Our furnaces do a great job at keeping our homes warm during winter, but there is one indoor comfort issue that furnaces themselves do not address: low humidity. In order to maintain a comfortable humidity level, it’s best to install a whole house humidifier. Today we’re going to talk about the purpose of a whole house humidifier and how it helps control humidity levels in your home!

What is the purpose of a whole house humidifier?

As temperatures drop during winter in the Metro East area, humidity levels drop as well. That means that the air is extra dry in your home, which can lead to problems like:

A colder feeling in your home (even without the temperature dropping)
Dry, itchy and irritated skin
Aggravated symptoms of asthma and allergies
Shrinking and cracking of the wood in your home

A whole house humidifier is designed to add moisture to your home’s air, thus raising the humidity levels in your entire home and avoiding the problems listed above.

How does a whole house humidifier work?

A whole house humidifier is installed in the ductwork of your existing heating system and is attached to your home’s water supply. As air is cycled through your furnace, a portion of that air is sent through the humidifier. While in the humidifier, the air picks up moisture from the water that flows through the unit.

Once the air leaves your humidifier, it joins back up with the rest of the air that’s being cycled throughout your home. The end result is that all of the air in your home has a higher moisture content, which raises the humidity levels in every part of your home.

If you have any questions about a whole house humidifier, or if you’d like a heating system serviced or installed in your home, contact Tiger, your Glen Carbon plumbing, heating and air conditioning contractor.

photo credit: slworking2