There’s a reason why air appears drier during colder months than when it’s hotter. That’s since warmer air retains more moisture, or humidity, than colder air.
The same is true within your Savannah house. Turning on your gas furnace makes your house feel warmer but can also dry out the indoor air. Dry air can bring a whole host of ailments, such as dry skin, cracked lips and make you more likely to get sick.
Here’s why your gas furnace dries out your home’s air and what you can do to counter it.
Your Furnace’s Combustion Steps are Part of the Trouble
The fuel your furnace uses isn’t the source responsible for making your residence’s air feel dry. Rather, it’s the combustion process.
There are two different kinds of gas furnaces, standard and high efficiency. With an older standard furnace, you can detect light from the burners when it’s heating. A newer, high-efficiency furnace is totally sealed.
A standard furnace, also known as an atmosphere furnace, draws air from inside your residence to work. Because the furnace continuously needs air to burn, it will also draw in cold, dry air from outdoors, which in turn affects your home’s humidity.
High-efficiency furnaces, also called a sealed combustion furnace, are used for keeping your humidity balanced. They take all their combustion air from outside, but it stays contained within the sealed furnace. As an additional perk, they keep your residence more comfy 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®.
Besides combustion, cold air also naturally seeps into your residence during the winter. Lower humidity means the air will rob moisture quickly from your skin, lips, nose and throat. It also contributes to static electricity.
How to Stabilize Humidity in Your Home
Using a humidifier. While a portable humidifier can only make one room comfortable at a time, a whole-house humidifier will generate that comfort around your house.
These are just a couple humidifier benefits you’ll get when you switch to a whole-home system.
Better Health During Cold and Flu Season
It’s common that winter is the worst time for colds, flu and other illnesses. That’s because you’re more apt to get sick when your nose and throat are dry. Under specific airflow conditions, air at the right humidity level may also resist the spread of some viruses. Additionally, it can alleviate year-round allergy symptoms.
Relief from Dry Skin
If you have constantly dry skin or eczema, you understand just how irritating those conditions make you during winter. Getting a whole-house humidifier will help your skin retain more moisture.
Improved Sleep
Preserving your bedroom at the ideal temperature and humidity level will keep you cozy at night. It can also reduce loud snoring, since your throat and nose will be better hydrated.
Guards the Wood in Your Residence
Cabinets, flooring, furniture and basically anything in your home that’s wood doesn’t like it when humidity is too low. This is a result of the fact dry air pulls moisture from the wood and causes it to crack. Balancing your residence’s humidity at the right level will keep your home’s furnishings looking their best.
Little Maintenance Necessary
Between frequent filter changes and constant refilling, portable humidifiers rely on a lot of upkeep. A whole-house humidifier only needs a tune-up about once a year, which can be performed at the same time as your furnace tune-up.
A steam humidifier has the least amount of maintenance since it doesn’t require a pad. It stores water in a canister and boils it into steam that gets moved through your ductwork. As it’s independently powered, it can work when the furnace isn’t running.
Schedule Your Free Home Comfort Consultation Right Away
If your residence’s air feels less than comfy during cold weather, Coastal Service Experts can help. Call us at 912-208-2399 to arrange a free home comfort consultation. There’s no sales tactics, just free Expert advice on how you can keep your home’s humidity at just the proper level. And, like our other services, our work is backed by our famous 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.