A humidifier plays a major role in adding humidity to your room. The units are of different types with the main types being:
Reservoir
It uses a rotating drum styled foam pad in order to pick water from a reservoir. While these units are great to have, they are prone to failure as a result of the foam pad getting encrusted with sediment. It's also common for the reservoir to promote bacteria and mold growth as a result of water stagnation.
The good side is that you can prevent these problems by cleaning the foam pads at least once every month. You should also replace them once every year.
Steam
They are the most expensive units in the market. The units are also the most efficient. They come with heaters that are self generating. While the units are very effective and efficient, they require water in order to have a certain level of hardness and quality.
To solve problems that come with water hardness and quality, you may be required to undertake filtration. If you are having extreme hard water problems, you should highly consider filtering the water using a whole house water softener.
Flow-through
The units under this category make use of a metal or plastic coated screen that usually has a small amount of water that constantly drips across it. To keep the humidifier in good working condition you need to replace the screens after every season.
While the units are great to have in your house and they give perfect results, they consume high amounts of water. This is because the water drips across the media and then drains away.
Bypass
It's a variation of the flow-through humidifier. It has a supply takeoff duct that diverts heated air to the humidifier by making use of the pressure difference between the supply and return sides of the furnace. The warm air absorbs moisture from the evaporator pad and goes through the air return duct in order to get to the warm air stream.
Conclusion
These are the main types of humidifiers in the market. When using the units you need to be cautious of the amount of moisture in your home. As rule of thumb you should ensure that you don't add excessive moisture. Signs of excessive moisture include: water and moisture accumulating or dripping on the inside of the windows, paper, furniture and hard floors. To monitor the humidity levels you should make use of a hygrometer.
Reservoir
It uses a rotating drum styled foam pad in order to pick water from a reservoir. While these units are great to have, they are prone to failure as a result of the foam pad getting encrusted with sediment. It's also common for the reservoir to promote bacteria and mold growth as a result of water stagnation.
The good side is that you can prevent these problems by cleaning the foam pads at least once every month. You should also replace them once every year.
Steam
They are the most expensive units in the market. The units are also the most efficient. They come with heaters that are self generating. While the units are very effective and efficient, they require water in order to have a certain level of hardness and quality.
To solve problems that come with water hardness and quality, you may be required to undertake filtration. If you are having extreme hard water problems, you should highly consider filtering the water using a whole house water softener.
Flow-through
The units under this category make use of a metal or plastic coated screen that usually has a small amount of water that constantly drips across it. To keep the humidifier in good working condition you need to replace the screens after every season.
While the units are great to have in your house and they give perfect results, they consume high amounts of water. This is because the water drips across the media and then drains away.
Bypass
It's a variation of the flow-through humidifier. It has a supply takeoff duct that diverts heated air to the humidifier by making use of the pressure difference between the supply and return sides of the furnace. The warm air absorbs moisture from the evaporator pad and goes through the air return duct in order to get to the warm air stream.
Conclusion
These are the main types of humidifiers in the market. When using the units you need to be cautious of the amount of moisture in your home. As rule of thumb you should ensure that you don't add excessive moisture. Signs of excessive moisture include: water and moisture accumulating or dripping on the inside of the windows, paper, furniture and hard floors. To monitor the humidity levels you should make use of a hygrometer.
