There’s a reason why air appears drier during colder months than in the summer. That’s since warmer air retains extra moisture, or humidity, than colder air.
The same is true inside your Long Island home. Turning on 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, 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 resolve it.
Your Furnace’s Combustion Steps are a share the Trouble
The fuel your furnace needs isn’t the thing responsible for making your house’s air feel dry. Rather, it’s the combustion process.
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 totally sealed.
A standard furnace, also known as 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 reduces your house’s humidity.
High-efficiency furnaces, also called a sealed combustion furnace, are used for keeping your humidity balanced. They pull all their combustion air from outside, but it stays contained within the sealed furnace. As another bonus, they keep your house more cozy while requiring 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 drifts into your house during cold weather. Lower humidity means the air will rob moisture fast 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 comfy at a time, a whole-house humidifier will spread that comfort throughout 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 common that winter is the worst time for colds, flu and other illnesses. That’s since you’re more apt to become sick when your nose and throat are dry. Under specific airflow conditions, air at the right humidity level may also restrict the spread of some viruses. In addition, it can help with year-round allergy symptoms.
Relief from Dry Skin
If you have constantly dry skin or eczema, you realize just how aggravating those conditions make you during winter. Getting a whole-house humidifier will help your skin hold onto more moisture.
Better Sleep
Keeping your bedroom at the preferred temperature and humidity level will keep you more comfortable at night. It can also reduce loud snoring, since your throat and nose will be better hydrated.
Guards the Wood in Your House
Cabinets, flooring, furniture and basically anything in your home 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 split. Having your residence’s humidity at the correct level will keep your residence’s furnishings looking their best.
Little Maintenance Required
Between regular filter changes and continuous refilling, portable humidifiers depend on 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 smallest amount of maintenance since it doesn’t need 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 work when the furnace is off.
Schedule Your Free Home Comfort Consultation Today
If your house’s air feels less than pleasant during colder weather, Matz-Rightway can help. Call us at 631-406-9220 to set up a free home comfort consultation. There’s no obligation, just free Expert suggestions on how you can keep your residence’s humidity at just the right level. And, like our other services, our work is backed by our well-known 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.