Excellent Reasons to Install a Furnace Humidifier

Dehydration is a common health issue that bothers us not only when it’s really hot, but also when it’s really cold. When winter sets in, the levels of humidity within your home could get really low. Low humidity levels lead to dry throats and brittle skin, both of which are clear symptoms of dehydration.

To fight dehydration, the most obvious solution would be to drink plenty of water. There’s a second solution to dehydration, however, and that’s keeping relative humidity at home at comfortable levels by putting up a furnace humidifier.

Benefits of a Humidifier on your Furnace

The most apparent benefit of a humidifier on your furnace is that it maintains the humidity levels in your home at a level that will help you avoid health issues such as dehydration and respiratory problems like dry throat or colds. With a humidifier, the air in your home will have enough moisture to keep everyone in your household comfortable and healthy.

A furnace humidifier will also lessen incidences of static shock within your home. When there’s a humidifier on your furnace, those annoying static shocks that you get when reaching for a switch or opening a doorknob will be greatly reduced as the air will no longer be that dry to cause static electricity.

Your wooden furniture and any other part of your house that is made of wood will also be protected by a furnace humidifier. You see, hardwood floors, wood doors and all kinds of wood in your still contains some moisture. When the air in your home is dry, that air will suck all of that moisture out. When that happens, the wood will shrink, crack, warp and eventually get damaged.

A furnace humidifier also leads to lower energy costs. That’s because it keeps indoor relative humidity at an ideal level, which allows you to turn down your thermostat a few degrees and still have everyone feeling comfortable. Just setting your thermostat, say, three degrees lower can lower your heating bill by as much as five percent. Add that to the fact that a furnace humidifier can operate on only 24 volts of electricity, and you have a solution that helps you lower your energy bills even more.

Furnace Humidifiers are Easy to Maintain

Aside from being cheap to operate, furnace humidifiers are also fairly easy to maintain. In fact, replacing the filter or water panel at least once a year is pretty much the only maintenance your furnace humidifier needs.

A furnace humidifier may be a bit more expensive, but it eventually pays for itself in the long run, and that makes it an excellent investment, particularly for those who live in places that become bitterly cold in the winter. If you’re going to get a humidifier for your furnace, we recommend that you use hot water—even though cold water is fine too—because it supplements whatever heat comes from your own HVAC system, and that increases the rate of evaporation.