Get Ready for Cold & Flu Season with a Whole-House Humidifier

The kids are back in school (hopefully you parents are enjoying some quiet time) and the holidays are fast-approaching. You know what else is fast-approaching? The cold and flu season, in part because children often bring home various illnesses from school.

One of the best ways to attack the problem is by addressing the indoor air quality (IAQ) in your home. IAQ is about more than just home air filtration. The change in seasons means the air is getting drier. Studies consistently show viruses, like the flu, spread more easily when the air is dry. Call Mast Heating & Cooling to learn more about adding humidity to the air in your home. We feature whole-house humidifying systems by Trane and Aprilaire.

As important as the health benefits are, adding humidity to the dry winter air has several other advantages:

• Reduce static electricity shocks
• Help eliminate dry nasal passages and scratchy throats
• Protect valuable belongings like furniture & artwork
• Keep wood floors & woodwork from getting too dry and cracking

Listen, Mast Heating & Cooling knows this sounds a little strange. We just spent months complaining about the summer humidity. But it's just as important to know our indoor winter air is often too dry. The ideal indoor humidity for comfort is 40% to 50%, which usually requires some form of added humidity.

There can be a problem maintaining the ideal humidity in your house because of our cold Michigan winters. As the outside temperature gets colder, you may have to lower the indoor humidity to avoid condensation and even ice, on your home's windows. When you see condensation on your windows, there is a good chance you also have moisture inside your walls and in the attic. That's bad and could result in the growth of mold and rotting wood.

This table is a good guideline for humidity levels based on the outdoor temperature:

Humidifiers can often be installed with advanced air filtration systems like the Trane CleanEffects™ to further improve your indoor air quality. It uses a series of filters. The pre-filter removes the larger particles. The remaining particles are trapped when they pass through a series of electrically charged fields in a second filter. The patented CleanEffects system is the most efficient on the market since it doesn’t get clogged and reduce airflow to the air handler.

Mast Heating & Cooling is your HVAC and IAQ authority for Holland and Grand Rapids, MI. Let us help keep your home comfortable and healthy this winter. Call now to learn about whole-house humidifiers and other ways to improve your indoor air quality. Mast Heating & Cooling has been committed to keeping you comfortable since opening our doors in 1956.