In the winter when the outdoor air becomes drier and your heating system is running, an air humidifier can help replenish moisture to make your home environment more comfortable. Did you know that humidifying your indoor air supply can be beneficial in the summer as well, when you're running the cooling system?
THE CORRELATION BETWEEN YOUR COOLING SYSTEM AND AIR HUMIDITY
During the cooling process, your HVAC equipment draws heat and moisture from the indoor air and expels it outdoors. If your heat pump or air conditioner dehumidifies really well, the moisture level in your home can drop below the ideal range of 35 - 45 percent. Adding a humidifier to your HVAC system allows you to manage the amount of moisture in the air simply by adjusting a setting on your thermostat. If you set the humidity level at 45 percent, for example, the humidifier responds by automatically adding water vapor to your conditioned air whenever it falls below that percentage.
Running an air humidifier in the summer also lets you:
- Stay comfortable and healthy.When the air contains enough moisture, you can avoid a slew of discomforting symptoms including itchy skin, eye irritation, nasal congestion, sinus headaches and sore throats. Since the viruses and bacteria that cause the flu, common cold and upper respiratory infections flourish in a dry environment, you'll lessen your risk of illness too.
- Safeguard your home and its contents.Maintaining adequate humidity protects the structural components, drywall, paint, wood floors and trim from shrinking, cracking and splitting. It also prevents damage to your valued furnishings and possessions, including wood furniture, musical instruments, books and artwork.
- Prevent damage from static electricity.Addressing low humidity also helps you avoid painful and irritating shocks from static electricity. Additionally, it also protects costly items in your home that can be ruined by these random jolts of electrical current – like computers, gaming consoles, televisions and cell phones.
Visit our Valley Heating, Cooling, Electrical website for in-depth information on most HVAC topics. For personalized advice about using an air humidifier in the summer, just give us a call at (408) 868-5500.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the South Bay Peninsula and Santa Cruz areas of California about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).