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Cold weather outdoors and low indoor humidity seem to go hand-in-hand. It’s a natural fact of physics that cold air doesn’t retain moisture as efficiently as warm air. Thus, winter months tend to be periods of reduced humidity. Generally speaking, humidity inside the house should average around 40% if possible, year-round. When levels drop below that comfort zone, however, a number of consequences occur:
- Physical symptoms such as dry skin and scratchy throat are common.
- Airborne viruses like cold and flu thrive longer in dry air and are thus more likely to infect occupants.
- Annoying static electricity shocks occur frequently.
- Because the house feels colder in low humidity, furnace thermostat settings are often adjusted upwards to compensate and heating costs rise. Forced air furnaces also remove some humidity from the air, further exacerbating the dry conditions.
- Shrinkage and splitting may occur in wooden components such as flooring and cabinetry.
Preserving a comfortable, healthy indoor environment in winter requires some pro-active steps to compensate for the dry conditions outdoors.
- Outside air seeping inside contributes to overly dry conditions in a house during winter. Seal air leaks to prevent infiltration of cold, dry air. Renew worn weatherstripping around doors and windows. Locate cracks and gaps in exterior walls and the ceiling and fill with caulking.
- Consider adding a whole-house humidifier. Installed inside your HVAC ductwork, the unit continuously monitors indoor humidity and automatically adds water vapor when required to maintain the desired setting. Because the entire indoor air volume circulates through the ductwork multiple times each day, consistent humidity control throughout the entire home is assured. Plumbed directly to the household water system, these units operate continuously and do not require user effort such as adding water or cleaning.
- Room humidifiers add humidity to limited individual spaces (such as a bedroom). These portable units can be moved from room-to-room if necessary. Most models include a water reservoir which must be manually refilled, usually on a daily basis.
The post How to Keep Indoor Humidity High Enough in Winter appeared first on Rytech Inc.
