Feeling dry and itchy during the winters is normal. It happens because, in the cold weather months, the air lacks sufficient moisture and becomes dry. The warm air circulating inside the home to keep it nice and cozy adds to the woes by making the indoor air even more parched. As homeowners, we generally don’t pay much attention to the humidity levels inside the home. Yet, once it starts affecting us, it becomes hard to ignore. The boon of modern technology is that we have a plethora of options available at our disposal to make our homes as comfortable as possible. To increase humidity, you can now install a whole-home humidifier.
Whole-Home Humidifier
The name itself is indicative that a whole-house humidifier humidifies the entire house. It is not like a portable humidifier that you plug and places in the center of the room to add moisture. A whole-home humidifier is mounted directly in the ductwork of your central heating system. The indoor air that the furnace is cycling and heating gets moistened so that you can enjoy its comforts not in just one room but anywhere in the house.
How Does The Whole Home Humidifier Work?
As we just mentioned above, the whole house humidifier unit is fitted in the ductwork close to the furnace. It can be located anywhere either at the return end or at the supply end and is connected to the water supply of your home. When the humidifier is switched on, water flows down continuously to the humidifier pad. From here, it is either picked up by a rotating drum or misted into the unit. However, this is dependent on the model that you own.
The air entering the humidifier via the ducts encounters the water inside the unit. It picks up the water vapor and exits on the other side, laden with moisture. This treated air enters your home and increases the humidity throughout.
Benefits Of Using Whole-Home Humidifier
We cannot force you to believe that your home needs a whole-home humidifier. The best we can do is tell you its benefits and let you decided for yourself.
1. Healthy Air Makes For Healthy Families – When the air is dry, it causes skin dryness, irritation in the eyes and nose, and the constant feeling to scratch yourself raw. A whole-home humidifier effectively moistens the air so that the nasal passage does not dry out. It also clears the sinuses and makes for easier breathing. Additionally, most viruses and bacteria are unable to thrive in the damp air. So, installing a whole-home humidifier will significantly reduce your chances of falling ill.
2. Improved Personal Comfort – Dry air results in the building of static charge. So you tend to get a jolt when you touch surfaces or people. This can be very disconcerting. Other than that, even the best products fail to keep your skin well hydrated resulting in white lines and scaly skin. These things spoil your comfort at home. If you wish to improve your family’s comfort, the whole-home humidifier is the perfect answer. No matter which room you occupy, you don’t have to worry about its humidity levels.
3. Save Money On Energy Bills – Yes, you read correctly. The whole-home humidifier can help you save money on the energy bills. When you add moisture to the indoor air, the home becomes warmer and cozier at a lesser temperature. There is no need to overburden the furnace with very high-temperature settings. In fact, it can rightly be inferred that moisture or humidity in the air adds to the efficiency of your heating system. It is because damp or moist air retains heat better and longer than dry air.
4. Preserves Your Furnishings – Dry air causes cracking of the hardwood floor, chipping of paint, and warping of the walls. Additionally, it can also spoil books, paintings, and plastics by making them too brittle. It is necessary to add just the right amount of moisture to the indoor air so that you can preserve the home furnishings. The thermostat allows you to control the level of humidity in your house using the whole-home humidifier. This way, you will get more life out of things that you have invested in while making your home structurally strong, attractive, and aesthetically appealing.
Maintenance Needed By Whole-Home Humidifiers
The maintenance demanded by the whole-home humidifiers is not too much. If you own a humidifier that uses the humidifier pad or filter, all you need to do is change the media once every year and that all there is to it. And if you happen to own a steam humidifier, all it needs is an annual cleaning. But all this should ideally happen at the same time as the maintenance or tune-up of the furnace or heating system. Doing so will give you the best results and maximize your savings.
Life Expectancy Of Whole-House Humidifiers
The average life expectancy of a whole-house humidifier is 10 years. So, it would help if you thought of replacing it only after the passage of that time.
Do Whole-House Humidifiers Cause Mold?
Whole-home humidifiers can cause mold, but only if your house is not well ventilated. If your ventilation system is good and allows air to pass through all corners of your home, you will not face any problems. The key lies in not allowing the humidity to build up in any portion of the house.
Conclusion
If you have a sound ventilation system in your home, you will definitely benefit from using a whole-home humidifier. It humidifies your complete home in one go and gets rid of the need to humidify one room at a time, as is the case with portable humidifiers. It helps get rid of irritating problems like itchy nose, throat, and skin and also protects your home furnishings. So that like a double whammy. In this case, you can make it a triple whammy as it also renders energy savings.
If you have any further questions or concerns about the whole-home humidifiers, contact Aztil Air Conditioning at +1-888-729-8452.
