Planning to finally put a furnace humidifier in your home? Read this article to know all the types and make a well-informed decision.
A humidifier is a home appliance that helps to increase the moisture level (humidity) in a given space, which may be a single room or the entire house. Different types of humidifiers are manufactured, depending on consumer requirement. Out of all these types, one is a furnace humidifier. It is connected to the central heating and cooling system in a home, and is known to spread humidity in the entire house.
Cool, dry air during winters is not only unpleasant, but also dries out our skin, lips, nose, and internal nasal passages. It also affects wooden furniture present in the house. In such cases, humidifiers help in the circulating moisture to the entire room and raise its humidity level to optimum. If winters are a nightmare where you live, it’s advisable to buy the furnace humidifier, which controls moisture in the entire house. However, there are many varieties that come in this type of a humidifier. Let’s check them out.
Types
Bypass Flow-Through Style
This humidifier is designed in such a way that there is a pipe carrying water to an electrically controlled valve on top of it. Air passes through an aluminum pad, which is made of coarse steel wood, and disperses throughout the edifice. Here is where the unit energy is consumed. Based on a fuel-burning model, this humidifier then produces warm air, which is used to humidify dry air in a room.
Spray Mist
In this type, the pipe carrying water, directly sprays the water mist into the supply air. This mixture is then carried to the room along with the air flow. The only disadvantage is that since it includes a spray nozzle, there are chances of it to get clogged up due to hard water. However, the good part is that cost of this humidifier is really low, it uses less electricity, and doesn’t need any sort of bypass ducting.
Steam Humidifiers
This type functions the same way as bypass. However, instead of vertical pads or foam drums getting soaked in a water reservoir, the steam machine in this one uses an element based on electric heat which causes air evaporation. These humidifiers, however, are a bit overpriced.
These three are the most commonly used humidifiers. However, there are more types available in the market today. These include the Centrifugal Atomizer or Impeller, Under Duct, Disc Wheel Style, Drum Style, Non-Bypass Flow Through, Desert Spring Furnace Humidifiers, etc.
Choosing a Furnace Humidifier
First things first, if you are planning to humidify the entire house, then going for a furnace humidifier would be a little expensive but sensible. The cost should range under approximately USD 100. There are brands that are priced higher than USD 100, but it’s not that you wouldn’t receive satisfaction and energy-saving efficiency in a low price too. Console humidifiers are effective if you plan to humidify more than two rooms in your house.
Also, tabletop humidifiers pose a good option for people who are constantly on the move, but happen to spend winter vacations in their holiday homes or so. Tabletop machines can be used to humidify a small room or say one bedroom to keep you warm. When you choose a furnace humidifier for your home, go for the one which has a humidistat in it. You can easily set the humidity level using the humidistat to one you desire and thus avoid over-humidification in your house or room.
Remember, maintenance is an additional cost, unless your humidifier comes with a warranty, which it mostly will. Clean the humidifier and the filter regularly; it’ll barely cost you USD 2 to USD 30, depending on which part you clean.