Is the air in your home too dry when you run the furnace? Do you experience itchy skin, eyes, nose, or throat over the winter? Then you may be dealing with low humidity, which can happen when the temperature drops and your home is being heated by a sealed combustion furnace that draws in fresh air from outside and vents exhaust gases back out.
Fortunately, there’s an easy solution to your dry air troubles – a humidifier. These systems work along with your furnace and keep the relative humidity level where it should be, which is between 30-50%.
Warm mist humidifiers versus cold mist humidifiers
When selecting a humidifier for your home, you have two general types to consider – warm mist and cold mist. As the name suggests, a warm mist humidifier creates steam, which is sprayed into the space to increase the relative humidity level. On the other hand, cold mist humidifiers use evaporated water, either with a fan or ultrasonic vibrations.
Both types of humidifiers will get the job done by increasing and controlling the humidity level inside your home. This will make the space feel more comfortable and make it a healthier environment, especially for those with allergies or asthma. Many people also find that they sleep better when the humidity is within the comfort zone.
So which approach is better? They both have their uses but cold mist humidifiers are more popular and offer the following advantages.
Benefits of cold mist humidifiers
- Consistent coverage. One downside to warm mist humidifiers is that the humidity level isn’t always consistent around the home. However, with a cool mist humidifier, the coverage area is much wider so you won’t have to worry about one room feeling comfortable and another one being too dry.
- Lower cost. Since cool mist humidifiers don’t need to heat up water, they tend to use less energy, which can cut down on your monthly energy costs.
- Safety. Any time you have an appliance boiling water to create steam, as the case with a warm mist humidifier, there’s some potential safety risk. Households with children or pets may want to consider a cool mist humidifier to reduce the chance of anything dangerous happening.
You don’t have to suffer from dry air in your home all winter long. Instead, contact Robert B. Payne to learn about adding a whole-house humidifier to your heating system. Send us a message or call us today at 540-373-5876.