When To Turn On Your Whole Home Humidifier For The Season
You should turn on your whole home humidifier when the air inside your home becomes dry, falling below 30% moisture content in the air. Your home should be between 30% – 50% relative humidity ideally.
Some people choose to wait until their humidity falls below 30%, or simply turn on the humidifier when they turn on their heating system.
In this article, we’ll also go over:
- Benefits Of A Whole Home Humidifier In Winter
- Whole Home Humidifier FAQs
- Indoor Air Quality In Havertown, PA
Three Benefits Of A Whole Home Humidifier In Winter
When most people think about humidity, they think about the uncomfortable, muggy humidity in the summer. The truth is, it’s also very important to have enough humidity in the winter as well.
Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air. During the heating season, you tend to build dry air inside your home. This can be harmful for your health, your home comfort, and your home furnishings.
When you have a humidifier installed in your home, it comes with more benefits than you may realize. Here are three of the more important benefits you will see with a humidifier:
- Better Health
- Better Comfort
- Better HVAC Performance
Better Health
If the humidity levels in your home are too low, it can be detrimental to your health, and the health of everyone in your home. When there isn’t enough moisture in the air, it can cause dry, cracking skin. It also leads to an increase in irritations of your nose and throat, nosebleeds, and itchy, dry eyes.
When you have the proper humidity levels in your home, it alleviates these issues, and helps you keep proper health. It also helps you reduce colds and sinus problems.
Read More: The Benefits Of A Whole Home Humidifier
Better Comfort
If your humidity levels are low, it’s harder for the air to retain the warmth from your heating system. When the air has more water vapor, the moisture helps hold the heat, and improve the comfort of your home.
Better HVAC Performance
Just like we mentioned, humidity helps you retain heat, and regulate the comfort of your home. If your home has low humidity levels, your heating system will have to work harder in order to get the home to your desired temperature. If you have proper humidity levels, your heating system won’t have to work as hard, alleviating the job, and working more efficiently.
Whole Home Humidifier FAQs
There are a few different types of humidifiers. You have portable ones that you can place in a particular room, and whole home humidifiers that treat every space in the house. We want to focus on the whole home humidifiers, and go over a few FAQs here.
Do Whole Home Humidifiers Cause Mold?
The simple answer is that yes, they CAN cause mold if they aren’t properly installed. A humidifier creates moisture, and if it builds in ducts or certain spaces of your home, it can cause mold to start growing.
The key is to maintain your humidifier and your HVAC system. Make sure they are both cleaned and looked at every season. If you have dust and buildup in your HVAC system, the combination with the water vapor can create mold. You will also want to have an HVAC professional look at your ducts to make sure there’s no mold growing there either.
In the end, a whole home humidifier can cause mold, but if your system is properly maintained it should be fine.
Read More: The Pros And Cons Of Whole Home Humidifiers
How Do Whole Home Humidifiers Work?
Whole home humidifiers plug directly into your duct system, and disperse moisture into the air from your HVAC system. There are different types of whole home humidifiers, which is why you’ll want a professional to look into your home and see what system is best for you.
How Much Water Does A Whole Home Humidifier Use?
A whole home humidifier uses between 1.5 and 12 gallons of water a day. This varies depending on the size of the space you are humidifying, and what kind of humidifier you have. It’s important to change your water, and clean your humidifier regularly as well.
Read More: How Does Humidity Affect Home Comfort?
Indoor Air Quality In Havertown, PA
John Cipollone Inc. is an expert when it comes to indoor air quality in Havertown, PA. We specialize in home comfort, whether it be heating, cooling, or IAQ. If you are looking for help with your home comfort, give us a call at (610) 446-7877.