Why You Need A Whole Home Humidifier

Posted: 2018-03-02

When it comes to home comfort, people usually talk about their furnaces or air conditioning units; very rarely do they talk about humidifiers.

Humidity is important for human health. A balanced humidity level is necessary to feel comfortable. In a cold weather, humidity levels drop and cause all kinds of undesirable effects on your health and your home in general.

Your home usually draws dry air from household items such as wood floors, furniture, musical instruments, and other wooden materials. Dry air makes the air fell cooler than humidified air, so to reach your preferred comfort level, you need to adjust the thermostat at a higher temperature.

To keep the right amount of humidity in your home, you may want to consider getting a whole home humidifier.

Four Seasons Air Specialists is a leading HVAC company in White Bear Lake, MN that offers a wide variety of whole home humidifiers made by some of the most reputable manufacturers in the industry.

What is Humidity?

Humidity is the amount of water vapor present in the air. It has an effect on a lot of aspects of our daily lives such as our breathing patterns, skin, eyes, sleep, hair, and even our electronic devices.

Humidity and Health

Although humidity is often overlooked, a balanced humidity level is crucial to your health. Too much or too little humidity can cause serious health issues.

Low humidity is associated with health problems such irritation of the eyes and skin, inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the respiratory tract. This often results in colds, influenza, and other respiratory tract infections.

Many viruses thrive in low humidity, which increases your risk of catching airborne diseases. When someone sneezes, the droplets may dry out but the viruses remain alive, floating in the air indefinitely, entering your dry respiratory tract.

Low humidity is also attributed to drying the eyes by increasing the evaporation of tears, which upsets the natural moisture balance needed for your eyes to properly function.

In addition to your eyes, your skin also is affected by low humidity. Many people experience dry, itchy skin when the weather is cold. This skin condition is called winter itch, which is caused by inadequate moisture in the skin.

Non-Health Effects of Low Humidity

In addition to the impact on your health, low humidity can have a number of effects on your household items. If you have hardwood floors, artwork, books, or wooden furniture, insufficient humidity can cause them to lose moisture and contract, leading to cracks and other forms of damage. It should be mentioned that while low humidity is most common in the winter, it can also occur in dry environments or during the summer due to extreme air conditioning. 

What is a Humidifier?

A humidifier is a device that adds moisture to an individual room or an entire house. When used properly, a humidifier can be especially effective for treating dryness of the skin, nose, throat, and lips. It can also ease some of the symptoms caused by the flu or common cold.

Benefits of Using a Humidifier

Having a humidifier installed in your home offers a lot of benefits.

Viruses and bacteria cannot travel as well in an environment with moisturized air. A humidifier can help you lower the chances of catching airborne illnesses.

A whole home humidifier checks your humidity level, adding moisture only when necessary and holding it in according to your liking. Keeping balanced moisture levels throughout your home will lower the risk of spreading viruses that live in low humidity environments that cause flu, colds, and other respiratory illnesses.

If anyone in your family suffers from allergies, you can appreciate the benefits of humidified air and reduce allergy symptoms mainly by investing in an air humidifier equipped with an anti-microbial filter.

A whole home humidifier can help you save money during the day and even more at night while you sleep by setting your thermostat at a lower temperature while running your humidifier, which uses far less energy compared to your furnace.

How Four Seasons Air Specialists Can Help

If you are considering having a whole home humidifier installed in your home, call our experts at Four Seasons Air Specialists. We work in close partnership with some of the best brands in the industry to offer you modern, innovative, and effective ways of improving your home comfort.

With us, you can be assured of excellent workmanship and outstanding customer service. Since 1974, we have been the preferred Mahtomedi heating and air conditioning contractor who works hard in earning our customers’ trust.