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Humidity and Your Home: Achieving Optimal Comfort

Father and Son laying on the couchWith temperatures steadily warming up, this is the time of year that we remind our clients of the importance of yearly air conditioning maintenance. Your cooling system tune-up allows our professionals to fully inspect your system, clean it, and make any adjustments that may be necessary.

Your HVAC system is not the only contribution to your overall home comfort, however. Your indoor air quality is equally important—and we don’t just mean temperature. We’re talking about balancing your indoor humidity levels. As most Atlanta residents are well-aware, humidity levels can vary greatly throughout the year, and extremes on either end are not enjoyable by any means. Fortunately, we have solutions!

Battling Low Humidity

Low humidity levels typically impact our area more during the winter. Dry air makes hot temperatures easier to bear, but only causes problems in cooler weather.

Anything under 30% relative humidity causes a number of problems, such as dry skin, itchy and irritated eyes, nose, and throat, and easy transference of illness. In addition to the health effects of dry air, low humidity can damage the furnishing and any wood components in your home.

Although dry air feels most uncomfortable in the wintertime, you don’t want your home’s humidity levels falling below 30% regardless. The best target range for both your health and comfort is between 30%-50%, which you can achieve with a Canton, GA humidifier installation.

The Problem with High Humidity

High humidity is probably a more noticeable and familiar problem. Although higher temperatures are scorching no matter what, humidity does make the heat feel worse. The additional moisture that humidity adds to your skin makes it harder to evaporate sweat, making you feel hotter. When you can’t even escape this feeling in your own home, it can be a frustrating problem!

But, there are many benefits to using a whole-house dehumidifier—your comfort being just one of them. Too much humidity causes problems like mold and mildew development, an increase in allergy and asthma symptoms among home occupants, and damage to your home and furnishings such as warped wood floors and bubbling or peeling paint.

Tackle Humidity Problems with a Whole-Home Solution

You may be wondering if you can just get by with a portable humidifier and/or dehumidifier. Unfortunately, this really isn’t an effective way to resolve any humidity imbalances in your home. Portable humidifiers are great for something like a baby’s room, but we don’t typically recommend portable dehumidifiers at all, for safety reasons.

To keep your humidity balanced all year long, you’ll want to have professional HVAC technicians install the right combination of whole-house humidifier and dehumidifier directly into your ventilation system. Depending on where in the area you’re located, you may find that you’re better served with one than the other. We’ll be happy to discuss your options with you.

Contact Premier Indoor Comfort Systems LLC 7 days a week, and receive a personalized response to your needs—whether that’s regarding your home’s indoor air quality or something related to your HVAC systems. If we don’t have the answer, we will find it for you!