Dry air in your home, more common in winter, allows static electricity to build up and creates a nuisance for everyone in the house. A simple solution to household static is whole-house humidification, which increases the amount of moisture contained in your indoor air. By keeping your relative humidity at 35 percent or higher, you can reduce the effects of static electricity substantially.
The problem
Static electricity causes that surprising little jolt you feel after shuffling across a carpet and touching a metal object, doorknob, or light switch. You can also transmit this shock to other people. Static electricity makes your hair unruly and causes clothing to stick together or to itself, making you look rumpled to giving you extra exposure where you don’t want it. And static electricity can damage costly electronics, such as computers, cell phones, and audio equipment.
The solution
Whole-house humidifiers provide the means to increase relative humidity everywhere in your house. They are most often installed alongside your forced-air heating system where they can add moisture to the conditioned air that flows outward from the unit to heat your home. The humidifier sprays very small amounts of water vapor into the air blown into the ductwork system and out to the rooms throughout your house, increasing humidity levels and creating an environment where static electricity is less likely to develop.
Automatic response
Most whole-house humidifiers models contain sensors that monitor the level of humidity in your house. These sensors keep humidity levels balanced and automatically adjust the amount of moisture the humidifier adds to your indoor air.
Additional benefits
In addition to reducing static electricity, you’ll also notice other benefits when your home’s air is better humidified. These benefits include:
- Feeling warmer in general since less moisture evaporates from your skin
- Having fewer physical discomforts, such as dry skin, burning eyes, and irritated throats
Since 1934, T. F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating has provided top-quality HVAC sales, equipment, and service to customers all around Long Island. Contact us today for more information on whole-house humidification and how increased indoor humidity can reduce household static electricity problems.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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