There’s a reason why air seems drier in the winter than when it’s warmer. That’s since warmer air holds additional moisture, or humidity, than colder air.
The same is true inside your Dallas residence. Turning on your gas furnace makes your home 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 susceptible to getting sick.
Here’s why your gas furnace dries out your home’s air and what you can do to resolve it.
Your Furnace’s Combustion Steps are a share the Trouble
The fuel your furnace uses isn’t the thing responsible for making your home’s air seem dry. Rather, it’s the combustion procedures.
There are two different kinds of gas furnaces, standard and high efficiency. With an older standard furnace, you can notice light from the burners when it’s working. A newer, high-efficiency furnace is tightly sealed.
A standard furnace, also called an atmosphere furnace, takes air from inside your house to combust. Because the furnace continuously requires 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 better at keeping your humidity even. They take all their combustion air from outside, but it stays trapped within the sealed furnace. As an added advantage, they keep your residence more cozy while needing less energy. Upgrading to an ENERGY STAR® furnace from an old furnace can save you as much as 40% on heating costs, according to Lennox®.
In addition to combustion, cold air also naturally seeps into your residence during the winter. Reduced humidity means the air will rob moisture rapidly from your skin, lips, nose and throat. It also causes static electricity.
How to Stabilize Humidity in Your House
Using a humidifier. While a portable humidifier can only make one room comfy at a time, a whole-house humidifier will spread that comfort across your home.
These are just a few humidifier benefits you’ll get when you upgrade to a whole-home system.
Better Health During Cold and Flu Season
It’s typical that cold weather is the worst time for colds, flu and other sicknesses. That’s because you’re more likely to end up sick when your nose and throat are dry. Under particular airflow conditions, air at the right humidity level might also slow the spread of some viruses. Additionally, it can weaken year-round allergy symptoms.
Eases Dry Skin
If you have consistent dry skin or eczema, you realize just how aggravating those conditions make you during winter. Installing a whole-house humidifier will help your skin hold onto more moisture.
Better Sleep
Maintaining your bedroom at the right temperature and humidity level will keep you more comfortable at night. It can also decrease loud snoring, since your throat and nose will be better hydrated.
Defends the Wood in Your Home
Cabinets, flooring, furniture and generally anything in your house that’s wood suffers when humidity is too low. This is due to the fact dry air pulls moisture from the wood and causes it to crack. Having your residence’s humidity at the right level will keep your house’s furnishings looking their best.
Little Maintenance Needed
Between regular filter changes and continuous refilling, portable humidifiers expect a lot of upkeep. A whole-house humidifier only needs maintenance 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 require a pad. It stores water in a canister and boils it into steam that gets transported through your ductwork. Since it’s independently powered, it can run when the furnace isn’t on.
Request Your Free Home Comfort Consultation Today
If your house’s air feels less than comfy during the winter, Levy & Son Service Experts can help. Call us at 469-250-0932 to schedule a free home comfort consultation. There’s no pressure, 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 supported 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.