How a Whole House Humidifier Can Be Beneficial
Category: Blog
Air that is too dry can cause problems in your home. The solution? A whole house humidifier. Here is how a whole house humidifier could improve your health and the health of your home — and a look at the whole house humidifier options available to you.
Why Is Balancing Your Home’s Humidity Important?
If your home is too humid or too dry, both you and your home will suffer the consequences.
If the humidity in your home is too high, you can expect:
- Increased mold growth
- Increased dust mite activity
- Increased asthma
If the humidity in your home is too low, you can expect:
- Increased dry skin and hair
- Increased static electricity
- Increased viruses and airborne pathogens
- Increased exercise-induced asthma
- Increased cracking in wood furniture, walls, and flooring
- Increased discomfort and energy use as low humidity causes the ambient temperature to feel cooler
By using an air conditioner, a whole house humidifier, as well as your furnace, you can ensure your home will have a comfortable, balanced humidity level all year long.
How Can A Whole House Humidifier Lower Your Energy Consumption?
A whole house humidifier can reduce your heating and cooling costs. The relative humidity in your home is typically lowest in winter or when using your air conditioner. Lower humidity feels cooler than higher humidity.
For example, even though your furnace thermostat may be set to a reasonable temperature, you may still feel cold. This often prompts people to keep turning the heat up higher and higher in an effort to get warm. A whole house humidifier will add moisture to the air, making the air feel warmer without ever touching the thermostat.
What Are Your Whole House Humidifier Options?
A whole house humidifier is placed between your air return and vent duct work. Some types of whole house humidifiers work with the furnace while other models can run independently of the furnace running.
Steam Humidifiers
A steam humidifier is a type of whole house humidifier that works independently of your furnace. A steam humidifier uses electricity. The steam humidifier heats water until it reaches the boiling point and releases steam. The blower disperses the steam throughout the duct work.
A steam humidifier is the best whole house humidifier option because the furnace doesn’t need to be on in order for it to work. This means that whenever you feel like the air in your home is too dry, you can add moisture back into the home. The air often becomes dry when you have been running the air conditioner constantly, such as during an extended heat wave.
Bypass Humidifiers
A bypass humidifier requires the furnace to work, so it is only useful during the winter when the air is usually at its driest. The bypass humidifier takes the warm furnace air and passes it through a plate of water. The warm air picks up moisture as it passes through on its way out through the heating vents.
The evaporation process in a bypass humidifier is similar to a common weather phenomenon — it is just on a much smaller scale. When a mass of warm air moves over a body of water and collects moisture, precipitation is the result.
Fan- Powered Humidifiers
A fan-powered humidifier is essentially the same as a bypass humidifier with the addition of a fan. The fan increases the absorption of moisture as the warmed air passes over the water panel.
If you want a healthier, more comfortable family and home, a whole house humidifier is the way to go. Contact Mitchell Plumbing, Heating & Cooling today to discuss which system is best for you.
