Should You Have a Winter Humidifier On in Your Home?

Cold winter weather can lead to dry indoor air as you run your heating system to stay warm. Should you put a winter humidifier in your Broken Arrow home to keep it from becoming too dry? Read on to learn more about whether or not investing in a winter humidifier is worth it during this time of year.

Lower the Risk of Illness

Dry air can make it easier for viruses and other germs to move around, while moist air has the opposite effect. Increasing the humidity in your home could make it harder for germs to thrive, which can help reduce your risk of getting sick. Since winter is cold-and-flu season, it’s a good idea to prevent too much dryness in your home in order to stay healthy.

Reduce Static Electricity

Dry air can cause your home to have a lot of static electricity. The shocks you get from this static can be unpleasant. In severe cases, static electricity can damage electronics in your home. Adding moisture to the air with a humidifier can help decrease static electricity.

Prevent Wood Damage

When your home is too dry in winter, wood floors, doors, and other wooden structures can end up being damaged. Dry air can cause wood to crack or change size, making doors tough to open and floors creaky. Using a humidifier during winter can keep wood structures in your home in good condition.

Maintain Healthy Skin

Wintertime is associated with dry skin, especially for those who spend most of their time indoors. Heated air from furnaces or heat pumps can dry out your skin, which can lead to irritation. Having more humidity in your home in winter can help prevent dryness and keep your skin feeling healthier.

Have a More Comfortable Home

Using a winter humidifier in winter can create a more comfortable environment in your home. In fact, your home might feel warmer with higher humidity levels, so you won’t have to run your heating system as much.

If you need a winter humidifier to keep your Broken Arrow home feeling more comfortable this season, contact Air Assurance.

Don't Let Static Electricity Get You Frizzled This Winter

Inevitably, when winter rolls around, the likelihood of experiencing static electricity increases. As cooler temperatures arrive, the air holds less moisture, and even heated indoor environments become very dry. So what’s the solution to combating static electricity? Finding effective ways to restore moisture to the environment will reduce the likelihood of getting zapped, while giving homeowners several added benefits.

In cool, dry air, static charges build up on surfaces and objects throughout the home. When a human comes into contact with an object, a shock of static electricity results, which can not only be painful for humans to experience, but it can damage electronics too. Even small charges of static electricity can damage a personal computer if you open it up to install RAM or add a plug-in. Further, the conditions that cause static electricity can damage wood components in your home, as well as create health conditions such as sinus or respiratory problems.

Learn the various ways you can restore moisture to your home, and avoid getting zapped:

• Install a whole-house humidifier. This is generally the most comprehensive solution, as the system installs alongside your HVAC equipment. As your furnace generates heat, the humidifier releases water vapor into the air. Then, the ductwork delivers heated, moist air into all of the home’s living areas.

• Add moisture to the air by simmering water. Simmering water on a stovetop will release small amounts of water vapor into the air. Combined with some of the solutions below, it may give you some relief from static electricity.

• Strategically place bowls of water around the home, which will emit some moisture back into the air.

• Use plants. Plants hold moisture, as long as they are regularly watered, and then release that moisture into the air.

• Avoid charges that damage your computer by unplugging it before performing any work, or ensuring that it's properly grounded.

At Air Assurance Heating, Air Conditioning & Geothermal, we’ve served homeowners in greater Broken Arrow for 27 years with quality HVAC solutions. Give us a call today for professional assistance resolving static electricity problems.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock