Whole House Humidifier In St. Louis
Are you considering a whole house humidifier? If so, do you have itchy, dry skin at home? Have you noticed your lips are chapped and cracking? It could be because the air in your home is too dry. Other side effects from dry air in your home can be poor sleep, cracking wood floors and furniture, and paintings or photos becoming discolored and brittle. These can all be avoided with the addition of a whole home humidifier.
With St. Louis' dramatic four-season climate, weather changes and the air humidity outside can quickly rise or fall, causing air quality issues inside your home. By improving the moisture balance in your home’s air, you can reduce static electricity, dry skin, and susceptibility to colds and infections. A whole home humidifier will remove unwanted side effects from dryer weather when winter arrives.
What Is A Humidifier?
AprilAire Model 800 Steam Humidifier Whole-House Humidifier (outside and inside displayed)
A humidifier is a device that increases the air moisture in a room or building. These devices release water vapor or steam to increase the moisture levels in the air.
There are many different types of humidifiers, including:
- Home central humidifiers are built into a home's heating and air conditioning system.
- Ultrasonic humidifiers that produce a cool mist with ultrasonic vibration
- Impeller humidifiers produce a cool mist with a rotating disk
- Steam vaporizers use electricity to create steam that cools before leaving the machine
Although a humidifier can be necessary for your home, consult a professional when deciding which humidifier is best. If installed incorrectly, poorly maintained, or set too high, your humidifier could cause issues in your home and your health.
How Do I Know If I Need a Humidifier?
hermoPro TP49 Digital Hygrometer
Humidity in your home, much like outside, varies depending on the season, the weather, and your home’s location. Ideally, humidity in your home should be between 30% and 50%.
If your home struggles to keep the humidity levels lower than 50%, you may want to consider a dehumidifier, as mold, bacteria, and more hazards can arise when humidity is too high.
Speaking with an expert is always a good start. At Crystal Heating and Cooling, we pride ourselves on having knowledgeable, efficient staff to help you decide what is best for you and your home.
If you are simply curious and looking for a test you can do on your own; you can also purchase a hygrometer to check out the humidity in your home. This device will measure the amount of moisture in the air to give you an accurate reading of the humidity level in your home.
What Are Humidifiers Used For?
When the air in your home is dry, your family may encounter problems such as dry sinuses, bloody noses, and cracked lips. Humidifiers can add moisture to the air and ease these symptoms, increasing your family's comfort.
Increased humidity can also ease breathing in children and adults with allergies, asthma, or a cold or respiratory infection. People also report better sleep and less sore throats when they use a humidifier in their home that previously had too dry air.
However, keep in mind that keeping the humidifier clean is essential for long-term benefits and to keep bacteria out of the air. Talk to your installer about the cleaning options they offer and the steps you can take to clean between visits.
Popular Types of Whole-House Humidifiers
A whole-home humidifier connects to your home's HVAC system and pushes moisture through the ducts. There are two distinct categories of whole-house humidifiers: those that work with an existing HVAC system and those that are free-standing consoles. We have you covered for installing humidifiers with an existing HVAC system. And once installed, the system will be connected to the existing electrical and water supplies in the home, needing little attention from you. The two whole-house humidifiers that we recommend include:
STEAM HUMIDIFIER
These heat water to a boil and then release the steam through ventilation ducting. These units are generally the most powerful and are used in larger homes.
AprilAire Model 800 Steam Humidifier
A large bypass evaporative humidifier mounted on the duct is specifically engineered for compact homes that are less than 5,000 square feet. As your home's dry air circulates through our water panel saturated with moisture, the humidifier infuses it with necessary humidity, promoting a Healthy Humidity environment throughout your residence.
BYPASS HUMIDIFIER
Also known as furnace humidifiers, these use the warmth from the furnace rather than heating the water itself. The unit contains a panel that holds the water before the water passes through the ducting to create humidity in the air.
AprilAire Model 600 Large Bypass Evaporative Humidifier
A large bypass evaporative humidifier mounted on the duct is engineered explicitly for homes less than 5,000 square feet. As your home's dry air circulates through our water panel saturated with moisture, the humidifier infuses it with necessary humidity, promoting a Healthy Humidity environment throughout your residence.
Benefits of a Whole Home Humidifier
A console humidifier may seem like a better option because it costs less and doesn't require installation, but most of the time, this is not the best option for your home. Although both can be effective, there are many benefits to choosing an HVAC whole-home humidifier over a console humidifier. These benefits include:
Ease of Use
Needing less upkeep and being easy to use are the most obvious benefits of having a whole home humidifier attached to your HVAC system. The unit will come with a built-in humidistat sensor that will monitor your humidity levels and turn the device off when the desired comfort level is reached. The unit will also tap into the plumbing so you won’t need to manually fill the water tank like you would some of the console humidifier units.
Better Coverage Area
Generally, a console-style humidifier is less powerful and has less coverage than a whole-house humidifier. Additionally, the consoles are less potent if your home is older or poorly insulated, so the unit may not have the power to cover the intended square footage appropriately. Most of the time, a console humidifier will only successfully cover one enclosed room. And moving the unit from room to room is not only inefficient, it will also leave the other rooms below the desired level of comfort.
Energy Efficient
Because the whole home humidifiers have a humidistat, it automatically turns off when the desired comfort level is reached. And for console units, because they are less powerful and cover less square footage, it may take more time and energy for that type of unit to generate the humidity level needed in your home. Additionally, when considering your home as a whole, covering the total square footage of your home would most likely take multiple console units. Multiple units running for long periods is not energy efficient and could cost you more money in the long run.
Best Home Humidifier
From our experience, we've found that the AprilAire 500 Whole-Home Evaporative Humidifier stands out as the best overall whole-house humidifier. This American-made gem is our top pick, thanks to its blend of efficiency and an impressive array of features.
AprilAire Model 500 Small Bypass Evaporative Humidifier
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it's a small bypass evaporative humidifier mounted on the duct and ideally suited for the average American home, which typically spans 2,300 square feet. As dry air circulates through its moisture-saturated water panel, the AprilAire 500 infuses it with much-needed moisture, fostering a healthy humidity environment in homes up to 3,600 square feet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! If the air is dry in your home, you need a humidifier for your and your family's health and well-being. A home has more than one room; unfortunately, a console humidifier typically only adds adequate moisture to a single room. With a whole home humidifier, the moisture travels through the ducts to each room. Because of this, a whole-house humidifier is the best choice to ensure each room of your home is comfortable.
Though not commo, whole-house humidifiers can create mold if not maintained properly. But with adequate care and cleaning, you can avoid this issue while keeping the humidity level in your home where it should be.
Yes! With the proper equipment and installation, a whole-house humidifier can easily humidify the whole house. Because it is attached to the HVAC system, the moisture flows through the same ducts that the air flows through.
The average lifespan of a whole home humidifier is 10 years. This can be more or less depending on the care taken to keep the unit clean.
For the Best In Whole Home Humidifiers in St. Louis
Speak with The Fleet That Can't Be Beat about options and to get help choosing the best humdifier unit for your home. We pride ourselves on customer satisfaction and want to ensure that each customer is as comfortable as possible in their home.
For the Best In Whole Home Humidifiers in St. Louis
Speak with The Fleet That Can't Be Beat about options and to get help choosing the best humdifier unit for your home. We pride ourselves on customer satisfaction and want to ensure that each customer is as comfortable as possible in their home.
