Showing posts with label Humidifier. Show all posts

Make your Humidifier most efficient this winter

Winter brings the phenomenon of low humidity and low level of relative humidity is synonymous with allergies, skin and eye irritation, static electricity, parching of wallpapers, damaging of wooden interior and other such issues. As a combat for low humidity, technology has offered us a solution in the form of Humidifiers. A Humidifier helps add moisture to the indoor by releasing water vapours into the air. It could be a portable or a whole home unit. In Canada, most people use the whole-home humidifier systems but unfortunately, only a handful of homeowners are successful in making the most efficient use of their humidifier systems. For many, the issues like;
- Too much humidity
- Too much usage yet low humidity
- High energy bills due to constant Humidifier use
and
- Frequent unit damage
keep lingering over head throughout the Winter. Realising this challenge, we have decided to dedicate this blog to understanding how a Humidifier can be used in ways so as to reap the best performance out of it and what "must not do's" should be followed to avoid humidity and Humidifier related concerns.

Suggestions to make the most of your Humidifier

Don't over-work your unit

The ideal relative humidity is between 30%-50%. Which suggests, there is no need to run the Humidifier if this level is already achieved without any appliance. Please note that indoor activities like bathing, cooking etc also adds to the indoor moisture. Therefore, there are instances when the indoor humidity level is already ideal. In such cases, you can shut the unit off. In other cases, when the level is not ideal, running the Humidifier for a few hours can suffice well.
There are people who keep the system running. This is a wrong approach and only results in raising the level unnecessarily high putting you in a situation to turn on a Dehumidifier on. Also, by constantly working, the unit loses its potential to deliver efficient performance.

Avoid using tap water

Tap water usually has minerals and other substances that either settle in the water pane or get stuck in the unit, resulting in affecting its performance. To remain of the safer side, consider using distilled water. The use of distilled water also helps in preventing the production of mould and mildew.

Cleanliness and Water Replacement is the key

The longer the unchanged water remains in the pane, the more probable the production of bacteria and mould becomes. Therefore, replace the water daily. Also, thoroughly wiping the inside of the unit with some disinfectant ensures a safe and healthy usage. This is part of the maintenance required to keep the unit functioning for longer.

HVAC professionals suggest that people who suffer from serious allergies should avoid using Humidifiers since humidity promotes these two. The best approach is to install a Smart Thermostat or a Humidistat to monitor the indoor humidity level and take prompt action as suggested by the situation.

One way to identify there is excessive humidity in the indoor is to check the windows. If there's excessive interior window condensation; be quick, do something!

Posted by Heating And Cooling

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Ways To Make Bypass Humidifier More Water Efficient

If you've been struggling with dry skin, scratchy throat, or a nagging cough, you know what's missing in your life: humidity. It's super high in summer. It's super low in winter. Relative humidity (RH) hovers between 40 to 55 percent on the ideal or rare occasion and doesn't stay that way long. During summer, the best approach is to run your AC more frequently or to install a whole house dehumidifier. While in winter, you might need to add humidity and installing a Humidifier is the right solution.

How about the level of water wastage by these humidifiers. Surprisingly, Ontario's water rates rise even more rapidly than our property taxes. And to lower the water bills, you might have struggled all from fixing leaky faucets to shut down your lawn sprinklers, also tried to shorten your showers – but in your ever-growing utility bills, it hardly makes a dent.

To make any Bypass humidifier more water efficient, we need to understand:

- How a humidifier works

- Difference between fan-powered and bypass humidifiers

- Top ways to make any bypass humidifier more water efficient

How a humidifier works?:

A humidifier is of two types, Portable Humidifier that only humidifies a surrounding area and another is the Whole House Humidifier that has the power to humidify the entire house.

A humidifier tends to push moisture into your indoor air. The Cold air will expand when it warms up. In case the quantity of water vapor remains the same as the temperature increases, the relative humidity drops in space. Humidifiers counteract this by increasing the air moisture. There are several ways to do this – some humidifiers produce steam, while others use a moistened ' vapor pad ' to draw air.

Difference between fan-powered and bypass humidifiers

Bypass humidifiers use the Furnace's blower motor while fan-powered humidifiers push air through the unit using their own fan. To run a bypass humidifier, the Furnace needs to run while a fan-powered unit can operate on its own. Bypass humidifiers require additional ductwork, known as a bypass duct, and air must be recirculated back through the furnace before being distributed to the home, whereas fan-powered units can be directly installed.

Top ways to make any bypass humidifier more water efficient:

Bypass humidifiers are way more efficient and quiet but have one disadvantage: Waster waste.

- The device switches on automatically when the humidifier receives a call for water and limits the supply of water to the vapor pad. The humidifier is functioned to release the amount of water necessary to keep the pad moist – no more and no less – so less water ends up in the drain. To cut water waste by minimum, 50% make sure to use default settings. If you adjust the settings to a specific model, settings, and season, savings of up to 96% can be achieved.

- Like any other part of the heating system, a bypass humidifier also requires proper maintenance and care to perform more effectively. Regular service is also essential to prevent expensive leakage of the humidifier.