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!
