Now that we are entering the heating season, proper humidity is one of the most important aspects of indoor comfort. During the heating season, humidity protects the home and its furnishings from the harmful effects of dry air. Doctors recommend it to protect against dry skin, hair, nasal membranes and scratchy throats. It also reduces static electricity; shocks that you get when touching people, pets or objects. The warmer we heat our homes, the drier the air becomes which increases the need to add moisture. This is accomplished with a humidifier.
Evaporative Humidifier vs. Steam Humidifier
The two types of humidifiers most commonly used for homes are evaporative type and steam.
Evaporative humidifiers can be free standing or duct mounted. The free standing units are usually used when the home is heated with a boiler. The most popular units are the duct mounted which can distribute the humidity to every room in the house. These humidifiers come in different sizes which can accommodate any size home. They have the capacity to deliver up to 18 gallons of water per day.
Steam humidifiers are the most effective because they maximize the moisture output into the home. For every gallon of water, they put out 1 gallon of humidity. When a certain level of humidity is needed (if you have a piano or oil paintings) then steam is the optimal choice.
