can notice light from the burners when it’s heating. A newer, high-efficiency furnace is totally sealed.
A standard furnace, also called an atmosphere furnace, takes air from inside your house to function. Because the furnace continuously requires air to burn, it will also pull cold, dry air from outdoors, which in turn affects your residence’s humidity.
High-efficiency furnaces, also called a sealed combustion furnace, are better at keeping your humidity steady. They pull all their combustion air from outside, but it stays contained inside the sealed furnace. As another advantage, they keep your residence more warm while needing less energy. Upgrading to an ENERGY STAR® furnace from an old furnace can save you as much as 40% on heating costs, according to Lennox®.
Other than combustion, cold air also naturally drifts into your home during cold weather. Lower humidity means the air will snatch moisture quickly from your skin, lips, nose and throat. It’s also to blame for static electricity.
How to Stabilize Humidity in Your Residence
Using a humidifier. While a portable humidifier can only make one room comfy at a time, a whole-house humidifier will generate that comfort throughout your house.
These are just a few humidifier benefits you’ll get when you upgrade to a whole-home system.
Enhanced Health During Cold and Flu Season
It’s typical that cold weather is the worst time for colds, flu and other illnesses. That’s because you’re more susceptible to become sick when your nose and throat are dry. Under particular airflow conditions, air at the right humidity level might also hamper the spread of some viruses. Also, it can help with year-round allergy symptoms.
Relief from Dry Skin
If you have chronically dry skin or eczema, you recognize just how uncomfortable those conditions make you during winter. Installing a whole-house humidifier will help your skin hold onto more moisture.
Better Sleep
Maintaining your bedroom at the ideal temperature and humidity level will keep you comfortable at night. It can also help with loud snoring, since your throat and nose will be better hydrated.
Guards the Wood in Your House
Cabinets, flooring, furniture and generally 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 correct level will keep your residence’s furnishings looking their best.
Little Maintenance Necessary
Between consistent 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 done at the same time as your furnace tune-up.
A steam humidifier has the smallest amount of maintenance since it doesn’t use a pad. It retains water in a canister and boils it into steam that gets moved through your ductwork. Because it’s independently powered, it can run when the furnace is off.
Schedule Your Free Home Comfort Consultation Today
If your home’s air feels less than comfy during colder weather, D&K Home Services by Enercare can help. Call us at 613-707-2421 to arrange a free home comfort consultation. There’s no obligation, just free Expert recommendations on how you can balance your house’s humidity at just the correct level. And, like our other services, our work is protected 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.