THE IMPORTANCE OF HUMIDITY

Wikipedia defines humidity as a “term used to describe the amount of water vapor present in air.” I describe humidity as a relative term. That is, when the relative humidity is high, it is pretty darn sticky, especially on a hot day. On the flip side of that, when the relative humidity is low you might receive a sweet little static shock every time you walk across the floor and touch something like a doorknob or your significant other’s hand. Talk about a romantic spark!

All kidding aside, keeping a proper humidity level in your home is a very important job of your HVAC system. Not only does it promote climate-controlled comfort and indoor air quality, but it can also protect such things in your home as wooden cabinets or floors, which can warp or decay if it is too wet or too dry.

Here in the Holland and Zeeland areas of Western Michigan, humidity is an everyday concern due to the prolonged dry winter conditions. That’s why your friends at Mast Heating & Cooling recommend installing a whole home humidifier to your HVAC system. Your system naturally removes humidity from the air when it draws it through the system, treats it and then circulates it back through your home. A humidifier senses when the air is too dry and will supply some of the aforementioned water vapor to your climate-controlled air. A whole home humidifier ensures that a constant, consistent level of humidity will be maintained evenly throughout the home.

Our professionally licensed HVAC technicians can tell you all about the benefits of our Trane and Aprilaire humidifiers and the value they will add to your home’s heating and cooling system. Call today for an installation estimate. And if you already have a whole home humidifier operating with your system, here are a few humidifier maintenance tips to keep your humidifier operating the way it should during the coming dry winter months:

• Check the humidifier for leaks. If you see a puddle of water on the floor beneath the unit, turn it off and inspect it.
• Clean it periodically. Rust scaling and hard water deposits will over time diminish the humidifier’s function.
• Make sure the filter pad is clean and change it out regularly. This should probably be performed by an experienced HVAC technician.

Our service pros would be happy to schedule a humidifier inspection and maintenance appointment, so give Mast Heating & Cooling a call today and generate your romantic sparks with dinner and a movie—not the painful kind!