Winter means dry air in your home. Dry air can cause all sorts of problems:
- Exacerbating health issues such as allergies and asthma
- Other health issues, including respiratory irritation, dry nasal passages, nosebleeds, and chapped and itchy skin,
- Damage to wood including hardwood floors, musical instruments, antique furniture and moldings
For those reasons, it is recommended that humidity levels should be at least 30%. The best way to make sure that happens is to have a humidifier. There are two types of humidifiers – whole house humidifiers and portable humidifiers. Here is some information on whole house humidifiers.
Whole house humidifiers work with your heating system via the duct system to add moisture to air as it circulates through the house. There are three types of whole house humidifiers:
- Bypass humidifiers add moisture via the furnace. They take warm air from the heating ducts and pass it through a water tray, allowing the air to collect moisture which is then circulated through the house.
- Fan-powered humidifiers use a fan rather than ducts to pass air through the water tray. These can produce up to a gallon more humidity per day than bypass humidifiers. They are also more energy efficient.
- Steam humidifiers electrically boil water to create steam. That staem is pushed through the ventilation system. These are the fastest and most efficient way to increase and maintain humidity in your home.
Advantages
- Whole house humidifiers provide ventilation to the entire house
- They require minimal maintenance
- The air is purified using filters
