Pay Attention to Humidity in Your Home This Fall

Humidity isn’t something that people often think about as the weather turns from summer to fall, but it is something a homeowner should pay attention to.

There are several reasons that the humidity should be a concern and several ways that it can affect the residents of a home and their belongings if not properly monitored and taken care of. At Triple T, we want to make sure you’re comfortable and healthy this fall and winter, and we’re offering an explanation of issues that could arise with humidity issues.

Three Potential Issues Related to Humidity

• Dry, hot air from the HVAC unit can affect air quality. – Increased use of heating systems brings more air in from the outside, and no matter how strong the air filter is that air may contain allergens and contaminants. A good air filter can take some of it out, but no filter can catch everything.
• Overly dry air can damage belongings. – When certain items are subjected to very dry conditions in an extended period of time, it can lead to damage. This can easily affect sensitive items like books, antiques, and musical instruments.
• Increased use of HVAC systems can sometimes make you sick. – This goes back to the air quality. Not only are there more things in the air, but, your nasal passages and throat are also likely to be affected. Increased use of heating systems can dry out the nose and throat, and that increased dryness can lead to respiratory discomfort or other more serious issues.

How a Humidifier Works

A humidifier is a unit that puts more moisture into the air. These can be extremely useful when the seasons change. A control sensor turns the unit on and off when the amount of moisture in the air hits a certain level.

Some furnaces have humidifiers mounted as part of the system. There are typically several components to this sort of system. These components include an evaporator pad to collect the water, an air blower to create evaporation, a water control valve or float that monitors water levels and a humidistat that controls the level of humidity in the air. The humidistat is like the thermostat that tells you how warm your home is, and it works the same way. Set it for a specific humidity level and it keeps the system running to keep your home comfortable.

Water comes into the system through an inlet valve into the feed tube that runs from the furnace into the humidifier. That feed tube transports water to the evaporator panel or pad, and the evaporator panel (also called the evaporator pad) disperses the water evenly.

If you’re having issues with inconsistent humidity in your home, or the humidifier unit hasn’t been checked out in a while, you may want to give our trained technicians a call. At Triple T, we can assess your system and make sure that the humidifier works properly and as efficiently as possible. Contact us today by calling 801-798-7711.