Even though our area doesn’t get as bitterly cold as other parts of the country, our winters are nothing to scoff at. That being said, when you seem to have a problem with your heating system, chances are you want to get scheduled Tacoma, WA heating repair right away. One of the common complaints that Tacoma area homeowners have is about the dry air that results from their heating system being used on a daily, and even hourly, basis.
The assumption that a heater causes dry air is true, but only partially. When the level of moisture outdoors drops, which it does in the winter time, then your indoor relative humidity drops too. Anything below 30% relative humidity is considered too low and will cause discomfort as well as potential illness and even damage to your home. Your heating system, no matter how efficiently it works, only exacerbates this problem.
So, How Do You Combat Dry Air?
With a whole-house humidifier! When air is too dry, as we mentioned above, it can cause a number of problems. For instance, it will dry out your skin, which can lead to itching, rashes, and chapped lips. In severe cases it can even cause your skin to crack, becoming a painful problem on top of everything else.
Dry air also dries out your mucous membranes in your sinuses, which depletes one of your bodies’ most helpful means of fighting colds and other illnesses. This is one of the big reasons that colds are more prevalent during the winter season.
One last problem that dry air causes is static electricity. Sure, it can be amusing to slide your socks along the carpet on a dry day and “shock” a family member, but you won’t be laughing as hard if you feel a shock from a metal doorknob—or worse, an electrical outlet. Static electricity can even create a fire hazard if it’s bad enough.
How Does This Relate to My Heater?
As we mentioned above, your forced-air heating system exaggerates the dry air problem you are experiencing. Not only that, dry air forces your heater to work harder, since it often feels colder in your house with the air is dry. This causes a vicious cycle that ultimately forces your heater to work harder than it should have to, and makes it prone to early breakdown.
The Humidifier Solution
You may already be familiar with portable humidifiers, most often seen in bedrooms where someone is sick, or perhaps even being used to keep indoor plants moist. Whole-house humidifiers are a more comprehensive solution to dry air, though.
A whole house humidifier is installed directly into your ductwork, and tackles the dry air problem throughout your entire living space so you don’t have to rely on inefficient portable humidifiers. This will help not only keep you and your family comfortable and healthy, but will prevent damage to your property and to your heater!
Contact Sound Heating today! We take your comfort as serious as you do.