There’s a reason why air feels drier during cold weather than when it’s warmer. That’s due to the fact warmer air retains additional moisture, or humidity, than colder air.
The same is true for your Houston residence. Using 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, including dry skin, cracked lips and make you more exposed to getting sick.
Here’s why your gas furnace dries out your residence’s air and what you can do to resolve it.
Your Furnace’s Combustion Steps are Part of the Problem
The fuel your furnace needs isn’t the source responsible for making your house’s air seem dry. Rather, it’s the combustion procedures.
There are two different styles of gas furnaces, standard and high efficiency. With an older standard furnace, you can see light from the burners when it’s on. A newer, high-efficiency furnace is completely sealed.
A standard furnace, also termed an atmosphere furnace, pulls air from inside your home to work. Because the furnace continuously needs air to burn, it will also use cold, dry air from outdoors, which in turn reduces your home’s humidity.
High-efficiency furnaces, also called a sealed combustion furnace, are ideal for keeping your humidity steady. They draw all their combustion air from outside, but it stays locked inside the sealed furnace. As another advantage, they keep your house more warm while consuming less energy. Moving to an ENERGY STAR® furnace from an old furnace might save you as much as 40% on heating costs, according to Lennox®.
In addition to combustion, cold air also naturally drifts into your home during cold weather. Reduced humidity means the air will steal moisture rapidly from your skin, lips, nose and throat. It also contributes to static electricity.
How to Balance Humidity in Your Residence
Using a humidifier. While a portable humidifier can only make one room comfortable at a time, a whole-house humidifier will transport that comfort across your residence.
These are just a couple humidifier benefits you’ll acquire when you upgrade to a whole-home system.
Improved Health During Cold and Flu Season
It’s common that winter is the worst time for colds, flu and other ailments. That’s because you’re more susceptible to get sick when your nose and throat are dry. Under specific airflow conditions, air at the correct humidity level may also hamper the spread of some viruses. Also, it can weaken year-round allergy symptoms.
Relief from Dry Skin
If you have consistently dry skin or eczema, you realize just how uncomfortable those conditions are during winter. Getting a whole-house humidifier will help your skin hold onto more moisture.
Improved Sleep
Keeping your bedroom at the preferred temperature and humidity level will keep you cozy at night. It can also decrease loud snoring, since your throat and nose will be better hydrated.
Guards the Wood in Your House
Cabinets, flooring, furniture and just about anything in your residence that’s wood is affected when humidity is too low. This is a result of the fact dry air pulls moisture from the wood and causes it to fracture. Balancing your house’s humidity at the proper level will keep your home’s furnishings looking their best.
Little Maintenance Necessary
Between frequent filter changes and continual refilling, portable humidifiers require a lot of upkeep. A whole-house humidifier only needs servicing about once a year, which can be completed along with your furnace tune-up.
A steam humidifier has the lowest amount of maintenance since it doesn’t use a pad. It stores water in a canister and boils it into steam that gets distributed through your ductwork. Since it’s independently powered, it can run when the furnace isn’t on.
Schedule Your Free Home Comfort Consultation Now
If your home’s air feels less than cozy during cold weather, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning can help. Call us at (713) 352-7887 to arrange a free home comfort consultation. There’s no obligation, just free Expert recommendations on how you can keep your home’s humidity at just the right level. And, like our other services, our work is backed by our legendary 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.