Furnaces are very common here. In Kelowna, they are the most common heating system used in residential buildings, which makes most of the people reading this blog proud owners or users of furnaces. Don’t get us wrong, they are excellent choices for heating, but they can lead to some cons that customers might not be aware of.
For instance, forced-air heating systems like furnaces can cause the air in your home to get very dry, as it cycles through your home. This can lead to some very negative effects, like dry skin, dry hair, and constant static electricity shocks that customers can get annoyed with.
Luckily, there is a solution to these issues. If you are struggling with your heating in Kelowna, then you can count on our team to make it better.
How Furnaces Create Dry Air
Take a moment to think about how your dryer works. It uses electricity to heat up your clothes which dries them out, but it does this by circulating heated air inside a closed environment. Heated air essentially dries out which can usually be good when you’re trying to make wet clothes dry. But when you’re trying to live your life during an already dry season, it is not good.
Radiant Heat Does not Have This Issue
Compare this to a boiler. Boilers and other radiant heaters don’t dry out the air as much because they are just circulating ambient heat that radiates from the pipes or floorboards. This heat travels through objects and rises upwards naturally, which doesn’t necessarily circulate air or dry it out.
So, if you are noticing that your home is dryer than your neighbor’s and they use a boiler while you use a furnace, this could be why!
Negative Consequences of Dry Air
Dry air can be a huge nuisance for many reasons. For one, dry air can be bad for your personal health.
Dry air can cause skin to crack and hair to become thin and frizzy. Dry skin can age quickly and become numb in a lot of cases. Your lips might get chapped or cracked which can lead to bleeding and other painful situations.
One of the most frustrating effects of dry air is static shocks. Static electricity can come from excess friction and the buildup of electrons, which is more common in homes where there is little moisture in the air to diffuse this imbalance. Just moving from one room to another, especially if you have carpets, can lead to a painful static shock in a dry home.
Invest in a Humidifier
Luckily, there is a simple solution to this problem. No, you do not have to replace your heating system with a new one just to stop having a dry home. Instead, invest in a whole home humidifier that adds humidity to the air. This can negate all of the symptoms of dry air without having to make any adjustments to your heating system.
And to make things easier, a smart thermostat can also measure the humidity in your air and run your humidifier at the same time as it runs your heating system. Get control and efficiency with just the touch of a screen.
Are you comfortable? Contact Comfort Tech Heating & Cooling for results that keep you comfy.