When it comes to enhancing your indoor comfort, there are numerous indoor air quality solutions available for investment. One that’s becoming increasingly popular for Colorado homeowners is whole-home humidification systems. Below, we’ll break down what these units do and how to decide whether purchasing one is the right investment for your home.
Understanding Colorado’s Dry Climate
Colorado falls into the semi-arid climate classification. It experiences low humidity throughout most of the year, with an average level of around 30%. However, during the winter months, your heating system can further decrease your indoor humidity level by drying out the air. Sometimes your indoor humidity can drop as low as 15%. With most experts recommending a relative indoor humidity level between 40 and 50%, Colorado’s climate simply isn’t offering optimal comfort.
The Effects of Dry Air
When humidity levels are lower than the recommended 40-50%, they can have numerous adverse effects on you and your home. Dry air strips your body of its natural moisture, leading to dry and itchy skin and frizzy hair. Without enough moisture, the mucous membranes in your nose and your throat will both dry out. This will leave you more susceptible to sinus irritation, respiratory infections, and even nosebleeds.
Those who already suffer from allergies or asthma will likely experience more severe allergy symptoms in dryer air. Arid conditions can cause wooden floors, trim, furniture, and other elements in your home to crack, warp, or even shrink. You’ll also likely notice an increase in static electricity when indoor humidity is low.
How Do Humidifiers Work?
A humidification system is specifically designed to add moisture to your indoor air. It helps you maintain optimal relative indoor humidity, enhancing your comfort and protecting your home. Most people are familiar with portable humidifiers that use a fan to evaporate water into the air.
These are great for spot-treating a specific area of your home, but aren’t effective for whole-home treatment. This is where whole-home humidification systems come into play. These devices get installed directly inside your return HVAC ducting to distribute moisture directly into the air traveling through it. The systems work automatically with your thermostat and are directly piped to your water supply line so you don’t have to add water for them to function manually.
Benefits for Homeowners
There’s no doubt that a whole-home humidification system is quite a sizable investment for most homeowners. Before you spend your hard-earned money on this type of indoor air solution, it’s important to understand the various benefits it can provide you with. This will allow you to determine if the upfront price is worth the benefits.
Supports Respiratory Health
By introducing more moisture into the air and maintaining a relative humidity level between 40% and 50%, you can ensure that your respiratory health receives what it needs to function optimally. Moisture allows for the proper moistening of your mucous membranes, which makes it easier to breathe and reduces your likelihood of contracting colds, sinus infections, and even the flu.
Reduce Allergy and Asthma Flare-Ups
Another great benefit of a whole-home humidification system is that it can reduce the amount of allergens in your air. Air that is properly humidified makes it harder for allergens to become airborne, unlike dry air, which allows allergens to become easily airborne and circulate throughout your home. With fewer dust particles and allergens in your air, you’ll notice a reduction in your allergy and asthma symptoms.
Minimize Dry Skin and Hair
No one wants to spend the winter with dry, itchy skin and frizzy hair. By increasing the humidity level in your home by introducing water vapor into the air, you can rehydrate your skin and hair. This will alleviate dry skin and brittle hair. Additionally, individuals with skin conditions, such as eczema or psoriasis, will experience fewer flare-ups and reduced overall discomfort.
Boost Home Comfort
When humidity levels are low, it becomes much harder for heat to stay in your air. You’ll notice that your heating system will run more frequently to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home. When you introduce more moisture into the air, heat will linger for a much longer period. This will leave you feeling more comfortable at a lower indoor temperature. When your HVAC system doesn’t have to run as often to keep you warm, you can enjoy a reduction in your energy bills throughout the winter season.
Preserve Wood Items
Another significant advantage of installing a whole-home humidification system is that it can significantly protect your home and valuables. From the basic structural components of your home, such as wood studs, to your wood floors and window trims, they can all experience cracking and warping in arid conditions.
With a humidification system that allows you to maintain your indoor humidity level correctly, you can prevent these unwanted issues. This will go a long way in preserving the longevity and overall appearance of all the wood surfaces throughout your home. This also protects all your wooden belongings, like picture frames and furniture.
The Three Types of Whole-Home Humidifiers
With low indoor humidity being a problem throughout your entire Colorado home, it’s most cost-effective to purchase a whole-home humidification system rather than multiple portable units. There are three different types of whole-home humidifiers: bypass, fan-power, and steam. It can be helpful to understand these three different types so you can choose the one that best fits your unique needs and budget.
Bypass Humidifiers
Bypass humidifiers provide effective humidity control for medium-sized homes in a low-cost, straightforward design. They rely on your furnace running to circulate air throughout your ductwork. It pulls warm air from the furnace duct and passes it through a specialized water panel that adds water vapor to the air. The humidified air then returns to the various ducts throughout your home, where it is delivered to your rooms.
Fan-Powered Humidifiers
Fan-powered humidification systems also utilize a water panel to introduce water vapor into the air through your existing ducting system. The main difference between bypass and fan-powered humidification systems is that the latter uses an internal fan to blow air across the water panel physically. This fan allows this unit to continually introduce more humidity into the air, even when your furnace isn’t running. This provides better humidity output at a slightly more expensive cost for homeowners.
Steam Humidifiers
Steam humidification systems actually boil water to produce steam and inject it directly into your air ducts. This allows for precise and powerful humidity control, which is ideal for homes that are excessively large or have multiple levels. Steam humidifiers come at a much higher upfront cost than both bypass fan-powered humidification systems.
Expert Whole-Home Humidifier Services
Fox Heating, Cooling & Plumbing offers expert whole-home humidifier services for the Wheat Ridge, CO community. We can also assist with all your indoor air quality, heating, and cooling needs. Please call our office today to schedule your next service appointment.
