Dear Tom,
At what level should I set my new humidifier for best results?
John Sylvester West Chicago, Ill.
Dear John,
This is certainly the right time of year for using a humidifier. When winter’s cold, dry air is heated to room temperature without adding any moisture, the relative humidity can drop to desert-like levels between 5 and 10 percent, causing dry skin, respiratory discomfort, and static electricity shocks. The use of a humidifier will help alleviate these problems; however, adding too much moisture to the air can cause condensation on walls and windows. A good rule of thumb is to set the humidity control to a value of about half of the room temperature, so the humidity level in a 70(degrees) room should ideally be around 35 percent. In subzero weather, the outside air is very dry and you may find it difficult to reach or maintain this optimum level.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
