AprilAire Whole-House Humidifier In St. Louis
Are you considering a whole-house humidifier? You may have experienced itchy, dry skin at home? Maybe you have noticed your lips are chapped and cracking? It could be because the air in your home is too dry. Other side effects from dry conditions in your home can be poor sleep, cracking wood floors and furniture, and paintings or photos becoming discolored and brittle.
These can all be avoided by adding a whole home humidification system.
With St. Louis' dramatic four-season climate, weather changes and the air humidity outside can quickly rise or fall, causing air quality issues inside your home. By improving the moisture balance in your home’s air, you can reduce static electricity, dry skin, and susceptibility to colds and infections.
A whole-house fan-powered humidifier can add gallons of moisture to your home and remove unwanted side effects from dryer weather when winter arrives.
What Is A Humidifier?
AprilAire Model 800 Steam Humidifier Whole-House Humidifier (outside and inside displayed)
A whole-house steam humidifier is a device that increases the air moisture in a room or building. These devices release water vapor or steam to increase the moisture levels in the air and allow increase indoor humidity control.
There are many different types of humidifiers, including:
- Home central humidifiers are built into a home's air conditioning and air furnace systems.
- Ultrasonic humidifiers that produce a cool mist with ultrasonic vibration
- Impeller humidifiers produce a cool mist with a rotating disk
- Steam vaporizers use electricity to create steam that cools before leaving the machine
Although a humidifier can be necessary for your home, consult a professional when deciding which humidifier is best. If installed incorrectly or poorly maintained, or set too high, your humidifier could cause issues in your home and your health—such as the formation of bacteria .
How Do I Know If I Need a Humidifier?
hermoPro TP49 Digital Hygrometer
Humidity in your home, much like outside, varies depending on the season, the weather, and your home’s location. Ideally, indoor relative humidity in your home should be between 30% and 50%.
If your home struggles to maintain humidity levels above 50%, you may want to consider a dehumidifier, as high humidity levels can lead to mold growth, dust mites, and other health hazards.
On the other hand, if there are low humidity levels, it can cause dry skin, respiratory discomfort, and other issues.
Speaking with an expert is always a good start. At Crystal Heating and Cooling, we pride ourselves on having knowledgeable, efficient staff to help you decide what is best for you and your home.
If you are curious and looking for a test you can do on your own; you can also purchase a hygrometer to check out your home's humidity. This device will measure the percent humidity in the air to give you an accurate reading.
What Are Humidifiers Used For?
When the air in your home is dry, your family may encounter problems such as dry sinuses, bloody noses, and cracked lips. Humidifiers can add humidified air and ease these symptoms, increasing your family's comfort.
Increased humidity can also ease breathing in children and adults with allergies, asthma, a cold, or possibly limit incidence of respiratory infections. People also report better sleep and less sore throats when they use a humidifier in their home that previously had too dry air.
However, keep in mind that keeping the humidifier clean is essential for long-term benefits and to keep bacteria out of the air. Talk to your installer about the cleaning options they offer and the steps you can take to clean between visits.
Popular Types of Whole-House Humidifiers
A Whole-House Evaporative Humidifier connects to your home's HVAC system and pushes moisture through the ducts. There are two distinct categories of whole-house humidifiers: those that work with an existing HVAC system and those that are free-standing consoles. In terms of installing a humidifier with an existing HVAC system once installed, the system will be connected to the existing electrical and water supplies in the home, needing little attention from you. The two whole-house humidifiers that we recommend include:
STEAM HUMIDIFIER
These heat water to a boil and then release the steam through ventilation ducting. These units are generally the most powerful and are used in larger homes. Models like the AprilAire Whole Home Humidifier are what we recommend.
AprilAire Model 800 Steam Humidifier
The Model 800 replaced the AprilAire 700 as the top steam humidifier we recommend and use. A large bypass evaporative humidifier mounted on the duct is specifically engineered for compact homes of less than 5,000 square feet. As your home's dry air circulates through our water panel saturated with moisture, the humidifier infuses it with necessary humidity, promoting a Healthy Humidity environment throughout your residence.
BYPASS HUMIDIFIER
Also known as furnace humidifiers, these use the warmth from the furnace rather than heating the water itself. The unit contains a panel that holds the water before the water passes through the ducting to create humidity in the air.
