There’s a reason why air appears drier during cold weather than in the summer. That’s since warmer air carries more moisture, or humidity, than colder air.
The same is true for your Calgary residence. Using your gas furnace makes your home feel warmer but can also dry out the indoor air. Dry air can bring a whole host of ailments, like dry skin, cracked lips and make you more likely to get sick.
Here’s why your gas furnace dries out your house’s air and what you can do to fix it.
Your Furnace’s Combustion Process is a Portion of the Trouble
The fuel your furnace needs isn’t the source responsible for making your residence’s air feel dry. Rather, it’s the way it combusts.
There are two different styles of gas furnaces, standard and high efficiency. With an older standard furnace, you can notice light from the burners when it’s running. A newer, high-efficiency furnace is completely sealed.
A standard furnace, also known as an atmosphere furnace, takes air from inside your home to work. Because the furnace constantly depends on air to burn, it will also pull cold, dry air from outdoors, which in turn reduces your house’s humidity.
High-efficiency furnaces, also referred to as a sealed combustion furnace, are ideal for keeping your humidity steady. They take all their combustion air from outdoors, but it stays locked inside the sealed furnace. As an additional bonus, they keep your residence more comfy while consuming less energy. Upgrading to an ENERGY STAR® furnace from an old furnace could save you as much as 40% on heating costs, according to Lennox®.
In addition to combustion, cold air also naturally drifts into your residence during colder weather. Lower humidity means the air will steal moisture rapidly from your skin, lips, nose and throat. It’s also to blame for static electricity.
How to Even Out Humidity in Your Home
Using a humidifier. While a portable humidifier can only make one room pleasant at a time, a whole-house humidifier will transport that comfort throughout your residence.
These are just a small number of humidifier benefits you’ll acquire when you switch to a whole-home system.
Enhanced Health During Cold and Flu Season
It’s typical that winter is the worst time for colds, flu and other sicknesses. That’s since you’re more likely to become sick when your nose and throat are dry. Under certain airflow conditions, air at the correct humidity level can also slow the spread of some viruses. Additionally, it can alleviate year-round allergy symptoms.
Relief from Dry Skin
If you have consistent dry skin or eczema, you understand just how uncomfortable those conditions make you during winter. Installing a whole-house humidifier will help your skin retain more moisture.
Better Sleep
Maintaining your bedroom at the right temperature and humidity level will keep you comfortable at night. It can also help with loud snoring, since your throat and nose will be better hydrated.
Protects the Wood in Your Home
Cabinets, flooring, furniture and basically anything in your house 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. Having your residence’s humidity at the proper level will keep your residence’s furnishings looking their best.
Little Maintenance Required
Between frequent filter changes and constant refilling, portable humidifiers depend on a lot of upkeep. A whole-house humidifier only needs servicing about once a year, which can be done in tandem with your furnace tune-up.
A steam humidifier has the smallest amount of maintenance since it doesn’t use a pad. It holds water in a canister and boils it into steam that gets moved through your ductwork. As it’s independently powered, it can run when the furnace isn’t on.
Request Your Free Home Comfort Consultation Now
If your home’s air feels less than comfortable during colder weather, A1 Chesney Service Experts can help. Call us at 587-315-5271 to set up a free home comfort consultation. There’s no obligation, just free Expert suggestions on how you can balance 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.