Top Benefits Of a Whole-House Humidifier and Why You Need One

Just as your HVAC system helps control humidity in the sultry summer months, a humidifier helps during the dry winter months.

A key solution to boost humidity to more comfortable levels is to install a whole-home humidifier. This will will help improve conditions inside that can lead to congestion and dry skin. First, consider whole-house humidifier benefits for your home.

Benefits of whole-house humidifier

• It's in a fixed location: Unlike portable humidifiers, a whole-house system doesn't have to be moved from one room to the next. It adds moisture as needed throughout your home.
• Easily installed: An installer can add a whole-house humidifier to your home's HVAC system easily. If you're handy, you can even do the job yourself.
• Set-it-and-forget-it control: Your whole-house humidifier works automatically all day, introducing humidity as needed based on the settings that you control. Set the level of humidity you want and forget it.
• No-hassle maintenance: In most cases, whole-house humidifiers do not use filters. That reduces the hassles and cost of maintenance. Most only require filling a water tank.
• Quiet and convenient: Whole-house humidifiers operate with little to no noise, unlike other components of your HVAC system.

Why should you consider a whole-house humidifier?

There are a number of reasons you should consider installing a humidifier that serves your entire home, including:

• Comfort: A humidifier adds moisture into your home's air. This helps reduce dry air issues, increase comfort and eliminate static electricity.
• Health: Dry air can impact your health, such as aggravating allergies, triggering asthma symptoms and increases vulnerability to colds and flu. With humidity maintained at optimal levels, you can reduce health risks in your home. 
• Money savings: A whole-house humidifier helps reduce energy bills by reducing the amount used to heat a home. Dry air can lead to using more heating elements to keep an area warm. Moisture helps maintain warmer temperatures inside.
• Convenience: A whole-house humidifier features automatic settings that allow easy and convenient control of comfort in your home. Set the desired humidity and forget it. The humidifier works automatically throughout the cold weather months.

Installing a whole-house humidifier

If you agree that a whole-house humidifier is right for your home, here are some things you should know about installation.

First, you should consider hiring a professional to install your humidifier. Unless you have experience working on HVAC systems, it might be best to leave it to an expert. 

Second, there are two humidifier options to consider. One is installed through your system's return duct that adds moisture before the air is heated and the other is installed with a bypass duct that adds moisture to heated air. Discuss your options and what's best for you with a whole-house humidifier expert.

Details about the installation

First, decide where you want to place the whole-house humidifier. It must be in a central location to easily distribute humidity throughout the house. Either mark the location or inform your installer.

The installation includes providing a humidistat, which is similar to a thermostat but controls humidity. This must be placed away from drafts and windows to operate properly. The humidistat is usually installed on the wall using mounting screws. If installing the unit yourself, make sure to leave proper slack in the system's wiring to allow any future adjustments that may be necessary.

Your humidistat must be connected to the whole-house humidifier, a simple process that is completed using wire connectors. If you're installing yourself, make sure to strip the wires of insulation at the end to reveal clear connections. If you're not used to working with electrical wires, it's a good idea to have a professional help.

The final installation step for a whole-house humidifier is connecting the water line to the unit. The benefit of using a professional for installation is they will know if your local building codes allow direct tapping of the waterline through a saddle valve. The benefit of this is it makes maintenance easier. But if that's not enough, a T-fitting is installed to connect the water line.

While the installation process is not complicated, it is still a good idea to consult with a professional.