Do You Need A Humidifier In Seattle?
If you are planning to move to Seattle, you might need to know how dry or humid it is there. This will determine the kind of indoor appliances such as air conditioners, humidifiers and dehumidifiers that you may need.
This post contains affiliate links. Also, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
So do you need a humidifier in Seattle? You need to keep your indoor humidity between 30 and 50%. The average daily temperature in the city is 8.8°C/48°F. This is quite low. Therefore, you have to crank up the heat, which in turn sucks the moisture out of your indoor air. Therefore, you would need a humidifier to increase your indoor humidity.
The work of a humidifier is to add humidity to your indoor air. Therefore, if you life in some of the cold cities in the USA, you do need this appliance. The reason for this is that you almost have to have the heat running daily and nightly. Therefore, the humidity level drops below the recommended average.
What is the coldest month in Seattle?
Now that we have established that we need to crank up the humidity during the coldest months. In this city, January is the coldest month with temperatures going as low as 2°C/36°F. That is low! The heat has to be on high and that is bad news for indoor humidity.
The month of February is almost as cold and the fall months are just a little bit less cold. So, you definitely need to run a heater for 5 to 6 months in Seattle.
August is the warmest month in this city, with average daily temperature of 23.8°C/74.9°F. That is good, but it is not too high either.
Does it get humid in Seattle?
Why is it so cold in Seattle? Experts say that the reason for this is the closeness to the Pacific Ocean. In any case, this city is cooler than many cities in 48 states, so yes, we can say that it is cold.
Seattle is one of the most humid places in the USA. This therefore beats reason why you would need to humidify the air rather than use a dehumidifier.
However, the fact is that the air being humid outdoors does not mean it will be humid inside the house. When you have low temperature and high humidity, the air can become really cold, you know, much like having the rain and low temperature combined.
Therefore, inside your home, you will have to turn on the heat. This dries the air. Therefore, once or twice a day, you may have to turn on your humidifier. This will inject some mist into the air.
Mostly, you will find it easy to raise the humidity to 50%. With a humidistat, the appliance can turn on automatically when humidity falls below 30% and switch off when it rises above 50%.
How to tell if you need a humidifier in Seattle
Even if you are not entirely sure that you need this appliance, here are some things to watch out for:
- You experience colds starting November to early March
- The hygrometer shows temperature to be below 30%
- You find that you have to turn on the heat frequently
- Your family starts experiencing dry skin
- Your indoor plants seem to be dehydrated
Conclusion
Do you need a humidifier in Seattle? You would think you don’t because of the high humidity. However, the temperature is what we would consider “cool” most months of the year. Therefore, you definitely need an appliance that can increase your indoor humidity.
You can also read our article on how to stop humidifier white dust.
