Humidifiers for Second Home Owners

Demystifying Humidifiers

As a proud owner of your second home you are in the dream setting that you always wanted. However, due to wrong humidity levels, you suffer a lot of angst when the seasons change. You can be at your wits end trying to keep yourself and your family warmer or cooler by throwing open windows or cranking up the heating. Here we attempt to demystify the value that humidifiers and dehumidifiers can add to your quality of life.

Health risks associated with humidity imbalance

How annoying it is to reach out to warmly hug your loved one, only to be rudely zapped by static electricity! It’s also painful to put up with cracked, bleeding lips. Other signs that your home lacks sufficient humidity can be manifested through an itchy throat, respiratory infections, loss of elasticity of skin, nose bleed and dehydration, amongst others. Often, when you return home after a long period of being away, you notice your expensive wood furniture, hardwood floors, wooden musical instruments, cabinetry, etc., show signs of warping. Other problems faced are gaping floor boards, furniture joints getting loose, damaged wooden photo frames and cabinetry. This is because the air in a room will try to reach saturation point. In the process, it will draw out moisture from every source possible, be it your body, the furniture, pets, etc. It is important to know that when humidity levels fall below the 30–40% range, homeowners tend to face all kinds of physical discomfort.

Conversely, excess humidity of over 50% too brings its own set of problems for people. When windows fog up frequently, it indicates that you are in a time and place when humidity is high. Uncontrolled excess humidity leads to growth of unhealthy bacteria. When home owners leave their home for an extended period of time, high humidity can cause black mold and mildew, wet patches on walls, wood rot and the slow deterioration of your home. Allergic reactions, difficulty in breathing, dust mites and musty odors can become ongoing problems, apart from making the air warmer than it actually is.

Using a good quality humidifier or dehumidifier based on the humidity conditions in your home can go a long way in solving problems associated with such humidity imbalance. The use of a hygrometer, sometimes known as humidity sensor, is an inexpensive way of gauging the humidity levels in your home and deciding the best course of action.

Humidifiers – Help make Misty Magic

A humidifier is an effective piece of equipment to add moisture to the air. Choosing the right humidifier depends on the size of the room and your budget. The capacity of humidifiers is listed in gallons, to indicate the number of gallons of water they dispense into the air within a 24-hour time frame.

Today, humidifiers come in a wide range of models from portable to whole house systems that are connected directly to the furnace or air conditioning systems. Generally speaking, for a home with average air condition, a room that is 500 sq. ft or less will require a 1.5 to 2.0 gallon humidifier, going up to a 10 gallon capacity for an area over 2000 sq. ft.

Types of Humidifiers

• Most common amongst these models is an evaporative humidifier that blows air with the help of a fan through a damp wick filter to raise the moisture content.
• Impeller humidifiers use a rotating disc that helps break the fine droplets float into the room.
• Ultrasonic humidifiers use ultrasonic frequency with the help of a vibrating metal diaphragm to create a cool fog.
• Steam humidifiers, known also as warm mist humidifiers or evaporizers, boil water to release steam into the air and are the least expensive models. All these models come in portable-sized units and help homeowners save costs and energy when placed in rooms which need humidity control.
• Whole house systems are also an option, providing humidity control for the whole house. These are more expensive.

Dehumidifiers – avoiding being bone dry

Unlike humidifiers that increase moisture content in the air, dehumidifiers function to decrease the moisture content. These come in different models too.

• Heat pump dehumidifiers use fans to draw moisture from the atmosphere.
• Dehumidifying ventilators use exhaust fans to control the amount of fresh air entering the home.
• Chemical dehumidifiers use silica gel as a drying agent to dry out the air in the atmosphere and are an option in very hot and humid climates.
• Refrigerant humidifiers use condensation of the moisture over cold coils to control the humidity.

What is the Best Buy – relatively speaking?

The relative humidity of your home should ideally be at 50%. If your humidifier or dehumidifier does not serve this purpose, you will not be rid of your problem. In fact, it would mean a useless expense, and you will still be paying for the electricity utilized.

It is important to read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the proper care of your appliance. Do take the time to read material found on websites such as the EPA Indoor Air Facts and other similar related information on their maintenance before buying your appliance and enjoy a healthy environment indoors.