How to Buy the Best Whole House Humidifier

Whether you need more moisture in the air to combat allergies, sinus or skin problems associated with overly dry air, a whole house humidifier may be a more practical solution than single-room humidifiers that typically cover areas of five to seven hundred feet. Whole house humidifiers can also be more convenient, providing humidified air through your current air conditioning or heating system without the need to constantly disinfect the system. When you're comparing quotes from cooling and heating professionals that install the units, consider these key points to ensure you buy the best whole house humidifier.

Instructions

1. Ensure the unit's size is compatible with your home's square footage. Like central air conditioning, you'll want to buy the best whole house humidifier with an output rating (typically between 1.5 and 10 gallons per day) that covers your entire home without being excessive to conserve energy. Choose an air humidifier that can be installed alongside your current central heating and air conditioning ductwork or ask about self-contained humidifiers that work in conjunction with baseboard heaters or radiators if you don't have central air.

2. Decide on the type of whole house humidifier based on expense and maintenance requirements. Drum systems are the least expensive, but need frequent cleaning to prevent mold which can cause respiratory problems since moisture from the water container will be evaporated and emitted into your home. Consider a flow-through air humidifier that generates moisture by blowing air through a foam pad (which will need replacement to prevent clogging). Spray mist humidifiers are the most expensive, but require little troubleshooting.

3. Compare different types of spray mist whole house humidifiers if you've chosen this model over drum or flow-through systems. Ask your contractor about cool mist whole house humidifiers that work with your central air conditioning system to produce moisture without a potentially dangerous heating element, warm mist humidifiers that work in conjunction with your heating system to work as a home furnace humidifier or steam vaporizers that generate hot steam with electrodes.

4. Look for the best whole house humidifier that features an automatic control panel and humidistat that displays the current humidity level, allows you to manually change the humidity percentage and provides indicators to let you know when to service the unit or call the heating and cooling professional for maintenance.

Tips & Warnings

• If your search to buy the best whole house humidifier leads you to a warm mist or steam vaporizer unit, ensure the base appliance is well out of reach of any children in your home since it's easy to be burned by the boiling water in the humidifier unit.