Intro to How Air Humidifiers Work

A dry, scratchy throat, itchy skin: we have all experienced it at some point during the winter. These are often the effects of dry, winter air. So what is the solution? As for myself, I like to run an air humidifier during the night, when I am more susceptible to coughing attacks. Not only does the added humidity improve my dry throat, but it also helps heal cracked lips in the winter, and it can keep your skin feeling less dry and more resilient.

Dry air, also referred to as low humidity, can be uncomfortable for a number of reasons.

Effects of Low Humidity

Drying effects: Low humidity not only dries out the skin and mucous membranes in your body, causing a dry throat, chapped lips, and cracked skin, but it also dries out plants and furniture.

Static electricity: It increases static electricity in the air, causing a static shock when you touch something metallic.

Temperature: Low humidity can even make a room feel colder, so running an air humidifier at 45 percent relative humidity can warm up a room, saving you money on electricity.

Inside an Air Humidifier

An evaporative humidifier is most commonly used in homes. Basically, it has a reservoir that holds cold water and dispenses the water into a basin. A wicking filter absorbs the water, and a fan blows the air through the moistened filter. Some of the water evaporates as the air passes through the filter. As the relative humidity rises, it becomes harder to evaporate water from the filter. For this reason, some humidifiers are self-regulating; they automatically pause when the desired humidity has been reached, until the relative humidity becomes low again.

Types of Humidifiers

Besides the evaporative system , which we just discussed, there are three other types of air humidifiers:

Steam: Also known as a vaporizer, a steam humidifier boils water and releases the warm steam into the room. You can even use a medicated inhalant with the system to reduce coughing.

Impeller: An impeller has a rotating disc that flings water at a comb-like diffuser. This diffuser then breaks the water into little droplets that float into the air.

Ultrasonic: This type of humidifier uses a metal diaphragm that vibrates at an ultrasonic frequency to create water droplets.

Can Humidifiers Cause Health Problems?

Although a cool-mist humidifier does not boil water, like a vaporizer does, you should not experience health-related problems while using it. Standard units use a synthetic, anti-bacterial pad to evaporate water, and ultrasonic humidifiers transmit energy through water with high-frequency vibrations that help kill bacteria. Just remember to keep your air humidifier clean, and you will be fine.

References
The How-To's of Humidifying
How Humidifiers Work