If you’ve lived in the area for even just a year, you likely know what a problem it is to have too little moisture in your home during the winter, or too much in the summer. It can make you feel uncomfortable, exacerbate illnesses, and cause your HVAC systems to work harder than they should need to.
What’s more, is that chronically dry air, or chronic humidity, can cause significant damage to your home itself, particularly if you have wood floors, furniture, fixtures, or precision instruments. A key way to combat humidity problems in your home is with a quality Ashburn, VA humidity control system. In order to help you understand the importance of humidifiers and dehumidifiers, we’ve shared some info below on what more humidity control can do to your home.
Why You Need More Humidity in the Winter
During the humid summer months, your wood flooring and fixtures draw in moisture from the outside air, which causes them to expand and warp. That’s bad enough, but during the winter the opposite is true. At this time, you’ll be using your heater a good amount, which will dry out your air and draw moisture out of the wood structures of your home.
As a result, you’ll notice gaps, loose boards, and cracking along your wood flooring, cracks in furniture and instruments, and likely discoloration among any wooden components in your home. The solution is a quality whole-house humidifier. A portable humidifier is not enough—you need to tackle the whole problem, which you can only do with an effective and efficient whole-home system.
What about Summer?
As you’re likely aware, summertime brings on added moisture. You’ll notice it’s harder to cool off when it’s humid outside—this is because the moisture doesn’t allow your body to naturally sweat and evaporate. This is more than just uncomfortable, though!
Too much humidity in your home creates the perfect environment for mold and mildew growth. Not only does this increase the chances that you’ll get ill, but it also can be damaging to your flooring and other components of your home. When the moisture has no chance to dry out, it becomes the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Fortunately, an expertly installed whole-house dehumidifier can resolve this issue for you and your home.
It’s All About Balance
The relative humidity level within your home should be between 30%–50%. Anything lower is too dry, and anything higher is too humid. Finding the right balance will not only help prevent structural problems to your home and health issues, but it will also improve your comfort and allow your HVAC systems to work more efficiently.
When the humidity levels are too low, it can cause the temperature to drop, and your heater will have to work harder to do its job. This creates more wear and tear on the system than would naturally occur, and your heating system will fail to work as efficiently as it otherwise could. The same is true for your air conditioning system in the summer.
At AllTech Services, Inc. we are proud of our reputation for competence and value. Contact us today to learn how we can help improve your home’s air quality by helping you find the perfect balance.