How A Humidifier Can Keep Your Home Healthy

When static electric shocks have become a part of daily life, you know that the air in your house is too dry. While the tiny jolts are annoying enough, a dry house can have other detrimental effects as well, such as contributing to sinus problems, drying out skin, and triggering nosebleeds. A great way to combat these problems, which are common during the heating season, is to use a humidifier. Humidifiers are similar to air conditioners since they can be purchased for an individual room or, like a central air conditioning unit, for the whole house. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks.

A Room Humidifier, Which Is Portable, Has These Benefits:

• High level of moisture control
• Easy to clean

Relatively inexpensive Problems With a Portable Humidifier May Include:

• Health problems that can occur when they aren’t cleaned properly
• Finding one that runs quietly
• Finding one that’s easy to clean
• The need to constantly drain the bucket after it fills up.
• Making sure you follow maintenance instructions
• Limits moisturizing benefits to one room/area

A whole-house humidifier, on the other hand, carries health benefits to your entire home. By hooking up to your home’s forced-air heating and plumbing systems, it disperses moisture through the ductwork. During cold and flu season, this can be particularly advantageous since the sick person can find comfort throughout the house. Likewise, it will provide relief from dry skin, nosebleeds and even cracked lips more thoroughly than a portable model whose effects are limited to a small area.

A central humidifier does have some drawbacks, however. It will be necessary to make sure that all ducts are cleaned thoroughly to avoid mold and mildew development. In addition, installation will need to be done by a professional. However, all things considered, while a whole-house humidifier is more expensive than a room model, the benefits usually outweigh the costs.

At Sobieski Services, our goal is to help educate our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC & plumbing systems). Contact us, and we will be more than happy to assist you in finding the right humidifier to meet your needs.

Photo Credit: Chickens in the Trees (vns2009) via Compfight cc