If you’re like many other San Diego homeowners, you probably use an air humidifier in the wintertime when a combination of low outdoor humidity and running the furnace makes your indoor air uncomfortably dry. You may not know that using a humidifier can also help combat dry air in the summer too, when your air conditioner is operating all the time.
How Low Humidity Occurs During Cooling Season
Your heat pump or air conditioner cools down your interior spaces by drawing heat out of your home’s air supply and expelling it outside. During the process, moisture is extracted from the air as well and sent outdoors as a liquid via the condensate drain. A cooling system that’s efficient at dehumidifying can make the humidity level fall too low, and leave you with uncomfortably dry air. Adding a whole-home humidifier to your HVAC system allows you to set your desired household humidity level right at the thermostat, so just enough moisture gets added to your conditioned air as needed.
Being able to adjust the humidity level if it falls too low in the summer can also:
- Alleviate comfort and health concerns. You’ll experience less discomfort from dry-air issues like brittle hair, itchy skin, sore throats, nosebleeds, sinus problems and headaches. Since many of the bacteria and viruses responsible for the cold, flu and upper respiratory infections flourish in dry conditions, you’ll also suffer with these common illnesses less often.
- Protect your home and everything in it. When the air is excessively dry, moisture gets pulled from your home’s finishes such as the paint, drywall, wood floors and trim, causing them to shrink, crack and warp. This can also damage or ruin your wood furniture, artwork, musical instruments and books.
- Avert static electricity issues. Static electricity is another painful symptom of dry air. These random zaps of electricity can permanently damage any device equipped with a semiconductor, namely electronics like televisions, computers, gaming consoles, and cell phones.
