Low Humidity In The Home

What To Do About Low Humidity In The Home

Not too long ago, we wrote a blog on high humidity levels in your home, discussing the effects it has on your home and your health.  Well, now it’s time to talk about low humidity. You may be thinking something like, “Come on…when is it ever not humid here in Shreveport/Bossier City?” Well, it does happen, especially during the colder months.

Take a quick journey with us through the land of information and learn how to better your home and your health by ensuring that there is enough humidity in your home.

Here in Louisiana, since we live in a warmer climate, we aren’t always aware of the signs of low humidity and the threats that it can pose to our home and health. We think that these inconveniences may be normal, but they are not, and making sure that the humidity level in your home is adequate can help alleviate these problems.  Here are things to look for.

Signs of low humidity in the home

*Dry and itchy skin and eyes

*Scratchy throats and noses

*Respiratory issues (lung and sinus problems)

*Susceptibility to illnesses (viruses and germs thrive more easily and defenses are compromised in overly dry air)

*Headaches

*Damage to wood furniture, musical instruments and art (air pulls moisture from the porous material)

*Static Electricity (this one may not seem so bad, but keep shocking your family members and it may eventually mean bad news for you)

*A feeling of being cold all over even when the temperature is set to a higher level. Dry air pulls moisture from your skin, cooling your body in the process, maybe making you crank up the heat a bit more and thus drying the air out even more.  I know, it’s a vicious cycle!

So, why does low humidity occur in your home?  Great question! One way is your home’s heating system. This system works by heating the air in your home which removes some of the moisture from the air resulting in lower humidity. Also, infiltration of cold, dry outside air into your home during the wintertime causes low humidity in your home.  Cold air cannot hold as much moisture as warm air so when the dry winter air comes into your home and warms up, the air inside your house becomes drier in the process. The solution is to increase the humidity inside your home.  So, how are you going to do that?  Check this out.

How to increase humidity in your home

*Seal off your house from the outside.  Make sure that no cold, dry air is seeping in

*Place several bowls of water (room-temperature) around the home and let them slowly evaporate into the air

*Use houseplants to add moisture to the air

*Use a humidifier (this is one of the best methods of increasing humidity in the home)

Since humidifiers are one of the best methods, let us elaborate a little more on them.  Humidifiers increase the moisture content in a surrounding area.  When it comes to humidifiers, you definitely have options!  Typically, in the south, portable humidifiers are used due to the fact that our cold season isn’t very long and our humidity is undeniable!  Portable humidifiers will give you added moisture to a room that is lacking humidity, but you need to buy one that will cover the square footage of the room it will be used in.  If you buy one that is too small, you won’t feel a difference in your moisture levels and will have wasted money on something that isn’t helping you. There are different kinds of portable humidifiers that can be beneficial.

Different kinds of Portable Humidifiers

*Cool mist humidifiers – these emit a cool vapor to add more moisture to a room.

*Evaporative humidifiers – these are similar to cool mist humidifiers, but they use a fan to circulate humidity in a room

*Ultrasonic humidifiers – these produce water droplets via a vibrating metallic diaphragm

*Vaporizer humidifiers – these can be either cool or warm mist, and inhalants can be added to treat cold and flu ailments

*Warm mist humidifiers – these heat water to create a vapor that is cooled before it is added to a room’s air.

Humidity in a home can affect your health and comfort so it is ideal to keep a level that is between 30 and 50 percent.  Using thermometers and hygrometers inside your home can be beneficial in determining the humidity level and thus being able to correct any humidity problem that may arise. More importantly, working with your trusted HVAC company is the best way to obtain answers to dealing with humidity, whether it be too low or too high, that is specific to your home.  Here at Advanced Air Conditioning and Heating we are ready to tackle any HVAC problem that you are facing. Give us a call! 318-222-KOOL