Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning Blog

humidifier

Is the Air in My Home Too Dry?

My Home Too Dry

Running an air conditioner removes moisture from the air in your home. That is just a byproduct of the cooling process. It’s not enough to dehumidify air with high humidity levels, but it does have some dehumidifying effect. Contrary to popular belief, running your heater does not really dry out your air the way that your AC does. However, keep in mind that you are starting out with much drier air in the winter than you are in the summer.

As you seal up your home to keep heat in, and recirculate air throughout your home over and over, low humidity and indoor air quality can become serious problems. While there are portable humidifiers that you may use to inject some humidity into the air in your home, they are not ideal for whole-house humidification. A whole-house humidifier in Loveland, CO, is just what you’re looking for. So ask yourself this—is the air in your home sufficiently humidified?

Why Is Low Humidity Such a Problem?
Low humidity may not sound like as serious a problem as, say, sweltering temperatures permeating throughout your home. In truth, however, it can cause a whole lot of problems. These problems can negatively affect your comfort, your health, and even the overall condition of your home. Is it starting to sound like a problem yet?

Okay, How About Some Examples?
Sure! There are plenty to choose from, and none of them are good. Very dry air can …

Dry out your mucous membranes, causing them to tear. That allows viruses and bacteria direct access to your bloodstream, a major contributor to increased cases of illness in the winter season.
Dry out wooden floorboards, fixtures, and furniture throughout your home. That can lead to splitting, damaging your property and putting you at risk of impalement via splinter! (Okay, that’s a bit dramatic, but nobody likes splinters.)
Cause paint to chip and wallpaper to crack.
Dry out your skin, leading to persistent itching and even cracks.
Increase instances of static shocks. These are only mildly painful, but very annoying, and potentially damaging to sensitive electronics in your home.
Why Can’t I Just Use a Cheap Portable Unit?
We understand you want to save a few bucks, but you’re only hurting yourself in the long run if you try to get by with portable humidifier units. Why? Because portable humidifiers are …

Inconvenient. You have to keep filling them with water, and you either need multiple units in different areas of the house, or you’re going to be moving them all over. With a whole-house humidifier, you have a centralized system with a designated water line that does its job without much input on your end.
Inefficient. Yes, they may be cheaper to purchase and they don’t require professional installation, but portable humidifiers are also not very efficient. It’s amazing how much power these little things can suck up if you have them running regularly!
Ineffective. Sure, you can put one in each room, but portable units don’t have the same reach as whole-house humidifiers. Plus, they are not as well-controlled in terms of humidity output. With a good whole-house system and an accurate humidistat, you don’t have to worry about over-saturating the air.
Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning. Big enough to serve, small enough to care.

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Take Advantage of the TrueEASE™ Evaporative Humidifier

Take Advantage

If you have visited this blog before, then chances are you’ve seen us talk about the importance of indoor air quality in relation to comfort and overall health. Heating and cooling your home successfully is essential, but doing so should not overshadow the need for maintaining high indoor air quality in your home. One product that can help you to do so is the TrueEASE™ Evaporative Humidifier from Honeywell.

Why Choose the TrueEASE™ Evaporative Humidifier?

Honeywell needs no introduction to homeowners interested in the best products on the market. Their great — and well-earned — reputation aside, there are a lot of reasons to choose the TrueEASE™ Evaporative Humidifier for humidifying your home.

  • Automatic monitoring of home dryness ensures that the system runs only when needed, saving water and preventing oversaturation.
  • Sufficient humidification means lower heating bills.
  • Versatile design makes the TrueEASE™ Evaporative Humidifier appropriate for installation in any home.
  • Enjoy a five-year warranty and professional installation.
  • Easy access to pads allows for simple maintenance on your part.

Schedule your IAQ services in Fort Collins, CO with Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning. Big enough to serve, small enough to care.

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Don’t Let Dry Winter Air Cause Problems in Your Home

There are a number of challenges that homeowners face during the winter season. Successfully heating their homes is a big one, obviously, as is keeping the walkways free of snow. However, you also need to remember to keep the air in your home sufficiently humid, as well.

During the winter season, there is less humidity in the air than there is in the summer time. That means that you are starting out with drier air in your home. Recirculating heated air throughout the house over and over is not going to help matters. Adding humidity to the air with a whole-house humidifier in Loveland, CO, however, can.

 

The Benefits of the Whole-House Humidifier

Chances are that you’ve at least seen portable humidifier units, even if you have not used one yourself. These units may be fine for humidifying a single room, such as the baby’s nursery. When it comes to humidifying an entire house, though, the whole-house humidifier is superior in every way.

  • Convenience. You won’t have to continually refill a water tank when you use a whole-house humidifier. These systems integrate directly into the HVAC system, and are fed with a designated water line.
  • Efficiency. A whole-house humidifier is not only more effective than a portable unit, but you’ll be able to humidify the whole house more efficiently than you would when using multiple portable units, or one that you move around and run non-stop.
  • Control. It is easy to maintain the precise humidity level that you desire in your home when you use a whole-house humidifier. You won’t have to worry about injecting too much humidity in your home, which can cause its own set of problems.

Very dry air can cause a lot of trouble. Itchy skin, splitting wooden floorboards, and chipping paint are just a few that you may notice. When you do see these problems, remember that we can help. Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning is happy to provide you with outstanding whole-house humidifier services.

Big enough to serve, small enough to care.

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Is My AC Drying Out the Air in My Home?

When most people think of the summer season, they think of hot, humid air. However, we actually run the risk of drying out the air in our homes excessively during the summer season. How can this be possible? The answer, which comes as a surprise to some, is simply by running our air conditioners in order to cool our homes.

If you’ve never considered that your AC could be dragging down the air quality within your home, you need to give the situation some attention. If you determine that the air in your home is too dry, using a whole-house humidifier in conjunction with your air conditioner may be necessary. Contact us to learn more about using such humidifiers in Fort Collins, CO.

How Does My AC Dry Out the Air?

Your air conditioner is not a dehumidifier and, if you have issues with excessive humidity, you cannot expect your air conditioner to resolve the problem. However, it is true that air conditioners have a dehumidifying effect on the air. As heat is drawn out of the air passing over the evaporator coil, moisture too is drawn out. This moisture collects on the coil as condensation, and is removed from the home via the condensate drain line. When you run your AC constantly throughout the summer, and the same air is cycled through the process again and again, it can dry out.

A Whole-House Humidifier May Be Necessary

Is wallpaper splitting and paint chipping in your home? Static electricity very high? Suffering frequent sore throats, or even bloody noses? Then the air in your home is likely way too dry, then. Using a whole-house humidifier is the best way in which to add the right amount of humidity, and not too much, back into the air. You can use the same system with your heater during the winter to keep the air humidified, as well.

Schedule your AC and IAQ services with the professionals at Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning. We’re Big enough to serve, but small enough to care.

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