Tag Archives: dry air

Eye Protection, General Safety Issues, Health Issues, Respiratory Safety

TOP SAFETY TIPS FOR HUMIDIFIER USE (GUEST POST)

Humidifiers are widely used in residential, commercial and industrial environments, especially as the colder months of winter approach and lower temperatures causes the air in our homes and on-site offices to lose moisture. Unbeknown to many people, dry air is just as damaging as air with excessive moisture and humidifiers are the perfect appliance to get your humidity levels where they should be. 

However, whilst the health benefits of maintaining the recommended up to 45% humidity level are widely known, owners of humidifiers must exercise caution when operating and maintaining these useful devices and getting the most out of their air quality enhancing features. Check out our three steps to safe and efficient humidifier use… 

Regularly Measure Humidity Levels 

Maintaining the right level of humidity is the key to creating a happy and healthy work environment especially in the trade industry due to the amount of dirt, dust, debris and other harmful particles brought into the office space by workers. Whilst avoiding dry air is important, avoiding exposure to excessive moisture is equally vital, and offices and homes using a humidifier should measure their humidity levels regularly to ensure they strike the right balance. 

As mentioned earlier in this article, the recommended humidity level for the winter season is 25% (35% to 45% during summer) so if your humidity level goes above 50% you must stop using the humidifier unit for a period of time until these levels have returned to normal. If the humidity levels remain high, then the number of dust mites, mold and airborne contaminants will multiply, exposing your workers to an increased number of health risks. 

Clean Regularly to Minimize Bacteria Exposure 

As you can imagine, humidifiers are a breeding ground for bacteria and mold due to its air processing and moisture restoring methods so it is important to clean the tank of your humidifier periodically for maximum cleanliness and efficient performance. It is recommended that you refresh the water in the tank every day and give the tank and its surroundings a wipe down regularly. Give the device a thorough clean and dry when you are storing the humidifier away on the lead up to the summer months, disposing of any used filters. 

Go for Bottled Refills 

When refilling the tank of your humidifier opt for bottled, distilled water instead of tap refills. This will ensure you avoid the build-up of troublesome limescale (caused by the minerals in tap water) that makes many appliances unsafe to use and inefficient. 

Using these safety tips you can ensure that your office humidifier is kept in good working order and provides the safe and healthy working environment you need through the efficient restoration of moisture. 

The author of this post is Martin Davies. As well as being an avid blogger in the home improvement and trade industries, he works for the Air & Water Centre to provide efficient solutions and improved air quality with the latest humidifying and purifying technologies.

General Safety Issues, Home Safety Products

THE IMPACT OF OVERHEATING YOUR HOUSE (GUEST POST)

Sent to us by Allan Williams, of fullsteamconsulting.com.au. 

In extremely cold weather conditions, heating the house becomes a must. It is essential for survival and creates a warm comfortable environment for us to live in. But over-heating a house can cause a lot of problems in many aspects,  including financial, health and environmental problems.

Health Problems

The surrounding environment has a direct impact on a person’s health. An over-heated environment is not only detrimental to the health of children but is also very harmful for adults. Too much heat in the house can lead to hyperventilation or over-breathing. Children are very sensitive to changes in temperature. They can suffer from mouth breathing problems in over-heated surroundings. Such environments can also lead to an advancement in chronic diseases and lead to poor health in children.

Heating a house excessively will remove the moisture in the air, which assists in breathing. Breathing in dry air can prove to be hazardous to health as it can lead to many respiratory ailments such as sinusitis, asthma, bronchitis, nosebleeds and dehydration. Also, moisture evaporates from the skin, which can cause itchiness in the eyes and skin irritations. Low air moisture can also cause static electricity and can result in mild shock when you come in contact with metal.

Financial Problems

Energy resources are depleting at a fast pace and their prices are constantly on the rise.  Using the heater excessively in your house can result in exorbitant energy bills. You should, therefore, use your heaters moderately so as not to waste energy resources as well as keep you energy bills low. Also, using heaters a lot can cause them to heat up and break down. The cost of getting the heater repaired is very high and may force you to exceed your monthly budget.

Environment Problems

The environment  also bears the brunt of heaters that run in houses. Firstly, it creates unnecessary noise pollution. Moreover, heaters also cause air pollution by giving off hazardous gases and fumes.

Many heaters just give off hot air into the room but fail to evenly distribute it in the surroundings. Such uneven distribution of heat can cause one area of the room to become extremely hot. The other equipments in the house can also malfunction due to over-heating. Too much heat can cause the mechanism of other equipment in the room to breakdown.

Therefore, it is preferable to turn your thermostat down to a level which provides sufficient heat. Keep your house insulated so that there is less heat loss when you shut the heater and the heat lasts longer in your home. Furthermore, getting an automatic heater is a good choice as it shuts itself off when the room is sufficiently heated and turns itself back on when the temperature drops a little. 

Allan loves blogging about energy saving and environmental issues. Over the last 3 years, he has reviewed appliances at http://www.oo.com.au/Heaters and published numerous articles on various blogs and websites.