The Solution to Dry Winter Air: Whole House Humidifiers

Whole house humidifiers provide a comprehensive solution to low humidity issues inside the home. While insufficient humidity isn’t a problem during our hot Ohio summers, once cold temperatures arrive, many houses experience dry air.  It’s a result of two basic facts: cold outdoor air contains far less humidity in winter and gas-fired heating inside the house tends to reduce water vapor content in the air even more.

Consequences of low indoor humidity include:

• Allergic reactions such as dry, stuffy nose, sore throat, and itchy skin.
• Common airborne cold and flu viruses thrive longer and are more contagious in dry air.
• Static electricity shocks are a continuous annoyance.
• Household issues related to dry air such as wood flooring that contracts and splinters, plaster and paint flaking and difficulty maintaining indoor temperatures.

Single Room vs. Whole House

Single room humidifiers can help condition individual living spaces. However, they’re not suitable for large areas and they require daily upkeep including filling the water reservoir.

Whole house humidifiers, conversely, are installed inside HVAC ductwork and add water vapor directly to the system airflow that continuously circulates throughout the entire house. A whole house unit connects directly to the house water supply so the reservoir is automatically replenished. Daily maintenance or monitoring is not required.

A whole house humidifier typically utilizes one of two methods to add water vapor to the airflow:

• Reservoir units incorporate a revolving absorbent drum, picking up water from the reservoir pan as it rotates and dispersing water vapor into the airflow.
• Flow-through units add humidity by directing the system airflow through a stationary evaporator pad constantly soaked by the water supply.

Precision Humidity Control

Adjustment of whole house humidity is provided by a wall-mounted digital humidistat. Resembling a familiar programmable thermostat, the humidistat allows residents to input an exact desired relative humidity. The humidifier unit then actuates automatically to continuously maintain that preferred level.

For more about the benefits of whole house humidifiers, contact the air quality experts at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning.