There are several drawbacks to dry winter air, but some of them are more noticeable than others. If you don’t have a humidifier in your home, you could be suffering from dry air that leads to unpleasant static electricity shocks. Here’s a look at why static occurs, what harm it can do, and how having a whole-house humidifier can solve the problem.
In winter, the air is naturally drier, which is the perfect environment for static charges to build. After all, static electricity doesn’t occur in your home during the summer when the air is naturally moist. Even small amounts of static elect
ricity are enough to charge your clothing, carpet, bedding, and metallic fixtures such as doorknobs and light switches. The area where you may visibly notice static buildup the most is in your hair.
Static buildup is an annoyance at the least and harmful to electronics at the worst. When you shuffle your feet across the carpet in the winter, perhaps unknowingly, you can deliver a nasty shock to a loved one when you touch him or her with your charged finger. If you approach a piece of sensitive electrical equipment with a charge of up to 20,000 volts running through your body, you could wreak serious havoc on the hardware. The little arc from your finger to the power button could be enough to fry your equipment.
The solution to painful and potentially damaging static electricity buildup is to get a whole-house humidifier. This equipment will add much-needed moisture to the air to stop static charges from developing.
Humidifiers offer additional benefits as well, such as reducing your susceptibility to colds. Bacteria and viruses thrive in both highly humid and quite dry conditions. That means by keeping your home at an ideal 35 to 55 percent relative humidity, you give yourself the power to get over your cold faster. Humidifiers also prevent itchy skin, dry nasal passages, and excessive dust in your home. And here’s a bonus: When your indoor air is moist, it feels warmer, allowing you to turn down the heat a few degrees. That’s instant savings on your energy bill.
For more information about adding a whole-house humidifier to your home, please contact Geisel Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. We serve the Greater Cleveland area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about humidifiers and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Geisel Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing services Western Cleveland. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today! For those Do it Yourselfers who would rather take control of your own indoor comfort, you can shop our online store for replacement parts, products and accessories!
