This winter improve your air quality and keep your home healthy with a whole house humidifier. In the winter, with heaters running dry, air increases in our home. This can lead to dry skin, irritated sinuses, and higher susceptibility to colds and respiratory infections. Humidifiers prevent this from happening by maintaining moisture levels in the air.
How Whole House Humidifiers Work
Most people are familiar with portable humidifiers, which help maintain humidity levels in a single room. Whole house humidifiers are integrated into a home’s heating system and HVAC system. When indoor humidity drops below the set point, a humidistat will signal the humidifier to turn on. The humidifier adds moisture to your air. The air is then circulated by the furnace or the humidifier's fan through the existing ductwork and into every room of the home.
| Humidifier Type | How It Works | Best For |
| Bypass (Flow-Through or Drum) | Uses the furnace's blower fan to push warm air across a water-saturated pad (evaporator pad). The air absorbs moisture and is returned to the ductwork. | Smaller to medium-sized homes |
| Fan-Powered | Similar to bypass, but includes its own internal fan to actively blow air across the water panel. This increases the rate of evaporation and moisture output. | Medium to large homes |
| Steam | Uses an internal electric heating element to boil water in a canister, creating steam. This steam is then injected directly into the ductwork for distribution. | Large homes or very dry climates |
Whole House Humidifier Benefits:
Energy Efficient
- Heating Cost Savings: Research on thermal comfort provided by Spring Nature, suggests that a 10% increase in relative humidity can feel as warm as a 0.54°F (0.3°C) rise in actual air temperature. Since humidified air feels warmer, homeowners can often lower their thermostats by several degrees without losing comfort. This can lead to energy savings of approximately 4% for every degree the thermostat is lowered. Research
Good Health and Comfort
- Reduced Virus Survival: Laboratory studies published in Environmental Health demonstrate that influenza viruses survive significantly longer in dry air; increasing humidity to 40-60% can reduce virus infectivity by up to 80% within an hour.
- Better Respiratory Defense: ScienceDirect notes that humidifiers help relieve nasal congestion and break up mucus, making coughs more "productive" and easing the discomfort of colds and the flu.
- Skin Protection: Studies from the PubMed indicate that low humidity causes a decrease in skin barrier function and elasticity, leading to "roughness" and increased sensitivity to allergens. Intervention with moisture can restore the water content of the outermost layer of skin.
Home Preservation and Structural Integrity
- Prevention of Wood Damage: Wood is a hygroscopic material, meaning it naturally strives to reach an Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) with its environment. When air is too dry, wood releases moisture and shrinks, leading to warping, cracking, and joint failure in hardwood floors, cabinetry, and furniture.
All Seasons Home Comfort Product Pick:
The AprilAir Whole House Humidifier
Why We Chose It:
- High Performance and Capacity: AprilAire humidifiers are known for delivering a high moisture output, with some models (like the AprilAire Model 720A fan-powered unit) capable of producing up to 21 gallons of humidified air daily and covering homes up to 6,250 square feet. Their bypass models, such as the AprilAire Model 600, deliver about 50% more moisture than many competitive units.
- Automatic Humidity Control: Many models come with an advanced automatic digital control (humidistat) that constantly monitors the indoor and outdoor temperatures and humidity levels to maintain the optimal 30-50% relative humidity range. This "set it and forget it" functionality ensures consistent comfort without constant manual adjustments.
- Ease of Maintenance: AprilAire units generally require simple, annual maintenance, such as replacing the water panel evaporator cartridge, a task that can often be done by the homeowner. The design of the steam models uses a replaceable canister, which makes cleaning mineral buildup easy.
- Durable and Certified: Products are designed and manufactured for durability and longevity, and many models are UL Listed for safety.
- A wide variety of reliable models available for use.
Models Include:
- AprilAire 720A Fan-Powered Evaporative Humidifier
- AprilAire 720M 720Mkz Humidifier
- AprilAire 720M Fan-Powered Evaporative Humidifier
- AprilAire 620A Whole-House Large Bypass Evaporative Humidifier
- AprilAire 620M Whole-House Large Bypass Evaporative Humidifier
- AprilAire 700 Fan-Powered Evaporative Humidifier
- AprilAire 600 Large Bypass Humidifier
- AprilAire 500 Small Bypass Evaporative Humidifier
- AprilAire 400 Water Saver Evaporative Humidifier
- AprilAire 300 Self-Contained Evaporative Humidifier
- AprilAire 800 Steam Humidifier
- AprilAire 865 Steam Humidifier with Fan Pack
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