Humidifier
GTA Leading provider of heating, cooling, and water heating and treatment needs for over 15 years.
GTA Leading provider of heating, cooling, and water heating and treatment needs for over 15 years.
Humidifiers are popular appliances used to keep homes comfortable and combat dry air in the winter. While a portable humidifier can treat certain areas of the home, a furnace humidifier runs with your HVAC system to distribute moisture throughout the whole home.
Whole-home humidifiers connect with your forced-air furnace to add moisture to the warm air that the furnace pushes throughout your home. There are three main types of humidifiers: bypass, steam, and flow-through. Humidifiers will help increase your indoor air quality and overall comfort.
Bypass humidifiers draw from a water panel and do not use a motor, meaning that they’re only active when the furnace is running. Instead, these humidifiers rely on air from the furnace’s blower to pick up moisture as it passes over the water panel before moving through the ductwork. Bypass humidifiers have a lower chance of breaking down since there are fewer components, and typically have lower energy usage too. Also, there’s a lower risk of mold forming since moisture is only pushed through the ducts when warm air is moving.
One disadvantage is that it may not humidify your air as effectively as other furnace humidifiers. After the air picks up moisture from the panel, it’s rerouted back to the furnace before being sent around the home. During this process, some moisture is lost making it less effective.
Steam humidifiers work by boiling water to create steam that’s then distributed throughout the home along with the air from the furnace. These furnace humidifier’s function based on built-in humidistats that measure the humidity of the air and only allow the system to work when the humidity drops below a certain level. This significantly lessens the risk of mold and condensation as the system won’t be able to over-humidify. Steam humidifiers are also the most effective at producing moisture and are easier to maintain. One downside, however, is that they cost more money to buy and operate.
Like bypass humidifiers, flow-through units draw from a water supply, but in the form of a constant trickle of water. The unit switches on when your home’s humidity level falls below the set level. As air passes through the furnace’s air supply, the water naturally evaporates into the air that’s leaving the furnace. The main difference is that flow-through units have their own fans, meaning they can moisten and distribute air even when the furnace blower isn’t operating. Another benefit is that these units are generally low maintenance and have almost no risk of mold.
With all the different models of Humidifier available today, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when choosing the right one for you. If you’re still not sure which Humidifier to look for your home, breathe easy with assistance from ICare Home Comfort HVAC experts: (905)-399-9888
GTA Leading provider of heating, cooling, and water heating and treatment needs for over 15 years.
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