Choosing a Humidifier: Keep your home comfortable with the proper humidifier selection

Our Answer

Humidifiers are important to keeping the inside of your home comfortable and are strongly recommended if your home is heated by forced hot air, which is the most common and driest type of heating system. Keeping the air moist with a humidifier not only makes you more comfortable, but will also help lower your heating bills because moist air retains heat better than dry air. I’m not surprised to hear that you have had bad luck with humidifiers, though. In the 20 years I spent as a professional home inspector, I frequently found them in all levels of disrepair. There are basically three types of humidifiers to choose from: flow-through, drum and spray. Drum humidifiers have rotating parts that frequently break down and since water collects in the pan under them, they can also breed mold. Spray units aren’t much better as they spray water directly into the air above the furnace, where it often drips down and causes rust damage to the furnace.  The best type is flow-through, in which water trickles over a coil and evaporates into the warm air. Better flow-through humidifiers, like those from Aprilaire, even include computerized controls that measure inside and outside temperatures and calculate just the right amount of humidity based on current weather conditions. For more information on choosing a flow-through humidifier, go to www.aprilaire.com.