Why Is The Air In My Home Too Dry?
In your home, the humidity should be around 40 percent. Your HVAC system and the weather can affect the relative humidity in your home. The hottest and coldest times of the year can cause moisture levels outside to decrease.
This can cause health issues for some people. Dry air can affect the indoor air quality of your home and even cause you to feel sick. Some people will be more prone to notice when the air in their home gets too dry.
What Makes Indoor Air Dry?
When temperatures get cooler outside, dry air will come in through doors or the windows. This will cause the humidity in your home to drop. When there is extreme heat, this will remove the moisture from the air. Turning on your HVAC system can also create dry air in your home.
The Effects of Dry Air in the Home
Having dry air in your home will make it easier for allergens, viruses, and bacteria to spread. Your nose and throat contain fluids that protect you from irritants in the air. Breathing in dry air will cause this fluid to thin out. This leads to your airways becoming irritated, swollen, or even infected.
You may notice symptoms like a runny nose, wheezing, coughing, dry throat or sore throat. Dry flaky skin, congestions, nosebleeds, and asthma symptoms are also common. If you notice these symptoms, you should address the dry air problem in your home.
How to Prevent Dry Indoor Air
There are several ways that you can prevent dry air in your home. These include:
- Monitoring. You will want to track the humidity in your home so that you can adjust it. You can buy humidity monitors online, and in many different retail stores.
- Use your HVAC system. Use your HVAC system to ensure that it helps keep the humidity levels around 40%. Maintenance by an HVAC professional will ensure that you have optimal humidity.
- Using a humidifier. If you have low humidity levels, turn on a humidifier. You can buy humidifiers online. Make sure that the humidifier that you get is top rated. You can also get a humidifier installed in your heating and indoor air system. You will want to speak to an HVAC professional about getting one installed.
- Fans. Keep your fans completely off, or running on low if you have low humidity in your home.
Call Us Today
At Service Express, we know the importance of having the right humidity levels in your home. If you have issues with the humidity levels in your home, or your HVAC system is not working, give us a call today. Our team of HVAC professionals will come out to help you get your indoor quality optimal.
