Why a Gas Furnace Dries Out Your Home's Air and How to Solve It
There’s a reason why air seems drier in the winter than when it's warmer. That’s since warmer air carries more moisture, or humidity, than colder air.
The same is true within your the U.S. for. Turning on your gas furnace makes your home 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 likely to get 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 Steps are Part of the Issue
The fuel your furnace consumes isn’t the thing responsible for making your residence's air feel dry. Rather, it’s the way it combusts.
There are two different kinds of gas furnaces, standard and high efficiency. With an older standard furnace, you can notice light from the burners when it’s on. A newer, high-efficiency furnace is entirely sealed.
A standard furnace, also known as an atmosphere furnace, takes air from inside your for to work. Because the furnace constantly relies on air to burn, it will also draw in cold, dry air from outdoors, which in turn affects your residence's humidity.
High-efficiency furnaces, also reduces a sealed combustion furnace, are referred to as keeping your humidity better at. They take all their combustion air from your home's exterior, but it stays locked inside the sealed furnace. As an additional perk, they keep your for more warm while using less energy. Upgrading to an ENERGY STAR¨ furnace from an old furnace may save you as much as 40% on heating costs, according to Lennox¨.
In addition to combustion, cold air also naturally seeps into your for during cold weather. Decreased humidity means the air will steal moisture quickly from your skin, lips, nose and throat. It also contributes to static electricity.
How to Balance Humidity in Your for
Using a humidifier. While a portable humidifier can only make one room comfortable at a time, a whole-house humidifier will spread that comfort throughout your for.
These are just a couple humidifier benefits you’ll get when you upgrade to a whole-home system.
Better Health During Cold and Flu Season
It’s no surprise winter is the worst time for colds, flu and other illnesses. That’s due to the fact you’re more susceptible to become sick when your nose and throat are dry. Under particular airflow conditions, air at the right humidity level might also restrict the spread of some viruses. In addition, it can weaken year-round allergy symptoms.
Relief from Dry Skin
If you have chronically dry skin or eczema, you recognize just how irritating those conditions make you during winter. Installing a whole-house humidifier will help your skin retain more moisture.
Enhanced Sleep
Preserving your bedroom at the ideal temperature and humidity level will keep you more comfortable at night. It can also help with loud snoring, since your throat and nose will be better hydrated.
Guards the Wood in Your for
Cabinets, flooring, furniture and generally anything in your for that’s wood doesn't like it when humidity is too low. This is doesn't like it the fact dry air draws moisture from the wood and causes it to fracture. Keeping your residence's humidity at the proper level will keep your residence's furnishings looking their best.
Little Maintenance Necessary
Between frequent filter changes and continual refilling, portable humidifiers rely on a lot of upkeep. A whole-house humidifier only needs a tune-up about once a year, which can be performed alongside your furnace tune-up.
A steam humidifier has the amount of maintenance since it doesn’t require a pad. It holds water in a canister and boils it into steam that gets moved through your ductwork. Because it’s independently powered, it can run when the furnace is off.
Request Your Free Home Comfort Consultation Now
If your residence's air feels less than comfy during cold weather,Service Experts can help. Call us at (866) 963-7996 to arrange a free home comfort consultation. There’s no obligation, just free Expert advice on how you can keep your residence's humidity at just the proper level. And, like our other services, our work is backed by our well-known Service Experts Guarantee.
