Runny nose? Getting zapped with static? Windows fogging? These could be signs that the humidity in your home needs adjusting. Allied can help assess and mitigate humidity issues.

If it’s cold and dry outside, the air inside your home is even dryer. Dry air is uncomfortable for humans. Sixty percent of the human body is made of water, and if the air is dry, we dehydrate faster than normal. Our lips become chapped. Our skin and throats are dry. Our dry noses run. When you breathe in dry air, it can dry the mucus membranes lining your lungs, increasing risk of asthma attacks. Studies have shown viruses live longer in dryer air, so flu can spread more easily. Not just humans are impacted.

That zap of static, means your air is dry. Dry air can cause damage to your electronic equipment as static electricity builds up in the air. Be careful, that next zap could be the one that does in a favorite gadget. Wood furniture and floors suffer from both too much and too little humidity. When it’s too dry, look for cracking of wood flooring and arms of dining room chairs. When it’s too wet – wood can expand and warp – causing floors to buckle.

Dry air is bad, but, so is air that with too much humidity. If your windows are fogging, it’s a sure sign that the humidity inside your home is too high. Higher humidity might be comfortable for us humans, we like a bit more moisture in the air than our furnishings. Typically we feel it’s too dry when the relative humidity (RH) falls below 30% and we’ll feel it’s way to moist – when it gets above about 55%.

Besides the risk of warping wood floors, moisture can build up and walls can develop mold causing allergies along with other health problems. Repairs to remediate mold or warped flooring and trips to the doctor are costly. You’ll find yourself more comfortable if your home is somewhere in the range between 30 and 50% RH. This changes with the seasons, with the winter most likely needing additional moisture through humidification and the summer needing de-humidification.

Next time you have your furnace or A/C serviced, have your Allied technician assess your system to help learn about your humidification/de-humidification options.