There’s a reason why air seems drier during cold weather than when it’s warmer. That’s because warmer air retains extra moisture, or humidity, than colder air.
The same is true within your Fort Worth residence. Starting 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, like dry skin, cracked lips and make you more exposed to getting sick.
Here’s why your gas furnace dries out your residence’s air and what you can do to counter it.
The fuel your furnace consumes isn’t the culprit responsible for making your residence’s air seem dry. Rather, it’s the way it combusts.
There are two different kinds of gas furnaces, standard and high efficiency. With an older standard furnace, you can see light from the burners when it’s on. A newer, high-efficiency furnace is totally sealed.
A standard furnace, also known as an atmosphere furnace, takes air from inside your residence to function. Because the furnace constantly depends on air to burn, it will also draw in cold, dry air from outdoors, which in turn affects your residence’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 your home’s exterior, but it stays locked in the sealed furnace. As an added advantage, they keep your residence more warm while consuming less energy. Switching to an ENERGY STAR® furnace from an old furnace can save you as much as 40% on heating costs, according to Lennox®.
Besides combustion, cold air also naturally flows into your residence during cold weather. Reduced humidity means the air will rob moisture fast from your skin, lips, nose and throat. It also causes static electricity.
Using a humidifier. While a portable humidifier can only make one room comfy at a time, a whole-house humidifier will transport that comfort around your residence.
These are just a small number of humidifier benefits you’ll acquire when you switch to a whole-home system.
It’s common that cold weather 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 particular airflow conditions, air at the correct humidity level can also restrict the spread of some viruses. Also, it can weaken year-round allergy symptoms.
If you have consistent dry skin or eczema, you understand just how uncomfortable those conditions make you during winter. Getting a whole-house humidifier will help your skin keep more moisture.
Maintaining your bedroom at the ideal temperature and humidity level will keep you more comfortable at night. It can also alleviate loud snoring, since your throat and nose will be better hydrated.
Cabinets, flooring, furniture and most anything in your residence that’s wood suffers when humidity is too low. This is due to the fact dry air draws 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.
Between steady filter changes and continual refilling, portable humidifiers demand a lot of upkeep. A whole-house humidifier only needs maintenance about once a year, which can be done at the same time as your furnace tune-up.
A steam humidifier has the smallest amount of maintenance since it doesn’t use a pad. It retains water in a canister and boils it into steam that gets transported through your ductwork. Because it’s independently powered, it can work when the furnace isn’t on.
If your residence’s air feels less than pleasant during cold weather, Calverley Service Experts can help. Call us at 817-380-5647 to request a free home comfort consultation. There’s no pressure, just free Expert suggestions on how you can maintain your residence’s humidity at just the correct 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.
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There’s no reason to skip your seasonal maintenance that saves energy and helps ensure your air conditioner and heater will work reliably all season long.
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