AprilAire Model 600 Large Bypass Evaporative Humidifier
A large bypass evaporative humidifier mounted on the duct is engineered explicitly for homes less than 5,000 square feet. As your home's dry air circulates through our water panel saturated with moisture, the humidifier infuses it with necessary humidity, promoting a Healthy Humidity environment throughout your residence.
STEAM HUMIDIFIER
These heat water to a boil and then release the steam through ventilation ducting. These units are generally the most powerful and are used in larger homes.
AprilAire Model 800 Steam Humidifier
A large bypass evaporative humidifier mounted on the duct is engineered explicitly for homes less than 5,000 square feet. As your home's dry air circulates through our water panel saturated with moisture, the humidifier infuses it with necessary humidity, promoting a Healthy Humidity environment throughout your residence.
Benefits of a Whole Home Humidifier
Sometimes your home needs more than just AC or fresh air ventilation; it needs manual control of the humidity level. A console house steam humidifier may seem like a better option because it costs less and doesn't require installation, but most of the time, this is not the best option for your home. Although both can be effective, there are many benefits to choosing an HVAC whole-home humidifier over a console humidifier. These benefits include:
Ease of Use
Needing less upkeep and being easy to use are the most obvious benefits of having a whole home humidifier attached to your HVAC system.
The unit will come with a built-in humidistat sensor that will monitor your humidity levels and turn the device off when the desired comfort level is reached.
The unit will also tap into the plumbing, so you won’t need to fill the water tank like some console humidifier units manually.
Better Coverage Area
Most Whole-House Large Bypass Humidifier systems offer full coverage for homes up to 5,000 sq ft.
Generally, a console-style humidifier is less powerful and has less coverage than a whole-house humidifier. Additionally, the consoles are less potent if your home is older or poorly insulated, so the unit may not have the power to cover the intended square footage appropriately.
Most of the time, a console humidifier will only successfully cover one enclosed room.
So moving the unit from room to room is inefficient and will leave the other rooms below the desired level of comfort.
Energy Efficient
Because the whole home humidifiers have a humidistat, it automatically turns off when the desired comfort level is reached.
And for console units, because they are less powerful and cover less square footage, it may take more time and energy for that type of unit to generate the humidity level needed in your home.
Additionally, when considering your home as a whole, covering the total square footage of your home would most likely take multiple console units. Multiple units running for long periods is not energy efficient and could cost you more money in the long run.
Best Home Humidifier
From our experience, we've found that the AprilAire Humidifier lineup offers the best blend of efficiency and performance. We believe that the AprilAire 500 Whole-Home Evaporative Humidifier stands out as the best overall whole-house humidifier. This American-made gem is our top pick, thanks to its blend of efficiency and an impressive array of features.
AprilAire Model 500 Small Bypass Evaporative Humidifier
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it's a small bypass evaporative humidifier mounted on the duct and ideally suited for the average American home, which typically spans 2,300 square feet. As dry air circulates through its moisture-saturated water panel, the AprilAire 500 infuses it with much-needed moisture, fostering a healthy humidity environment in homes up to 3,600 square feet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! A whole-house humidifier ensures every room in your home is comfortable. It’s an essential tool in achieving optimal humidity year-round. A house has more than one room; unfortunately, a console humidifier typically only adds adequate moisture to a single room. With a whole home humidifier, the moisture travels through the ducts to each room. Because of this, a whole-house humidifier is the best choice to ensure each room of your home is comfortable.
When neglected, any humidifier can potentially increase bacteria or mold formation. However, regular maintenance will help prevent these issues. Though not common, whole-house humidifiers can create mold if not maintained properly. But with adequate care and cleaning, you can avoid this issue while keeping the humidity level in your home where it should be.
Absolutely! Whole-house systems were designed by the inventor of the whole-home humidification concept, like AprilAire, for maximum effectiveness. Because it is attached to the HVAC system, the moisture flows through the same ducts that the air flows through.
The average lifespan of a whole home humidifier is 10 years. This can be more or less depending on the care taken to keep the unit clean.
For the Best In Whole Home Humidifiers in St. Louis
Speak with The Fleet That Can't Be Beat about options and get help choosing the best humidifier unit for your home. We pride ourselves on customer satisfaction and want to ensure customers are as comfortable as possible in their homes.
For the Best In Whole Home Humidifiers in St. Louis
Speak with The Fleet That Can't Be Beat about options and to get help choosing the best humdifier unit for your home. We pride ourselves on customer satisfaction and want to ensure that each customer is as comfortable as possible in their home.
