The muggy heat of an Avon summer could convince just about anyone to install a dehumidifier in their home, but it may surprise you to learn that humidity itself is not the enemy. In fact, not enough humidity can be just as bad as too much, although it may not feel like it when it’s muggy or clammy outside. Here are some reasons why you should balance humidity in your home.
When it’s too humid indoors, water might condense on windows and in wall cracks, crawl spaces and other unseen parts of a building. These damp places provide an optimal spot for mold, mildew, bacteria and fungus to grow, which can all cause several respiratory health issues. Worse, if these organisms get into your HVAC system, they can build up on the air filter and on other sensitive parts of the system. This can cause system strain or even HVAC system failure.
High indoor humidity can also warp wooden fixtures, wallpaper, books and important paper documents. In order to balance humidity, you should strive for the 35 to 45 percent range and no lower. When humidity is too low, it’s more difficult to keep dust down, and you can experience throat and lung irritation due to extreme dryness. Dry air is less efficient at holding heat than humid air, and in the winter, that means increased energy bills. When air is too dry, it’s easier for wood and paper to abrade into dust.
Furthermore, scientists have learned that the flu virus is more likely to infect people when humidity is low. In fact, flu viruses are five times more infectious at 23 percent humidity than they are at 43 percent humidity.
If you want to learn more about how to balance humidity for optimum comfort and health in your home, contact us at Stack Heating & Cooling in Avon, Ohio!
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Cleveland, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about balancing humidity and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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