Feb 8, 2018 / Your Home

Humidify Your Home This Winter: Here’s Why

Humidify Your Home This Winter: Here's why | Karen Paul & Associates

Having a home with the correct humidity levels during the winter is not only good for Ontario homes, but for the people that live in them.

Cold, dry winters zap humidity out of the air. Combine that with closed windows and the constant running of the furnace and your home’s humidity can easily drop well below the recommended range of 35-50%.

If you invested in a tight, energy-efficient house maintain that already maintains a lot of moisture, you may only need a slight adjustment in your home’s humidity.

Keeping watch on the humidity levels in your home means not just a happier house, but a healthier you!

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR HOME IS REALLY DRY.

We’ve all experienced the health results of a long, dry winter: dry skin, scratchy throats and in some cases dried out nasal passages that not only aggravate respiratory problems but can make you more susceptible to colds and flu.

While there are no guarantees that using a humidifier means fewer coughs and colds, humidifying your home can help alleviate many of the symptoms.

Really dry air negatively impacts your home as well.

  • Static electricity is a direct result of dry air. In addition to causing painful shocks, it can damage your electronic equipment.
  • Houseplants suffer from dryness and can’t probably do their job of cleaning the air.
  • Hardwood floors lose moisture and contract when the air is extremely dry. It can cause flooring to separate at the seams.
  • Wallpaper has been known to start peeling at the edges in homes are that excessively dry.

CHOOSING A HUMIDIFIER.

Some of the most popular types of humidifiers are: warm mist humidifiers, steam vaporizers, cool mist humidifiers, and console humidifiers. Keep in mind that the models all consume different amounts of energy.

Choosing the right humidifier means making sure you’ve got the right size and capacity which is measured in gallons per day of operation.  A tabletop or portable humidifier works best for a single room but there are room humidifiers can cover up to 1000 square feet.

Whole-house humidifiers are installed in the ductwork, next to your furnace. They operate on a simple concept.

Air heated by your furnace or heat pump passes through a ceramic-coated pad in the humidifier, called an evaporator pad. The evaporator pad is saturated with water. The air absorbs moisture from the pad and adds humidity throughout the home as it circulates.

Depending on the model you choose and the size of your home, a humidifier will use from 1.5 to 12 gallons of water per day when the furnace is operating

YES, TOO MUCH HUMIDITY CAN BE A PROBLEM.

When warm, moist air comes in contact with a cold, dry surface, the water in the air condenses, creating water droplets. Excess moisture coupled with high humidity can cause all kinds of problems in your home.

If you notice:

  • Frequent fogging of windows may indicate too much humidity. The appropriate relative humidity allows only slight condensation along the lower edges or corners of windows.
  • Moisture buildup or mold on closet walls or room ceilings and walls indicates high humidity.

… check your humidity levels.

A humidistat (sometimes also called a hygrostat) helps measure the humidity in your home. It can also act as a control with your furnace maintaining an optimum or preferred humidity level.

Keep your home and family safe and healthy this winter by keeping tabs on the humidity in your home.

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Karen Paul Real Estate Agent | BurlingtonOur team of real estate sales professionals would be thrilled to work with you. Call us today!
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Karen Paul & Associates | Real Estate
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