Blog

Heating and Air Conditioning Repair: Do You Need a Humidifier? | Plano, TX

Heating and Air Conditioning Repair: Do You Need a Humidifier? | Plano, TX

Photo By yocamon at istock

Have You Considered Getting a Humidifier?

Strictly speaking, humidifiers aren’t a must-have for most Plano, TX residents. However, they can have a considerable effect on the comfort of a home, meaning that interested individuals should give them some serious thought. Fortunately, information about humidifiers is readily available, particularly if residents choose to consult heating and air conditioning repair service providers as well as other relevant specialists.

What Is the Ideal Humidity For a Home?

Generally speaking, the ideal humidity is regarded as being between 30 percent and 50 percent. However, the lower the outdoor temperature, the lower on that range the humidity should be. This is because a combination of a low outdoor temperature and an excessive level of humidity can cause condensation, which might not be a huge problem but can nonetheless prove to be a serious nuisance.

What Can Happen If You Don’t Have the Ideal Humidity For a Home?

Here are some examples of what can happen when the humidity is too high:

  • Excessive levels of humidity make a home into a more hospitable environment for mold, mildew, and other unwanted guests. This is a huge problem for a couple of reasons. One, these guests can pose a serious threat to human health. Something that is particularly true for people who have either asthma, allergies, or some other breathing problem. Two, while mold and mildew are limited to creating unsightly stains on building materials, there are other examples that can have a much more destructive effect. As such, a visit by repair service provider could save interested individuals from a great deal of expense in the long run.

 

  • Hot temperatures combined with high humidity can turn into mugginess, thus making an environment seem that much warmer. This is a huge problem because that can cause the occupants to turn up the cooling, thus resulting in increased energy consumption. For a lot of people, this will be bad because it means a higher energy bill at the end of the month. However, it should also be noted that more energy consumption means more greenhouse gas emissions, which can be very concerning for those with a more eco-conscious state of mind.

 

In contrast, here are some examples of what can happen when the humidity is too low:

  • Too little humidity can be just as bad as too much humidity for people with asthma, allergies, and other breathing problems. After all, dry air makes for dry skin, thus increasing the chances of irritated air passageways. Suffice to say that this can be very unpleasant.

 

  • Speaking of which, dry air can be damaging for more than just living tissues. For example, the dry air can suck moisture out of wood as well as other building materials, thus making it that much easier for them to crack as well as other visible signs of damage. In the long run, this can force Plano, TX residents to pay for repairs as well as replacements, both of which tend to be expensive and time-consuming processes. As such, this is one more example of how calling in heating and air conditioning repair service providers and other relevant specialists beforehand can save interested individuals from a great deal of grief in the long run.

 

  • Curiously, dry air can have similar consequences to humid air when it comes to a home’s energy bills. Basically, the dry air will suck out the moisture from a person’s skin, thus making it more difficult for them to feel warm. To compensate for this, it is very common for people to turn up the temperature on their thermostat, meaning increased expenditure of energy in order to maintain the same level of comfort. Like in the aforementioned scenario, this means not just an increased energy bill but also an increased strain on the planet, both of which tend not to be regarded in a very good light. Even worse, feeling strangely cold could cause interested individuals to suspect that something is wrong with their heating systems, which could send them looking in a mistaken direction until a heating and air conditioning repair service provider can clue them in.

What Are Your Options When It Comes to Humidifiers?

There is a wide range of humidifiers that can be found out there, each of which possesses its own particular upsides and downsides.

For instance, some people might be interested in a warm mist humidifier, whether because of their own research or because they have been pointed in that direction by a heating and air conditioning repair service provider and other relevant specialists. These humidifiers are pretty much exactly what they sound like, which is to say, they boil water to create the steam needed to make the air more humid. This is effective, but it comes with a serious issue in that it consumes more energy on a regular basis. Moreover, it results in a lot of warm water that can serve as a breeding ground for bacteria, meaning that such devices must be cleaned on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, people who have sought out heating and air conditioning repair service providers are bound to have heard about the various kinds of cool mist humidifiers. In some cases, these devices use a fan to draw in warm air for the purpose of evaporating a tank of stored water, while in other cases, these devices use ultrasonic vibrations to produce much the same effect but with much less sound. On top of this, there are even impellers that just spin about while flinging water outwards, which is simple but nonetheless works.

 

Contact Us

Heating and air conditioning repair is a serious matter. As a result, when people encounter a situation that makes them consider heating and air conditioning repair services, they should make sure that they choose the right heating and air conditioning repair service providers. Fortunately, we understand this need, which is why we are prepared to answer all questions about heating and air conditioning repair as well as other relevant topics until our potential clients are fully-satisfied. Contact us at K&S Heating and Air today!