It's Time for a Whole House Humidifier!
Have you noticed that your skin feels a little dry and itchy? Are you getting shocked by everything you touch in your house? Are your plants looking a little wilted? Are you waking up in the middle of the night with a nose bleed? Do you notice cracks in your hardwood floors? If you said "yes" to any of the above, then you are a victim of harsh winter air! There has to a solution to these problems, right?
We like to think there is a solution for everything! One of our technicians was in a house yesterday in which there were cans of water on every register. That's one way to get humidity in the house! I'm sure you're also familiar with portable humidifiers. Keep a portable humidifier filled with water and you will certainly be able to add humidity to that one room. However, the best solution is a whole house humidifier.
What is a whole house humidifier? A whole-house humidifier is installed on the ductwork next to your furnace. The humidifier distributes moisture throughout the entire house. A sensor is located either in the humidistat control or on the thermostat. When the humidity level in the house drops below the set level (usually 30-40%), the humidifier will run.
How do I care for a whole house humidifier? The best thing about a whole house humidifier is that it requires very little maintenance! While a portable humidifier has to constantly be filled with water, the whole- house humidifier operates on its own. Annual maintenance is recommended to clean it, check the wiring, check/tighten the valves, clean the drain and change the pad. If you have hard water, it might be a good idea to clean the drain and change the pad twice a year.
What's the difference between having a humidistat and a thermostat to control humidity? Whole house humidifiers come with a manual humidistat. The sensor is located in the humidistat. The humidistat is manually set to control the humidity level in the house. Some thermostats also come equipped with a humidity sensor. In this case, the thermostat would replace the humidistat. The advantage to this would be in accuracy of humidity levels. A digital thermostat is always going to be more accurate than a manual humidistat.
Are some humidifiers more efficient than others? Humidifiers are measured by how many gallons of water are used each day. Most humidifiers will use either 12 gallons per day or 18 gallons per day. Steam humidifiers are the most efficient, however, it is very strongly recommended that very high quality water be used with steam humidifiers. Calcium and lime will build up much faster in a steam humidifier due to the extremely hot temperatures that the water runs at.
Please don't hesitate to contact us with any other questions you might have about whole house humidifiers! There's no doubt that once you have a whole house humidifier, you'll wonder how you ever lived without one!
Is HVAC a Do-It-Yourself Project?
There are many things around the home that can be done by a homeowner. We've occasionally been asked about HVAC being a "do-it-yourself" project. Some questions we've been asked include:
- If I provide the furnace/air conditioner/heat pump, will you install it? If the equipment is used, then no, we will not install it. Someone might get a furnace from their brother's house or take an air conditioner from their rental home to install on another home or purchase a piece of equipment from Craig's List. While the used equipment may work just fine, there are some risks to consider. Was the equipment properly removed? Is the equipment sized correctly for your space? Does the equipment work? How old is it? If an air conditioner is not removed correctly, parts can be damaged. The new owner of the air conditioner wouldn't know this until the air conditioner is re-installed. If it doesn't work, the homeowner will still be responsible to pay for the installation as used equipment does not have a warranty. Typically, if the equipment provided is new, we will consider installing it. However, since we (LCS Heating and Cooling) did not purchase the equipment, we will not warranty it. In addition, it would also be the homeowner's responsibility to talk to the manufacturer. If a repair is needed three years later, the homeowner would again be responsible for the warranty.
- If I provide the part, will you make the repair? We will consider making the repair, but again there is risk involved for the homeowner. Are you absolutely sure you got the right part? Did you diagnose the needed repair correctly? Are you able to return the part if it's not correct ? Is there a warranty on the part? As in the example above, if for some reason the part doesn't work or is not the correct part, the homeowner would still be responsible for paying for the installation. He would also be responsible for any warranty issues that arise.
- Should I make a repair or install a water heater/thermostat/humidifier myself? This is completely up to the homeowner. These are items that can be purchased at home improvement stores. A couple of things to consider: Home improvement stores carry base models of these items. Contractors purchase these items at supply houses and have accessibility to higher end models and different brands. Warranties vary as well. Equipment provided by contractors often has a longer warranty period than what can be purchased at home improvement stores. Also consider your comfort level and time needed to install one of these items. The time it may take to install that whole house humidifier may be worth hiring an HVAC company.
When it comes to major repairs or improvements in the home, we are always going to recommend hiring a company to help with those. Homeowners have peace of mind when equipment or even a part is provided and installed by a licensed and insured HVAC company. Peace of mind comes from knowing that if something goes wrong, the HVAC company will take care of it. The homeowner will not have to contact the manufacturer, try to process a warranty, wait to have a part shipped, etc. HVAC is often an investment. Our advice is to protect that investment by considering all the factors and risks before making a decision to do it yourself.
Thermostats: Basic to High Tech...The Choice is Yours!
Remember when it was a simple task to buy a child a toy? The biggest choice in deciding on a doll, for example, was the clothes it was wearing. My niece asked for a doll for Christmas, but it was a specific doll that could crawl, laugh, cry, eat and need a diaper change. I looked at dolls for what seemed to be an eternity before finally deciding on one.
Believe it or not, you might feel the same way when you look at thermostats today! Most thermostats are digital. Outside of that, there are lots of options to choose from. To make it a little less overwhelming, check out our feature breakdown below to help you make the best choice for your home or office:
Basic Thermostat: A basic digital thermostat will accurately control the temperature in your home or office. This type of thermostat has buttons which can move the temperature up and down. It is not programmable so the buttons are used to manually change the temperature as needed. It's ideal to have a thermostat that shows two readings: a set temperature (what you want it to be) and an inside temperature (what it actually is).
Programmable Thermostat: A programmable thermostat is a digital thermostat designed to allow the user to set programs to control the temperature of the house or office. There are two types of programmable thermostats:
- 5/2 Programmable: This type of programmable thermostat allows Monday-Friday to be set on one program and Saturday-Sunday to be set on another program. This is a great option for people who have a set work schedule Monday-Friday. Here is a sample program for a 5/2 thermostat: 6am temperature set to 70 degrees (comfortable when you wake up in the mornings). 8am-5pm temperature set to 65 degrees (lower temperature when no one is home to save on utility costs) 5pm-11pm temperature set to 70 degrees (comfortable while at home). 11pm-6am temperature set to 67 degrees (save on utility costs while sleeping). A different program could then be set for Saturday and Sunday when you are home during the day.
- 7-Day Programmable: This type of programmable thermostat allows a different program to be set every day of the week. This is a great option for people who have flexible work schedules. You may work from home one day, volunteer at your child's school one day and work in an office one day. This type of programming allows each day to be scheduled according to your time at home and away.
There are some additional differences to these types of programmable thermostats. A 7 day often has a touchscreen, whereas a 5/2 programmable will have buttons. Some thermostats may also show the indoor humidity level. This is a great feature to quickly know if you need to adjust your humidifier.
Wi-Fi Thermostat: This is a digital, programmable thermostat which has Wi-Fi capability so the thermostat can be controlled through a phone, tablet or computer. This is a great option for people who travel or for those that simply enjoy having the latest technology! Additional features available on a Wi-Fi thermostat compared to a programmable thermostat include weather forecast, humidity control (meaning the humidifier can be controlled through the thermostat), usage charts, and alerts. HVAC equipment manufactures are even offering Wi-Fi thermostats that can communicate with high efficient equipment. One of the biggest benefits to this is an alert that will be emailed to you if there is a problem with the system.
Technology has come a long way! What's the best fit for you? We install all types of thermostats so please don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions!