Why is a Humidifier important to your
home, health, and comfort?
The warmer air is the more moisture it can hold, hence the term, relative humidity. 30% relative humidity means that the moisture content of the air is 30% of it's capacity, relative to it's temperature. However, as you heat that air up that percentage drops if additional moisture is not added because it's ability to hold moister increases as it's temperature raises. Since humidity travels from more saturated to less saturated, the now drier air will absorb humidity from any source it can. How is all this relevant when it comes to humidity in your home?
Even though you may maintain a fairly constant temperature in your home the average home has about 1 to 2 air changes per hour. In the winter that means that your heated air is replaced with cold, less saturated, air. As you heat that air up to desired room temperature it's ability to hold moisture increases and it will find humidity from what ever source is more saturated. Unless humidity is added to the air from a controlled source (a humidifier), it will absorb that moisture from you and your home. Homes with low humidity, have greater drafts from dried weather stripping and wood seals that have shrunk from lack of moisture, beautiful wood floors and trim shrink and crack, a home feels colder with lower humidity and it actually acts to dehydrate the people with in the home, causing health issues.
What humidifier is right for you?
Humidifiers are rated by GPD ( Gallons Per Day) and should be sized accordingly to maintain at least 35% humidity with outside conditions at 20 degrees F and 70% RH.
ARI Recommended Output Delivery (GPD) for a 1500 sq ft home is 4.4, while a 2500 sq ft home is 8.6, and a 3000 sq ft home is 11.7 GPD.
It is important to understand that just because a humidifier is rated at 12 GPD it does not mean that it will deliver that much humidity, except in the case of a steam humidifier. Many things determine how much humidity a media type humidifier can actually deliver, such as furnace air temperature, water temperature, CFM of air across the humidifier media, etc... In the case of a steam humidifier the humidifier does not rely on such things for absorbing moisture but rather distributes vaporized moisture directly to the air in the space via your ducting system.
Drum Type Humidifiers; These types of humidifiers are the least efficient type of humidifiers and require the most maintenance due to changing temperature in the water reservoir which cause calcium and mineral build-up. I only recommend them when a flow-thru or steam humidifier can not be used.
Flow-Thru Humidifiers; These types of humidifiers work well and require little maintenance, however they do rely on many factors to evaporate the water on their media. Sometimes air flow or water temperature adjustments must be made to allow for the humidifier to reach desired capacity.
Steam Humidifiers; These humidifiers by far are the most efficient and have the most capacity,and accordingly, they are the most expensive. However, if your home is filled with hardwood floors, trim and furnishings this may be the only real choice to protect such in our cold Michigan winters.
Call us @ 231-935-3822 or E-Mail us for all our humidifier options and pricing !!!