Investing in a Whole-Home Humidifier – What You Should Know

Maintaining the right level of humidity in your home is important, especially during the winter months. The air loses all its moisture and becomes bone dry. Combine that with heating in an insulated space, and you’ve got a recipe for irritated noses and throats, allergies, and tight skin. 

Your home doesn’t just become uncomfortable; too much dry air can damage your furnishings and paint as well. Wood and wallpaper, for example, both depend on a certain level of moisture to keep from crumbling and peeling. 

Warming the air is the best way to combat the dryness that the cold brings. While fireplaces warm and remove moisture from the air in its immediate vicinity, other rooms in the house may still be quite arid! 

To resolve all the issues in one blow, adding a whole-home humidifier next to your furnace could be the solution to your winter woes. 

Benefits of Using a Whole-Home Humidifier

1. It saves electricity 

It makes the most sense to keep your thermostat on low to reduce your energy consumption during the winter months. However, it also leaves you feeling quite chilled in already cold weather. A humidifier allows you to keep your thermostat low without having to feel chilly. This is because humidity helps the body feel warmer despite lower temperatures. 

On the other end of the spectrum, dehumidifying your surroundings is crucial during the summer. This is especially important when you live somewhere like the tropics, where there is excessive moisture in the air. Reducing the humidity, in this case, will save you from spending on high electric bills racked up by your air-conditioning units. 

2. It benefits your health. 

Humidity levels contribute more to your health than you may realize. Air that’s lacking in humidity can lead to sinus issues, dry throats, rough patches on the skin, and even hangnails. Too much humidity, on the other hand, can make rooms stuffy and difficult to breathe in. Mould and fungi also thrive with excessive air moisture around and lead to sickness. 

As such, getting a whole-house humidifier to help set it to the appropriate levels can improve your health!

3. It’s convenient

Using a whole-home humidifier requires no training or tinkering around with an unfamiliar device. You can control moisture in your home right there from your thermostat simply by choosing your preferred setting. It’s also a low maintenance machine, requiring only one or two check-ups every year. This will ensure that mineral deposits from evaporated water and any buildup are removed from your unit!

Types of Humidifiers

Bypass humidifiers use a water tray to add humidity into dry, heated air. Using the pressure difference between hot and cold air ducts forces heated air through the humidifier then back through the furnace. The result is heated air that carries more moisture. 

Fan humidifiers use a fan to push the humidity through the duct system, providing a step up over a bypass system.

Steam humidifiers blow steam into the duct system and provide the highest level of humidity control. 

The type of humidifier you choose for your home will depend on your house’s area and how much humidity is required. Consulting a Legacy technician is your best option to decide which is appropriate for you. 

Conclusion

Whether it’s the biting cold, dry air of winter or the heavy, moisture-filled air of summer, having a home humidifying system is definitely a must. It prevents your family from getting ill, protects your home, and offers a great deal of comfort when it’s needed the most. Air quality is essential to everybody, and humidity is one aspect of this that we can control in our homes, especially during the harder months!

Deciding on which whole-home humidifier is right for your home may require an HVAC maintenance technician’s guidance. Here at Legacy, we specialize in HVAC repairs and the installation and replacement of furnaces, air conditioners, thermostats, humidifiers, and more. To learn more about having an EAZ system and our other services, visit our website today!