Controlling Humidity – Good for You and Your Home
Temperature isn’t the only key to comfort in your home. To be comfortable year-round, you also need to control your home’s humidity levels. The change in humidity levels brought by each season can cause both discomfort and damage to your home if you don’t control them.
Effects of Too Much Humidity
High humidity levels decrease your comfort and put your home at risk in the following ways:
- Make the air feel warmer during the summer
- Cause condensation buildup on your windows and doors
- Create the risk of mold in your ceiling or walls
- Cause a musty smell or odor
- Provide optimal conditions for bacteria to grow in your home
Effects of Too Little Humidity
Low humidity levels should also be avoided for the following reasons:
- Dry air feels cooler during winter
- Dry air can cause dry skin and respiratory irritation
- Wood furniture and floors may dry out, warp, and separate
- Wallpaper, paint, and other finishings may peel away
Controlling Humidity in Your Home
On hot summer days, your air conditioner does a good job removing humidity from the air while it runs. During the rest of the year, your comfort systems will need a little help. Humidifiers help add humidity to your air to help combat dry winter weather. Dehumidifiers remove excess moisture during warmer months and can help reduce the amount of time you run your air conditioner.
A wide range of humidity control devices are available. Simple models sit on the floor and help control humidity levels in a single room. This is great for when a room is particularly uncomfortable compared to the rest of the house. For a more complete solution, humidifiers and dehumidifiers can be tied into your central heating and cooling systems to help control humidity even when your furnace or AC compressor aren’t running.
For help getting your humidity under control, contact Nicholson Company. We’ve been serving the Hendersonville, NC, area since 1975.