In the summer, you often hear people complain about the relative humidity. The amount of moisture in the air can have a major impact on how comfortable you feel, and this impact is probably most noticeable when humidity levels are high and you feel hot and sticky.
But low humidity can be just as big of a problem, and many well-sealed homes experience low levels of humidity, especially during the wintertime. A whole-house humidity can improve your comfort, your health, and even the condition of your furniture and other investments.
How Low Humidity Affects You
People feel the most comfortable when relative humidity levels are between about 30 and 55%. When this number drops too low, you might begin to experience some issues.
- Health effects: The number one reason we recommend whole-house humidifiers is that they can help to keep people healthy (as long as they are properly installed). Low levels of humidity may actually allow viruses to move and reproduce with ease. And dry sinuses, which can result from low humidity, actually make it more difficult to recover from an illness, which means you stay sick for longer.
- Dry furniture: One side effect of low humidity is dry, cracking furniture and other wooden items. Many of the people who invest in whole-house humidifiers also have investments such as wooden instruments they want to protect.
- Discomfort: Low levels of humidity may make the air feel cooler—not to mention the dry skin and cracked lips that result.
Consider a Whole-Home Solution
If low humidity is a persistent problem within your home, one of those small, portable humidifiers just won’t do the trick. More ideal would be a permanent solution to your home’s indoor air quality troubles. A whole-home humidifier works along with the HVAC equipment in your home, automatically turning on and off as needed as the relative humidity level shifts.
Call Bartels Heating & Cooling for humidifiers or additional indoor air quality products in Hamilton, OH and the nearby areas.