Though wintertime humidity levels in the Twin Cities are relatively high, those levels don’t necessarily translate the air inside your home. Because you likely run your furnace or heat pump continually throughout winter, your indoor air can dry out in a hurry. And when it does, you may experience dry skin, chapped lips, sinus dehydration, and multiple other health issues.
Fortunately, improving your indoor humidity level isn’t difficult, provided you have the right equipment. The experts at Steve’s Plumbing & Heating explain how indoor humidity control can help alleviate many common symptoms associated with dry indoor air.
Recommended Indoor Humidity Levels
According to Mayo Clinic, the ideal relative humidity inside your home should hover anywhere between 30-50%. When indoor moisture levels are too high, you encourage mold and mildew growth, which can contribute to multiple health issues. And when indoor humidity is too low, you also encourage the development of numerous health issues, which may include:
● Respiratory irritation
● Skin dehydration and rashes
● Nasal passage irritation, dryness, or bloody noses
● Sinusitis
● Asthma or bronchitis
● Systemic dehydration
● Reduced immunity
This is why it’s so important to control the humidity inside your home diligently. The human body thrives within a specific humidity range, and to protect your health, it’s imperative that you have the proper amount of moisture in your indoor air.
Humidity Control: How It Functions to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Since health issues can develop when indoor moisture levels are below the recommended range, you must add moisture to your indoor air mechanically. The best (and easiest) way to achieve this is to use an indoor humidifier on a routine basis.
Some homes can get away with periodic use of a humidifier throughout winter, while other households must use moisture control continually to maintain ideal humidity levels. Here’s how these apparatuses add moisture to your indoor air:
● Central humidifiers. These units are installed into your central heating and cooling system and add moisture to the air throughout your home via your ductwork and vents.
● Ultrasonic humidifiers. These units produce a cool mist of water vapor through ultrasonic vibration. They add humidity to the air inside the rooms in which you place them.
● Evaporators. These units use a fan to blow dry air through a wet filter, belt, or wick.
● Steam vaporizers. These units produce heat, which creates water vapor in the form of steam. They add moisture to the air in whatever room you place them in. Steam humidifiers are generally not suitable for households with young children.
● Impeller humidifiers. These units utilize a rotating disk that produces a cool stream of water vapor. They are designed to humidify the immediate area in which they are placed.
It’s important to keep in mind that the condition of your furnace, heat pump, or boiler can play a major role in how humid or arid your indoor air is. As such, we recommend scheduling annual heating and cooling inspections to ensure your system remains in proper working order.
When you know your heating system is performing optimally but your indoor moisture levels are still not up to par, get in touch with our team at Steve’s Plumbing & Heating. We carry an extensive selection of permanent humidifiers to suit the moisture control needs of any home and we also perform comprehensive system installation.
Got Dry Indoor Air? Get Humidity Control from Steve’s Plumbing & Heating
If your indoor air is super dry throughout winter, don’t hesitate to contact our team at Steve’s Plumbing & Heating. We can help you determine which humidifier is best for your home and perform a full installation and ongoing maintenance. We proudly serve residents throughout Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point, Marshfield, and Wassau, so get in touch with us today to schedule an estimate. Give us a call at 715-421-1800 or contact us online to get started.