Waking up with a sore throat because you’ve been breathing cool dry air all day. Having a cough or a stuffy nose because you can’t seem to shake this cold. Having dry flakey skin because you can’t seem to give it enough moisture.
These things probably sound all too familiar… and they’re probably things that you’ve been dealing with since the weather got cooler. We’ve been talking a lot about the cool dry winter air lately and it’s because it can be a pretty big pest. From illness to dry skin, the dry air in your home can leave you feeling less than comfortable. So how can you combat that dry air? The answer is to get some humidity back in your home! How do you increase your home’s humidity?
A whole-home humidifier!
Let’s take a look at what exactly a whole-home humidifier is, what it does, and why it can be helpful for you and your home.
What is a whole-home humidifier?
A whole-home humidifier is an HVAC add-on that you commonly see homeowners installing to increase their home’s humidity. They work to create moisture and then circulate it into your home via your HVAC system. They come in many different shapes and sizes, meaning it’s important you find what works best for your home. There are 3 basic types of whole-home humidifiers. They are a bypass unit, steam unit, and power unit.
- Bypass Unit: These units work to create moisture in your home by evaporating water through your HVAC systems blower fan. When there is a need for moisture the unit will allow water droplets to fall. When the warm air of the fan blows over them they will evaporate and enter your home with the warm air.
- Steam Unit: This uses an additional electric unit to boil water. The boiled water creates steam which enters into your home adding humidity.
- Power Unit: This works similarly to the bypass unit as it utilizes pieces of your existing HVAC unit. The difference here is that a power unit has its own fan to evaporate the water. However, this fan isn’t strong enough to disturb the evaporated water, therefore, your unit must also be turned on for this to work.
Why is a Whole-home Humidifier Useful?
Humidity is actually an important factor in the overall health of your home’s air, especially during the winter. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why these humidifiers can be so useful!
- They keep your air healthy which keeps you healthy. Dry air is a great place for bacteria and viruses to grow. Increasing the moisture in your home can help to eliminate this issue. It can also help you avoid those scratchy throats and noses too.
- It’s good for your skin! Your skin doesn’t like the dry air and it’s likely that in the winter you get dry and itchy skin. Avoid dealing with that in your home by increasing the humidity.
- It actually saves you some money! Adding humidity to your home’s air will help the air to feel warmer. This means you don’t need the heat as high and you can save some money on your energy bill.
- It’s good for your home’s health too. Dry air can cause furniture and flooring to crack. Items in your home that are made from wood may split or crack due to the dry air. Adding humidity will keep your home looking beautiful longer.
We hope that this blog helped you better understand why a whole-home humidifier might be right for you. Now it’s time to consider what kind of unit is best for you and how large you need. A/C Masters is happy to help discuss your options and walk you through the install process as well. Our HVAC experts are available for all of your HVAC needs. Just call (757) 847-5252 with any questions you have!