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By Joseph Hillenmeyer
New smart-home technology allows wood flooring professionals to not only educate customers about the importance of relative humidity but also recommend a whole-home solution that is as effective as it is convenient.
Within the industry, indoor relative humidity’s (RH) impact on an installed hardwood floor is well understood. Too little humidity and floors crack; too much and they swell. With seasonal changes in weather and thus, the conditions inside the home, many floors are subjected to both spikes and dips in RH that land outside of NWFA guidelines.
Brett Miller, NWFA’s VP of Education and Certification estimates that 90 percent of hardwood failures are related to moisture problems and relative humidity in the home is the most significant factor.
For this reason, wood flooring retailers are educating their customers on the relationship between water and wood. They explain to their customers that warranties may be void if recommended RH levels are not maintained and the installed floor will not look or perform as they hope.
Educating customers about RH is essential for wood flooring professionals who want to reduce call backs, and protect their reputations and the floors they install.
The right solution and control
Of course, wood flooring professionals don’t live in their customer’s homes.
Even if the proper education takes place on the salesfloor and the installation process follows all guidelines for acclimation, RH must be maintained long after the professionals have left. Among the best ways to ensure the floor’s longevity and the customer’s satisfaction is to provide that customer with recommendations for RH control.
Aprilaire has a full line of whole-home humidification solutions that can battle dry air and excess humidity. Whole-home solutions are the best way to manage indoor RH because they are efficient and have the capacity needed to add or remove moisture from the whole home.
Installed by an HVAC professional, whole-house solutions for humidity control provide customers the most complete way to preserve their wood floors – as well as other possessions in their home – from dangerous humidity levels.
Smart homes protect wood floors
While wood floors are as old as home ownership itself, they can still benefit from the many advantages a connected home provides. Controlling health, comfort, safety, and ambience via a smart device is quickly becoming the rule, not the exception. With voice assistants like Google Home and Alexa, the future appears to have arrived. Wood flooring customers who understand the importance of humidity to the life of their wood floors will expect a helping hand in managing it.
Because even the best solution available is rendered useless if it’s not controlled, Aprilaire humidifiers work with a full line of Aprilaire Wi-Fi Thermostats. In addition to providing simple and convenient control, Aprilaire Wi-Fi thermostats provide other benefits to wood flooring customers, as well.
Customers can forget about the importance of humidity and the threat it poses to their wood floor. With a thermostat and app that provides accurate information on humidity levels, homeowners can stay on top of their humidity situation.
RH alerts and maintenance reminders
Wood flooring customers can also program humidity alerts into the thermostat or app. They will receive push notifications and emails when humidity levels in the home spike or drop. An easy step for a wood flooring customer to ensure the longevity of their floors is to set their humidity alerts to the indoor RH specifications provided by the flooring manufacturer.
When informing customers about the need for humidity control with their wood floor, make sure they know to ask their HVAC contractor about smart home technology from Aprilaire.
Aprilaire has been a leader in whole-home climate control for more than 60 years. Learn more about humidity solutions for wood floor professionals at aprilaire.com/woodflooring.