Evaporative Humidification Systems
Dry indoor air is more than just an inconvenience. It’s a threat to the health and comfort of your family —as well as your budget.
During the winter months, the combination of cool, outdoor air and forced furnace heat can cause your home to be drier than the Sahara Desert. If you experience dry air in your home, it’s more than just a nuisance. Low relative humidity can make you more susceptible to catching a cold. And flu viruses have been linked to speedier progression and transmission in dry air.
A whole-home humidifier can help. Installed as part of your home’s heating and cooling system, it can deliver humidified air throughout your home.
Although not as effective as a steam humidifier, especially in Colorado, bypass evaporative type humidifiers are easy to install, extremely reliable, last the life of the HVAC equipment and offer an attractive price point.
How It Works
Bypass evaporative type humidifiers have supply water that runs down and saturates a “honeycomb type” pad or panel. The heated air supplied from the furnace carries the moisture or humidity into the home or space. Any humidity (water) that is not evaporated, and carried into the home, goes down the floor drain. (So no bacteria is allowed to grow inside the humidifier.)
The problem experienced with evaporative type humidifiers in Colorado is that we get 300 days of sun annually, and our furnaces do not “fire” as much as in other northern states. The temperature coming off the supply side of the furnace is about 140 degrees F. If the furnace is NOT fired, the circulated air is around room temperature or 70 degrees F. Simply stated, 70 degree air will not hold the moisture that 140 degree air will hold.
Due to this fact, it is very difficult, maybe near impossible, to hold humidity levels at the 40%-60% relative humidity (RH) recommended by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) using an evaporative type humidifier. Perhaps the only time we can reach these required humidity levels is in the heart of winter, when we get a cold streak and our furnaces are operating most of the time.
Features & Benefits
Health
Comfort
