Whole-house humidifiers can help balance the humidity levels in your home or business for optimum comfort.

Learn about whole-house humidifiers.

There are three primary types of whole-house humidifiers: bypass, steam, and power vented. If you’re not interested in what makes them different, there’s only one thing to know: steam humidifiers are the best. That’s what you should get!

Ok, now for the long explanation! Bypass humidifiers are inexpensive, but they’re also very inefficient. They consist of a unit connecting to your return ductwork and a water line. They also connect to a bypass duct that draws warm air from your air stream through a filter inside the unit. That filter has a water manifold that drips water over the filter and drains out of the bottom constantly, making the air stream absorb humidity by circulation and putting that humid air into your home.

Bypass humidifiers are inefficient and unhealthy because they:

• Steal heat from your furnace to heat the water.
• Requires a lot of water to operate.
• Build mold and bacteria on the filter and housing.
• Take a lot of space in the mechanical room.

Power-Vented Humidifiers: Power-vented humidifiers are pretty much the same as bypass humidifiers, except they do not have a duct running from the supply to the return. Instead, they have a fan built in. That fan blows air through a filter with a water manifold at the top and constantly drips water over the filter allowing the air stream to absorb humidity as the air moves through.

Power-vented humidifiers are inefficient and unhealthy because they:

• Use more electricity by having an extra fan to run.
• Requires a lot of water to operate.
• Make a lot of noise.
• Build mold and bacteria on the filter and housing.

And finally!

Steam humidifiers: On the other hand, they are way more efficient! They have a little enclosed receiver with a heating element that boils filtered water without mixing it with air, providing clean steam directly into your air supply.

They also run as needed; they rely on the furnace fan to circulate humidity, but the heat doesn’t need to run for them to work. They can run independently to satisfy the humidity setpoint.

Another plus with steam humidifiers is that they put out much more humidity than bypass units. They’re just more powerful! You’re more likely to achieve your target humidity and save a lot of energy in the process – Not to mention the maintenance on these units is minimal. 

Steam Humidifiers are Great because:

• They use very little water to provide optimum humidity levels.
• They provide clean, sanitized steam into the air.
• They use very little energy to meet comfortable humidity levels.
• They are practically maintenance-free. 
• They come with a 5 Year Warranty.

So there you go, Folks. I hope that this article helps you decide on your next whole-house humidifier. If you have any additional questions, please get in touch with us or write us at ServicePro@ServiceFirstUSA.com