Although you might not be aware of the humidity levels in your home, they have an impact on the air you breathe. Humidifiers can help improve air quality if your home tends to be dry. Humidifier benefits include reducing static electricity and irritants in the air that can cause allergy symptoms. They also help save energy by keeping your home environment more comfortable and even protect your wood furniture from cracking. However, it can be difficult to know which type of humidifier is best for your home. Here we compare steam vs regular humidifiers to help you understand the difference.
Steam Whole House Humidifiers
A steam whole house humidifier produces steam to maintain a comfortable humidity level in your home. They boil water stored in a canister by heating up electrodes submerged in the stored water. Once boiled, the steam is released through your HVAC system ducts along with your heater’s conditioned air.
The system detects low humidity which triggers the boiling system before distributing the moistened air. Steam whole-house humidifiers are as much as 90% more efficient in water use. As well, because of the independent power, it also means it can run without the furnace. They can also be installed without the need for ductwork, so you save on installation costs.
Are you looking to install a humidifier in your home? We would be happy to help. Contact our team at Lambton ClimateCare today.
Regular Whole House Humidifiers
There are two other types of whole-house humidifiers:
- Evaporative humidifier: This humidifier adds moisture using a direct water line that provides a constant water supply to a humidifier pad. When the warm air is blown by the furnace, it crosses the wet pad, evaporating and absorbing the water. They come in bypass or powered humidifiers. For bypass humidifiers, furnace air travels through a bypass duct and is blown over the pad and then distributed in the home. They can be connected to either the return or supply duct and need two connections. You can stop the humid air distribution by closing the damper. With the powered humidifier, a fan pulls the water across the pad, providing a more consistent distribution of air compared to the bypass method. They are connected to the supply side ductwork. In both cases, the electricity used is from the furnace, making these humidifiers quite energy efficient.
- Self-Contained Humidifiers: These humidifiers are for homes without ductwork. They operate completely on their own, using their own fans to force humid air throughout the home. Since they operate independently, they are used for homes with ductless heat systems or radiant heat.
The question is, which humidifier is right for your home?
Which Humidifier is Best for You?
Overall, steam humidifiers cost more, but also tend to outperform evaporative humidifiers. They offer consistent levels of moisture and as mentioned can be operated without the need to turn on the furnace. When looking at the evaporative humidifier, they will save you money, but they are not efficient in humidity production and distribution.
As well, you have to run your furnace to use the humidifier as they need the heat source to evaporate the water. The budget-friendly choice is the evaporative humidifier, but you also need to consider that they do use up more energy which can cost more over time. In most cases, the whole house steam humidifier is the humidifier of choice.
Are you looking for more information on the differences between steam and regular humidifiers? Our team at Lambton ClimateCare would be happy to help. Give us a call today.
