There’s a reason why air feels drier during cold weather than in the summer. That’s because warmer air retains more moisture, or humidity, than colder air.
The same is true for your Winnipeg residence. Starting your gas furnace makes your residence feel warmer but can also dry out the indoor air. Dry air can transport a whole host of ailments, including dry skin, cracked lips and make you more vulnerable to getting sick.
Here’s why your gas furnace dries out your residence’s air and what you can do to counter it.
Your Furnace’s Combustion Process is a Portion of the Issue
The fuel your furnace uses isn’t the source responsible for making your home’s air appear dry. Rather, it’s the way it combusts.
There are two different styles 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 tightly sealed.
A standard furnace, also known as an atmosphere furnace, takes air from inside your home to function. Because the furnace continuously depends on air to burn, it will also use cold, dry air from outdoors, which in turn affects your house’s humidity.
High-efficiency furnaces, also called a sealed combustion furnace, are better at keeping your humidity steady. They draw all their combustion air from outside, but it stays locked in the sealed furnace. As an extra advantage, they keep your home more comfy while using 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®.
In addition to combustion, cold air also naturally drifts into your home during the winter. Lower humidity means the air will rob moisture rapidly from your skin, lips, nose and throat. It’s also to blame for static electricity.
How to Balance Humidity in Your Residence
Using a humidifier. While a portable humidifier can only make one room comfortable at a time, a whole-house humidifier will spread that comfort across your home.
These are just a small number of humidifier benefits you’ll acquire when you switch to a whole-home system.
Improved Health During Cold and Flu Season
It’s common that cold weather is the worst time for colds, flu and other ailments. That’s because you’re more likely to become sick when your nose and throat are dry. Under certain airflow conditions, air at the right humidity level can also resist the spread of some viruses. Additionally, it can alleviate year-round allergy symptoms.
Relief from Dry Skin
If you have consistently dry skin or eczema, you recognize just how irritating those conditions can be during winter. Installing a whole-house humidifier will help your skin retain more moisture.
Enhanced Sleep
Maintaining your bedroom at the right temperature and humidity level will keep you more comfortable at night. It can also decrease loud snoring, since your throat and nose will be better hydrated.
Defends the Wood in Your Residence
Cabinets, flooring, furniture and most anything in your residence that’s wood suffers when humidity is too low. This is a result of the fact dry air draws moisture from the wood and causes it to fracture. Balancing your house’s humidity at the correct level will keep your house’s furnishings looking their best.
Little Maintenance Required
Between frequent filter changes and continuous refilling, portable humidifiers demand a lot of upkeep. A whole-house humidifier only needs a tune-up about once a year, which can be performed in tandem with your furnace tune-up.
A steam humidifier has the lowest amount of maintenance since it doesn’t need a pad. It holds water in a canister and boils it into steam that gets distributed through your ductwork. Because it’s independently powered, it can run when the furnace isn’t running.
Request Your Free Home Comfort Consultation Now
If your home’s air feels less than comfy during cold weather, Winnipeg Supply Service Experts can help. Call us at 204-800-0613 to schedule a free home comfort consultation. There’s no sales tactics, just free Expert advice on how you can maintain your house’s humidity at just the proper 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.