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Furnace Repair | The Benefits of a Good Humidifier
There are so many reasons to have a proper functioning humidifier in your home. If you are not sure that yours is doing the job right, you will want to read on to find out what some of the signs are that you are living in a dryer than necessary home. Exposure to dry air is bad enough at any time of the year but in a climate like Alberta its particularly bad in winter. Couple that with fact that winter lasts for more than half the year and you may experience a myriad of conditions that are uncomfortable but also relatively avoidable.
If you have what seems like a constant cold from a virus, but especially in the winter months, this could be that your home is not humid enough. It is not a cold but just cold-like symptoms like runny nose, sore and scratchy throat, and super dry eyes. These all may be caused by a lack of humidity in your environment. If you work in an office, there is nothing you can do to fix the dry air but at home it is a different story.
Make the right decision
You are in control of this space. You will want to check that your furnace has a all the working benefits of a good humidifier attached to it. When it is working properly you will find your cold symptoms will all but disappear and the air quality in the home improves drastically.
If you suffer from an unusually dry and itchy scalp that is not an autoimmune skin ailment, so much of the time, this is another red flag that the humidifier in your home may not be cutting it. If you have already applied moisturizers and you still feel dry, then it is time to double check on the benefits of a good humidifier to see that it is working properly, and that nothing is plugged up. It is also worth noting that the humidistat control should be set to 35% as this is the average for most homes. The humidistat control is what tells your humidifier to automatically reach the humidity in your home to wherever you set it to.
A humidifier adds an unparallel level of comfort
A dry air environment will suck the moisture from wherever it can which includes you! You will feel it especially with your skin and hair. It is important to have a well-functioning humidifier that is set to the right level so that you can enjoy your living space. This will ensure no matter where you spend the most time in your home you will be living in comfort. The other place you may feel major discomfort is in your throat, especially if you suffer from ailments like asthma or something respiratory in nature.
You no longer need to suffer through the winter months with a dry cough. A benefits of a good humidifier will allow the proper amount of moisture to be supplied back into the air making breathing more comfortable.
Main Benefits of a Good Humidifier
Having proper humidity in your air in your home will also allow your furnace to get your home to the set temperature you ask of it. If the air is dryer, then it will take longer to get to the set temperature which in turn will cost you more to heat your home. In the winter this could cause your furnace to run around the clock. The proper level of humidity in your home will allow your heating and cooling system to work more efficiently bringing the cost of your utilities down.
Another thing that most people may not realize that is guaranteed to suffer without moisture or humidity in the air is anything made of wood. The dry air will draw moisture out of all the things you have in your home like, furniture, floors, and a piano. They will all suffer and change shape becoming dry and brittle. Some flooring companies will not honor their warranties unless you have a working humidifier that is the right size for your home.
Some things to keep in mind
Now that have read all the benefits of a good humidifier, and what it adds to your home and your lifestyle there are some things to keep in mind as you maintain its functionality and lifespan. First, let us review how a humidifier works. The benefits of a good humidifier is that it takes air from the return ducts and as it passes it through, water is added to the air and then it runs through the filter pads after which it is sent back out through the supply ducts to the home. What if the filter pads are clogged and it does not let the air pass through?
This becomes a problem, and you will find leaking from the humidifier. You may be experiencing calcium plugging the pad filter and the drain under the pad too. This will cause water to leak because it has nowhere else to go. This is quite likely to happen in Alberta due to the hard water we have that is filled with minerals such as calcium. Therefore, it is ultra-important to regularly check on the benefits of a good humidifier and its filter pads. If they are clogged, they will cause issues.
It needs Maintenance
If you find that your humidifier is running water all the time you may have a few different things going on causing this issue. The first thing to look at is that your humidistat is functioning and reading properly. If it is not reading right, it will leave the valve open and run water constantly. The other issue with the valve is that it could very well be seized up just by virtue of age. If this happens again it will be constantly flowing water through. Be sure to contact us if this issue persists.
If you are finding that the benefits of a good humidifier is running but you are not getting enough humidity or any for that matter it may also be due to a poor functioning humidistat control. An easy solution if it applies is to check that the humidistat is set to 35%. If that % is not holding well yet the water is running than you may need to replace the humidistat all together.