Has a friend or relative ever really shocked you? Does your hair look like you’ve seen a ghost? Are your clothes clinging to you? If so, you are encountering the strange force know as static electricity. You want to get rid of it, but how?

Static electricity is an electrical charge that builds up when objects rub together or move apart. In winter months, cold and dry air increases static electricity buildup. The real danger of a static electricity arc is that it can damage sensitive home computers and electronics.

There are many home products and techniques you can try to reduce static electricity in your home. Some people toss damp washcloths in the dryer during the final dry period or apply a shot of hair spray to clothes. Others touch their clothes with a wire hanger to reduce the charge.

But the best way to stop static is to install a whole-house humidifier as part of your home’s air and heating system. A whole-house humidifier adds a controlled amount of moisture to the air that’s warmed or cooled by your HVAC equipment and then distributed throughout your home.

Having a humidifier in your home also carries comfort, health and other advantages:

• Dry winter air affects your sinuses, leaves your skin flaky and itchy, and facilitates viral and bacterial infections. A whole-house humidifier alleviates those problems by improving your indoor air quality.
• Proper humidity can also make your home feel warmer at a lower temperature. That’s because dry air leaves less moisture on your skin; the evaporation leaves you feeling cooler.
• Overly dry air damages musical instruments, paintings, furnishings — even the structure of your home may suffer cracks if the air is dry enough. Humidifiers help protect your belongings.

Want more information on humidification in your home? Contact us here at AC Pro and we’ll connect you with a heating and air conditioning professional. Or find an AC Pro in Southern California and Nevada by using our Dealer Locator. Either way, rest assured that we want to help!

Our goal is to help inform 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.

Static electricity image via Shutterstock

AC Pro Home Comfort Blog

The air in our homes can get pretty dry in wintertime. When the cold weather hits and relative humidity gets to be uncomfortably low, many residents are bothered by the ill effects of dry air. Those effects can be uncomfortable and can cause damage. Low humidity may cause:

• Dry itchy skin, cracked lips, sore throat and dry sinuses
• Allergy flare-ups, sneezing, dry coughs and more
• Damage to possessions made of wood, such as guitars or other musical instruments
• Cracked wood floors, wall or ceiling moldings, shrinking and splitting of doors, window frames and even parts of the wooden structure of your home

If you’d like to avoid or eliminate these problems and improve your home’s indoor air quality, it’s time to consider a whole-house humidifier to maintain ideal relative humidity. A central humidifier incorporated into your home comfort system can automatically add moisture to the air as needed.

Ideal relative humidity

Relative humidity measures how much moisture is currently in the air as a percentage of the maximum amount that exists in saturated air. The warmer the air, the more moisture it can hold. Ideal humidity levels must take into account all these factors:

• Outdoor temperature fluctuations
• Variable indoor humidity: Some surfaces like walls or windows, which are usually colder than the indoor air and have higher humidity, may develop condensation leading to musty odors and mold growth.
• Human beings generally feel comfortable at a 45 to 55 percent humidity level.
• Home furnishings and woodwork stay in best condition at a slightly lower level.
• In well-insulated homes, humidity from cooking and showering may be enough to maintain proper humidity levels part of the time.

To balance the above concerns, set the humidistat (which controls the moisture level much like the thermostat controls temperature) according to the chart on the humidifier, based on outdoor temperature. Advanced units monitor outside temperature and adjust indoor humidity automatically.

Contact the AC Pros with your questions about humidity. We’ll connect you with a certified local contractor. Visit our website to learn more or just give us a call. Serving Southern California and Nevada, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help inform 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.

Air quality image via Shutterstock

AC Pro Home Comfort Blog

Proper maintenance of your whole-house humidifier is essential to keep it operating optimally and to make sure the equipment lasts a good, long time. Regular upkeep will ensure your home is comfortable, moisture issues are controlled and your utility bills stay lower. 

