In 1902, Willis Carrier, a young engineer, was given an assignment. He was asked to find a way to stop the paper from being warped by heat and humidity in the warehouses of the printing press where he worked in upstate New York. He designed a machine that could both regulate the air temperature in an enclosed space and remove the humidity from it, the air conditioner
Nowadays we depend on our HVAC systems to keep us comfortable everywhere we go. Our homes, cars, offices, schools etc are all kept at a comfortable temperature by air conditioning. It cools in summer and warms in winter.
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And all year round, it removes moisture from the air. In summer, when humidity levels are higher, this is generally a good thing. Moisture makes the air feel warmer and high levels of humidity in the summer are not pleasant.
The winter, however, is another story. Although there is usually less moisture in the air during the colder months, your HVAC system is still removing the same amount as in the summer months.
This can leave the air in your home dryer more than it should be, leading to all sorts of problems:
- Dry air can aggravate the symptoms of allergies and trigger other respiratory problems.
- Dry air sucks the moisture out of porous materials, like wood. This can cause furniture, wood floors and fixing and even musical instruments to shrink, warp and crack.
- Dry air feels colder, so you have to set your thermostat higher to maintain your comfort level, which, of course, increases your utility costs.
In order to protect your family and possessions against the negative effects of over-dry air, it’s important that you use a humidifier during the winter, or all-year-round if you live in one of the dryer states. Humidifiers come in two types, room humidifiers, which are stand-alone units that can be placed in the room you are using, or whole house humidifiers, which are installed on your HVAC system.
Here at Chills Air Conditioning, we strongly recommend the whole house humidifier. It may be more expensive but it has several important advantages over room humidifiers.
What are the Benefits of a Whole House Humidifier?
Comfort
Humidified air feels warmer than dry air. This means installing a humidifier will not just keep you more comfortable, it’ll also save you money on your electricity bills.
Convenience
A whole house humidifier uses a hygrometer to measure and regulate the humidity level in your home. Once your humidifier is installed, you can set it to the humidity level of your choice and forget about it. The humidifier will automatically humidify the hot air from your furnace to the correct level. This is then distributed around the home through your ductwork. Most room units lack this feature and need to be constantly monitored so the air doesn’t become over-humidified, which can lead to mold and mildew forming on your walls.
Maintenance
Room humidifiers need to be regularly disassembled and cleaned, otherwise, mold and bacteria will build up in the water tank and other places. A whole house humidifier, in contrast, will only need to be cleaned once or twice a year, depending on how hard the water in your area is, to remove mineral deposits left by the water as it evaporates.
Health
As we mentioned, dry air can aggravate allergy symptoms and trigger respiratory problems. It can also cause sinus problems, dry, itchy skin and chapped lips. A humidifier will prevent these problems from occurring.
Like air conditioning itself, a humidifier is no longer a fancy luxury but an essential household appliance to keep you and your family happy and healthy so contact us today for a quote on having a whole house humidifier fitted. It’s not that expensive, and it’s definitely worth it.
