A furnace humidifier is a great choice if you live in a big home. During the winter months, the weather is arid potentially leading to a host of problems, particularly dry skin, scratchy throats, nosebleeds, and stuffy sinuses. However, you can offset these problems by getting a humidifier – preferably, a furnace humidifier. Of course, furnace humidifiers are a lot different from normal room humidifiers. With this in mind, here are a few tips on how to pick out the best furnace humidifier for yourself.
Furnace Humidifier | Keeping Your Home Comfy
1. Understand What a Furnace Humidifier Does
A furnace humidifier is entirely different from a normal room humidifier. Instead of just changing the humidity of one room, furnace humidifiers do the entire home. They hook up to your furnace and blast the mist through your air vents. They require a more complicated assembly than a normal humidifier.
A room humidifier just needs you to pour some water into it and press a button for it to work. Conversely, a furnace humidifier hooks up to your water line and air vents for it to work. You might need to call a handyman to help you out with it!
2. There are Different Types of Furnace Humidifiers
Choosing a furnace humidifier?will be entirely dependent on what your house needs. Here are the different types of furnace humidifiers you can choose from:
- Bypass/Drum Humidifiers – This?uses your furnace blower as a way to move the humidity across the whole house. They connect to your water line and store water in a reservoir.
- Flow-Through Humidifiers?– They don’t need a water reservoir and connect to your water supply to deliver humidity as needed.
- Steam/Whole-Home Humidifiers?-?These are usually more heavy-duty than the rest and are ideal for really big homes.
3. Familiarize Yourself with the Humidistat
A humidistat is a sensor built into a furnace humidifier that collects information from your house to determine humidity levels. Once it senses that humidity has fallen, it kicks the furnace humidifier into gear and delivers the needed humidity level throughout the house. It works just like your thermostat.
Most models will give you temperature as well as humidity level options. The great thing about humidistats is, unlike room humidifiers, they work autonomously. Humidistats aren’t very hard to understand, but you should know the ideal humidity level for your home.
4. Furnace Humidifiers Can Be Hard to Maintain
There are a number of difficulties when it comes to maintaining your furnace humidifier, and they vary depending on the type you get.?Bypass/Drum Humidifiers?and Flow-Through Humidifiers?require the highest amount of maintenance. As they use the air vent’s fans to get steam across, they eventually develop a buildup of sediments and minerals. This requires you to clean or replace the filters every so often.
Furthermore, any humidifier that uses drum systems may pose problems. You can expect a buildup of germs and microbes that may be harmful to your health. In terms of the least amount of maintenance, Steam/Whole-Home Humidifiers?take the cake; however, the heating element it uses might require you to call a technician every now and then.
5. ?Furnace Humidifiers Cost More
Compared to room humidifiers, furnace humidifiers will be a lot more costly.?Bypass/Drum Humidifiers?play around the $150 – $200 range, but this is because there are increased costs when it comes to maintaining them.?Flow-Through Humidifiers?are around $200 – $300 because of the technology they use but can be just as costly to maintain as the former. Finally,?Steam/Whole-Home Humidifiers cost $400-$700. However, this initial cost can be forgiven because of how much you’ll save on heating costs!
6. Look Out for These Features
Not all furnace humidifiers are made equal. Some have features that will definitely make your life easier. Among these features are low water cutoff functions, which cuts off the humidifier’s functions when the water runs low. Corrosion resistance also helps you in the maintenance of your furnace humidifier.
Another very important feature is an automatic operation setting, which allows you to set and maintain a certain humidity level. Finally, if you find a furnace humidifier that has mounted frames, take it; it will make your installation much easier.
7. Make Sure You Buy from Reputable Brands
There are thousands of options for a furnace humidifier out there. Just walk to your nearest home goods store and you might find over 40 types, ranging from great to bad. However, there are a few manufacturers that have produced quality products over the years. You would do well to first do research on your desired brand of furnace humidifier to save yourself any unexpected costs and to prevent buyer’s remorse, of course. Among the chief brands are AprilAire, GeneralAire, and Honeywell.
This video from myenergypal can give you very good reasons to invest in a furnace humidifier now!
Winter months can be pretty harsh for your home. Investing in a great furnace humidifier can not only make home life easier, but also it can also cut down heating costs which is crucial during the cold months. No matter which one you choose, however, make sure you’ve done your research. Unless you have the electrical know-how, do?not?attempt to install it yourself. Always consult with an expert on how to install and maintain your very own furnace humidifier. Pretty soon, you’ll be breathing clear and clean!
Up Next: Basement Dehumidifier Consumer Guide
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