Why do People use Humidifiers?
Humidifier installation has become a popular service across the country as more homeowners every day realize the benefits that a whole house humidifier can bring to them. Being a service Elite HVAC provides, humidifier installations bring numerous health benefits all throughout the year and also can help with a few appliances as well. Humidifier benefits extend to not only the health of the owner, but also anyone that enters the building. Here are some humidifier benefits:
- Relieves certain allergies
- Decreases static
- Takes strain off heater by making air warmer
- Helps with snoring
- Helps with dry skin and irritated eyes
While largely known, humidifier installation brings two lesser known benefits to homeowners and smaller humidifier units alike. The first is a benefit to wooden appliances, when exposed to dry conditions with a serious lack of moisture in the air, such appliances and parts of the home can dry out, cracking as a result. Humidifier installation solves that question while at the same time making the general environment of a home more pleasant.
Another and recently discovered humidifier benefit is the fact that a humid environment makes it more difficult for people to catch viruses. In far less scientific and far more general terms, humid air weighs a virus like the flu down with water particles, making them drop rather than coming into contact with you.
How does a Humidifier work?
Depending on the installed device, humidifiers result in the emission of water vapor into the air. Some heat water and carry the mist through a wind tunnel caused by a fan or are dispersed into the air through vibration. It is not uncommon for a humidifier to be connected to an air conditioner and heating unit, providing a constant environment each time the appliance turns on. Before going into the general air of the home, the moisture runs through a filter to effectively grant the best experience.
There are common misconceptions with humidifiers versus vaporizers. While some humidifiers do heat water into steam and disperses it into the air, that technique is far more common and specialized in vaporizers. As mentioned, humidifiers use multiple different different kinds of methods to disperse water particles into the air. While both are effective to use for allergies, humidifiers are more common in larger models like those seen in whole house humidifiers.
Humidifiers can be used at all times when having a source of water to disperse into the air. While mobile units depend on constant refilling to keep the area relatively humid, whole house humidifiers have constant access to your water while making very little difference on your water bill. In fact, in areas with colder weather, humidifiers use around 12 gallons of water per day when the heater is in constant use. In a sense, whole house humidifiers activate and are in use when your HVAC is in use.
Should I install my Humidifier on my Furnace?
Humidifier benefits can be best felt when connected to a heater, due to the lack of moisture in the air due to the appliance warming the air in a way that dehydrates the interior of your home. A humidifier would apply a light level of moisture to the outgoing air, helping it stay warmer longer and putting less strain on the heater as a result.
To avoid common problems in whole home humidifiers and receive humidifier benefits, we recommend a Elite HVAC visits your home at least once a year to apply maintenance to your HVAC and humidifier systems. With a lifespan of ten years, a whole house humidifier tends to break down on rare occasions. The issues owners should stay observant for is mold and leaking in your unit. Due to the nature of the product passing moisture through your air ducts, there are infrequent occasions where mold pops up. This and general technical issues that can easily be fixed by one of our technicians in Orange, CA.
How to Sanitize a Humidifier
The best way to get your humidifier benefits from your humidifier or whole home humidifier is to occasionally provide cleaning. There are in fact ways to keep your humidifier clean without much work on your part and the benefits will be noticeable with relatively little effort. Whole home humidifiers require less cleaning, only needing a wipe out of the mineral deposits after the colder seasons have passed and replace the water panel or evaporator pad. It is recommended to clean such parts when they are still soft and wet. Here are the reasons you should clean your water whole home humidifier:
- To keep the filter working and have constant clean water particles in the air
- Assurance that no parts are broken and no damage has accumulated during times of heavy use
- Check for leaks, an issue that can deteriorate your home and other appliances
Upon applying maintenance in the form of cleaning your whole home humidifier, it is recommended you use disinfecting products such as wipes and sprays, wiping it down after. Such maintenance helps lessen the chance of mold appearing and extends your whole home humidifer’s lifespan considerably. For more information on how we can install a whole home humidifier into your home and our other services, call (714) 464-6622 today for more information or an appointment.