Whew – this week in Minnesota has been hot and very humid. So it seemed like a good time to remind people about that fact that we do need humidity in our homes, although this week it is has been a little bit too much!
What is Humidity?
Humidity is the amount of moisture or water vapor in the air. A comfortable range of relative humidity is between 40 and 60 percent. If the humidity is too low, people may experience having dry nose, throat, lips and skin. Low humidity may also wreak havoc on your home, causing static electricity, cracks in furniture and paint, and peeling wallpaper. High humidity feels stuffy and creates an environment in which biological contaminants can thrive.
Moisture can be added or removed from indoor air to make a room feel more comfortable. Home humidifiers add moisture and there are several kinds:
• Console humidifiers are in cabinets that stand on the floor, and are usually kept in the same position in a home
• Ultrasonic humidifiers, which create a cool mist using ultrasonic sound vibrations
• Impellers, or cool-mist humidifiers, which create a cool mist using a high-speed rotating disk
• Evaporators, which transmit moisture into the air invisibly using a fan to blow air through a moistened absorbent material, such as a belt, wick, filter, or evaporative cartridge.
• Steam, or "warm mist" vaporizers, which create steam by heating water with an electrical heating element, and allow steam to cool before it is released into the room.
• Central humidifiers are built into heating and air-conditioning systems, and are used to increase the humidity level in an entire home.
As always, IHP is here to help you to determine what is best for your home. Give us a call.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