Follow these steps to clean the key components of your system, the screen, the fan and the pump:

• Turn off the power supply.
• Turn off the water supply.
• Remove any frame or housing around the screen.
• Clean mineral deposits that have built up on the media screen by dunking it in a mixture of water and white vinegar.
• Allow the screen to remain in the vinegar bath until it is saturated. Soaking it will help to loosen the deposits clogging the screen.
• Pull the screen out of the solution and rinse it gently.
• Scrub the screen with a small brush to remove any remaining deposits, and rinse again.
• Clean the screen frame or assembly with the brush as well.
• Re-install the screen and housing.
• Clean the fan (in an evaporative model) by wiping any accumulated dust from the blades.
• Clean the fan’s intake vent as well.
• If your system has a pump to clear extra water from the unit, clean it with the vinegar mixture by pouring the liquid through, clearing the drain line.
• Turn the water supply back on.
• Check the humidistat, which measures the humidity level in the house and cycles the humidifier on or off as needed. Adjust it, following your system’s manufacturer’s directions, if you have issues such as condensation on the windows or walls of your home.

Have questions about controlling humidity in your home or are you considering a whole-house humidifier? Do you need a repair? Contact us at AC Pro. Serving Southern California and Nevada, we can connect you with an air conditioner contractor near your home that is in our network of certified home comfort contractors. All of our affiliated contractors have excellent credentials.

Our goal is to help inform our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about humidifiers and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

AC Pro Home Comfort Blog

The dry summer heat in Nevada and Southern California is only exacerbated when we run moisture-sucking air conditioners all season long. Overly dry air is not only uncomfortable to many people, it also can aggravate conditions such as asthma or dry skin and cause dry and itchy throats and noses.

That’s where a humidifier can help. Humidifiers help make your home more livable by putting vapor into your indoor air at comfortable levels — around 40 percent to 60 percent humidity for most people.

There are many humidifiers on the market. When choosing one, first consider the size of the space you want to humidify. Just one bedroom? Your entire home? Room-size models are known as “tabletop” units and can take care of that bedroom. To treat your entire home, though, you need a freestanding cabinet “console” unit or a “central” humidifier that is installed as part of your forced-air HVAC system.

Then consider some of the special features that might work for you. For instance, different models provide mist in different temperatures. Cool mist humidifiers are more comfortable for people in the warm months and warm mist models are preferred for the colder months. Dual-mist humidifiers allow you to switch. Another option:  Vaporizers, also known as steam humidifiers, allow you to add a medicated inhalant to the vapor to reduce coughs.

One thing to watch out for: Ultrasonic humidifiers release a very fine mist, which some people prefer. However, these tiny water droplets carry along any hard-water minerals or microorganisms that are in the humidifier’s reservoir. That’s why ultrasonic humidifiers require regular cleaning.

If you are considering purchasing a humidifier for your home and have questions, please feel free to contact an air conditioner contractor in the AC Pro network.

Our goal is to help inform our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about humidifiers and other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

AC PRO services the Southwestern United States including Southern California and Nevada.  To get started, check out our website or see our special offers.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

AC Pro Home Comfort Blog

It’s surprising but true – home comfort and humidity controls go hand in hand.  For the residents of Southern California and Clark County, blazing, hot summers and unpredictable chilly winters can wreak havoc on the humidity level within your home, resulting in home humidification problems.

For your home, comfortable humidity levels hover around 30-45 percent. If your home falls below or above these levels you may be the victim of two types of moisture problems – insufficient moisture or excessive moisture.

Insufficient moisture is a result of low humidity levels and can lead to a variety of problems.

When the air inside your home is too dry, cracking can occur in moldings, hard wood floors, and drywall. Even your furniture can suffer due to the cracking and shrinking of wood joints.

But the most uncomfortable component of low humidification happens to you and your family. Dry skin and dry nasal passages, sinus infections and colds may be the result of low humidity levels in your home.

The opposite side of the coin is high humidity levels that leave your home moist, resulting in an unhealthy indoor air environment.

If your indoor air carries too much moisture, you and your family may feel cold and clammy, even during the warm summer months.

Inside your home, your windows may frost over, contributing to the high humidification problems. Your wallpaper and paint may begin to peel. Mold and mildew spores may grow from the damp spots on your walls, ceilings, and window sills. All of these contribute to an unhealthy, uncomfortable home environment.

The first step to a comfortable home is contacting an AC Pro licensed contractor, who will evaluate your home and provide you with a professional recommendation based on your concerns and the proper humidity ratings for your home.

At AC Pro, you’ll find HVAC professionals committed to making your home humidification problems disappear.

Our goal is to help inform our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about home comfort, humidity controls and other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

AC PRO services the Southwestern United States including Southern California and Nevada.  To get started, check out our website or see our special offers.

AC Pro Home Comfort Blog