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Winter in the Portland area has its own set of challenges. One problem that doesn’t have to be too difficult to deal with is dry air from your heating system.
A good level of humidity inside a home ranges from 30 to 50 percent. When you use your heating system, it naturally removes humidity, lowering it as far as 10 percent.
How to Tell if Your Home’s Humidity is Too Low
Obvious symptoms of too-dry air include:
- Dry, cracking skin on your hands and feet
- Chapped lips
- Sore, dry nose
- Bloody nose
- Itchy skin that is soothed by lotion
Additional Low Humidity Problems
In addition to these minor discomforts, having low humidity can create the perfect atmosphere for certain types of viruses. It can also worsen the symptoms of people who suffer from allergies and eczema.
Your house can feel some discomfort from low humidity, too. When the air is too dry, you can start to see peeling and cracks in your paint and wallpaper. All the wood in your house needs a certain level of humidity to stay in good condition.
The Solution: A Humidifier
If you’re seeing signs of dry air in your home, there’s a simple solution. You can get a humidifier to help add moisture to your air.
There are two choices in humidifiers. Individual units cost less but don’t allow you to have much control over the amount of humidity in your air. You also have to be careful to keep them clean. The damp environment inside the unit can be a good growing place for mold and mildew if not properly maintained.
A whole-home humidifier is a bigger investment, but it allows you to set your humidity where you want it. This can be particularly useful when you have family members with breathing problems. Whole-home humidifiers release their water vapor into your ducts, allowing the humidity to reach all parts of the house evenly.
Whether you need to know more about humidifiers or have other HVAC problems that need solving in your Portland-area home, we’re here to help. Contact Roth Heating & Cooling today.
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