Tips for Choosing the Right Humidifier

As winter's dry air set in many homeowners become aware that a humidifier is essential in many of the dry regions of the country. A humidifier can help restore lost humidity and can make a home much more comfortable during the winter months. The purpose of a humidifier is apparent, it puts moisture into the air. But not all humidifiers are the same. Humidifiers come in many different types and all have different advantages and disadvantages. The following article will discuss several different types of humidifiers and their benefits and disadvantages. By weighing the benefits and disadvantages, you will be able to select the humidifier that suits your needs.

First, humidifiers are broken down into two main categories. The two categories are whole house humidifier which attach to your air driven furnace and bring humid air to the entire house and single room humidifiers which are suitable for smaller areas. A whole house humidifier requires plumbing and electrical connection as well as modifications to your existing furnace. This option is best left for professional, but is more efficient, less costly in the long run, and evenly distributes moisture throughout the entire house.

Single room humidifiers can be purchased at many local retailers. These units typically have a refillable water tank and plug into an electrical outlet. A single room humidifier can be effective in large areas but it does not distribute moisture as effectively as a whole house style. Furthermore, they are typically more costly to use than a whole house humidifier and require additional maintenance and periodic refills.

Single room humidifiers come in many different types which can be broadly broken down into warm air or cold air humidifiers.

Warm air humidifiers can be further broken down into steam or warm mist. A steam humidifier boil the water with a heating element and sends out the steam vapor into the air. This method eliminates any mold or bacteria that may be present but present the risks of burns from the steam making them unsafe around children.

A warm mist humidifier works identically to the steam example above, but air is cooled slightly before it is released into the air reducing the chance of burns and making them safer for use.

Cold air humidifiers can be broken down into three basic groups including evaporation wick, impeller, and ultrasonic.

An evaporation wick humidifier uses a wick which absorbs water. A fan blows air over the wick releasing moisture into the air. The downside of this unit is the constant fan noise, but on the upside, this style of humidifier is self regulating and only release moisture into the air as needed,

An impeller humidifier utilizes a spinning object that moves underneath the water. Since the object is located under the water, the sound of the machine is quite as compared to the evaporation model. The spinning object stirs up the water creating a fine mist which is released into the air.

Finally we move on to the ultrasonic humidifier. Its sound very high tech and it is. This is a relatively new type of humidifier. It utilizes high frequency sound waves to vibrate the water. The high frequency vibration releases the water mist into the air. The operation of the unit is virtually silent to humans and they use very little energy.

There's a run down of the most common types of humidifiers for your home. Choosing the one that's right for you is quite simple. Find characteristics that you like and look for a model in your price range. Remember that all humidifiers will require cleaning and refilling to operate properly all winter long.