With winter making a rapid retreat, you can say goodbye to dry indoor air. However, if you survived this past winter without a whole-house humidifier to add moisture to your indoor air, you should probably give thought to upgrading to one of these comfort-providing, energy-saving devices before next winter comes around.

During the winter months, without indoor humidification, homes in Georgia can become extremely dry. When we raise the temperature on the thermostat, our homes become warmer, as well as less humid. Daily activities such as doing laundry, showering and cooking do not add enough moisture to your home.

The dry air provides a conducive environment for sore throats, dry noses, asthma and allergy symptoms, as well as itchy, cracked skin. Medical experts, including the American Society of Otolaryngology, state that many viruses thrive in low humidity environments. This means that dry air increases your likelihood of catching colds and flu. It also causes static electricity to build up and can damage wood floors, trim, molding and furniture in your home. The wood may split or crack and your plaster or paint might chip. A whole-house humidifier also will improve home comfort and energy savings, since humid air feels warmer than dry air. This means you can turn down the heat by two or three degrees without losing any comfort.

Powers Heating & Air can install a whole-house humidifier that will make your home comfortable even during Georgia’s driest winter months.

Understanding the humidification process (in the most common humidifier, a flow-through variety)

1. To obtain water, a water supply line is created by tapping into your home’s plumbing.
2. A water inlet valve allows the water to enter into the humidifier. The amount of water is based on how dry your home is. This inlet valve is typically controlled by your humidistat. The humidistat is responsible for measuring and controlling the relative humidity in your home.
3. A water inlet orifice is used to reduce the flow of water to the inlet valve of your humidifier.
4. The evaporator pad or water panel collects the water by way of a water feed tube. The pad holds the water as it evaporates and joins air as it circulates through your home via ductwork. Any excess water flows through this pad to a drain pan where it exits via a household drain.
5. Some whole-house humidifiers have an air duct/damper that supplies air to it. This air duct/damper is mounted on the furnace’s cold air return.

If you’re interested in purchasing a whole-house humidifier before next winter rolls around, please call us at Powers Heating & Air today. We provide superior HVAC services to the Peachtree City area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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