3 Maintenance Tips to Properly Care for Your Humidifiers

Humidifiers are perhaps one of the most misunderstood pieces of equipment. Sure, it is known to increase a home’s comfort levels, but not many realize what it does or how it works. A humidifier’s job is to add moisture to the air in your home. These appliances can add moisture to the air to address irritation due to dry air or even address symptoms caused by the flu.

Regardless of why you have a humidifier in your home, one fact remains: the humidifier needs to be maintained. Without maintenance, the humidifier can harbour bacteria that can affect the household and its performance. 

With that in mind, here is what you need to know to maintain your humidifiers properly:

1. Do not delay maintenance 

The worst thing you can do to your humidifier is to delay or ignore maintenance. As we have mentioned already, a lack of care can lead to bacteria buildup, which can seriously hurt the well-being of the household. As such, you must keep to a schedule of cleaning your humidifier, whether it be monthly or weekly. 

Also, do not store the humidifier to be cleaned later. Any trace amount of bacteria can breed at exponential rates. If you need to store them, be sure to wash and fully dry them before storage and clean them again when you want to use them.

2. Clean or change the filters

A humidifier’s filter has a certain lifespan, and although manufacturers may give you a recommendation, you may find the need to change them out earlier. This could be if the filters had to work with hard water (which can lead to scale buildup). Other things such as dust, smoke, and other debris can also shorten the filter’s lifespan. 

Regardless, you need to change the filters once in a while. You can hand-wash the filters, but it takes a lot of work. Plus, they are relatively cheap and easy to find, so replacing them is much easier.

3. Address the scale deposits

If you notice “white dust” accumulating around the humidifier, that is most likely the minerals from the water. If you are worried that it is dangerous, do not be. The dust is harmless. You can easily clean it. 

That said, to prevent such an issue from occurring in the future, you will have to use distilled water or a demineralizing tablet to ensure the humidifier works with cleaner water. You could also clean the humidifier every once in a while.

Conclusion

Once again, if you do have a humidifier, remember always to give it plenty of maintenance. That way, you can enjoy the cleanest and healthiest air possible without the risk of respiratory issues. If you believe you do not have the time or effort to clean your humidifiers, you can opt for low-maintenance solutions. However, keep in mind that only professionals can integrate these solutions into your HVAC system. However, they still need some maintenance, so always keep that in mind when working with these appliances!

Legacy Heating are experts in HVAC systems, offering various HVAC solutions to keep homes a comfortable place to be. If you need humidifier services in Edmonton, work with us today!