The Winnipegger’s Guide To Home Humidity
There are many benefits of humidifiers; they improve your comfort and can even improve your health and reduce wear and tear in your home. Humidity, however, varies from location to location. For Winnipeg in particular, humidifiers can be extremely beneficial, especially in the winter months.
Humidity in Winnipeg
When measuring humidity, we use a term called relative humidity. Relative humidity is the measure of how much moisture is actually in the air compared to how much moisture could be in the air.
For example, at room temperature (22 degrees Celsius), the air can hold around 8 grams of water per cubic metre. If the air is holding 4 grams per cubic metre, then the relative humidity is 50%.
Ideally, the relative humidity in your home should be somewhere between 30% and 55%. In Winnipeg, however, many homes have a relative humidity of 15% or less, particularly in the wintertime.
The Benefits of Humidifiers in Winnipeg
Because of our dry and cold climate, humidifiers can be especially effective. Humidifiers help relieve the symptoms and side effects of dry air and central heating. You might benefit from a humidifier if you experience some of these symptoms:
- Sinus problems, including congestion and nose bleeds
- Dry or irritated skin, including eczema
- Increased allergy or asthma symptoms
Dry air can increase the amount of allergens, like dust, that circulate around your home. This can increase allergy symptoms, including skin allergies. It can also make respiratory infections or issues with asthma worse.
In addition to the health benefits, humidifiers can also improve the longevity of household items. Higher humidity can help preserve hardwood floors, wallpaper, furniture, artwork, and can even help keep your plants alive.
The Differences Between Whole-Home & Portable Humidifiers
Given the benefits humidifiers have, it’s no surprise that you might be interested in having one for your home. When choosing a humidifier, you have two main options: portable humidifiers and whole-home humidifiers.
While portable humidifiers can be an enticing option, you typically won’t get as much benefit as you would from a whole-home humidifier. Portable humidifiers usually only work in one room, if that.
Whole-home humidifiers, on the other hand, use your existing ductwork to provide your entire house with the benefits of increased humidity. And because they use the existing ductwork, most installations only take 1 to 3 hours.
How to Customize Your Humidity for Winnipeg’s Climate
Once you make the decision to invest in a humidifier, you’ll have control over how humid your house is. Health Canada recommends humidity anywhere between 30% and 55%. In our experience, the sweet spot for Winnipeggers is between 30% and 33%.
You want to make sure that you aren’t keeping your home too humid, however. Keeping the humidity closer to 30% is better, especially when the temperature drops outside.
Too much humidity inside can cause condensation to collect in and around your windows unless you have very energy-efficient panes. If you’re experiencing this issue, try removing curtains and blinds and improving circulation. Humidity above 55% can also cause mould and increase the amount of bacteria, viruses, and dust mites in your home.
If you need help figuring out the best humidity solution for your home, we’re here to help. Our home comfort experts have been serving Winnipeg for over 80 years. We know our climate, the community, and the ideal humidity solution for your home. Contact us to learn more about whole-home humidifiers or to book a free in-home assessment.
