How Temperature and Humidity Affect Your Home
Protecting and maintaining the strength of your home’s interior and exterior should be of primary concern when regulating internal temperature and humidity. In this article, we’ll look at how internal temperature and humidity can contribute to changes and damages occurring in your home.
Understanding Temperature
Before diving into how temperature affects your home, let’s explore how temperatures can fluctuate in general.
The physical difference between hot and cold boil down to particles and energy. A solid object expands or increases in size when it gets warmer because particles begin to vibrate and take up more room. While heat causes objects to expand, the cold makes them contract. This is why your home is constantly changing and shifting. In the summer, structural components of your home expand, but in the winter, they contract again. Through seasonal changes experienced in Delaware and the Mid-Atlantic region, the effects of that expansion and contraction over time can cause structural damage to your home.
Keep in mind that houses naturally shift, settle, and change over time. This can cause gapping between various structural components, which can compromise your home’s ability to insulate or regulate temperature.
Hot Air
Have you ever noticed that the second floor of your home is usually warmer than the first? As particles in the airspeed up, they expand and rise. Hot air in winter is important for comfort, but internal temperatures that are too hot can result in seasonal roof damage. As the hot air rises, your roof can expand and shift causing shingles to come loose, eaves to lift, and the many protective barriers to break down.
Cold Air
Cold air is a result of particles in the air slowing down. These particles are more compact and dense, which is why cold air sinks. When the internal temperature of your home is too cold, it can cause pipes to crack and burst or for mold and mildew to develop as condensation forms. This is why it’s important to regulate the internal temperature of your home, especially in cooler climates.
Understanding Humidity
Humidity is the amount of moisture or the amount of water particles in the air expressed through percentages. For example, on a hot or humid day, the forecast may report 70% humidity. This means the outside air filled up 70% of its water retention capacity. Humidity also impacts the movement of air particles, which affects temperature.
The presence of moisture in the air can affect your home in a variety of ways, which is why it’s important to regulate humidity inside the home. If the inside of your home is too dry, the drywall, weatherstripping, caulking, and other components can crack and break down. If your home has too much moisture, mold and mildew can develop and eat away different structural materials.
Here at Advance Inc., we understand how crucial it is to protect your home and prevent unnecessary damages. That’s why we work tirelessly to provide our community and customers with exceptional services and reliable resources. If you’re in need of home repair, look no further. Contact us today to speak to a representative or visit our website to browse our services. We are happy to help.