Furnace Humidifiers

Furnace humidifiers (also known as central humidifiers or general humidifiers) are the larger cousin of the point of use humidifier. Usually requiring a bit of installation work, this type of humidifier mounts either on the ductwork of your home or on the furnace itself. It uses the air circulation system of your home to transport humidified air to your entire home.

Pros of Furnace Humidifiers

Furnace humidifiers have a large number of benefits over the smaller point of use humidifiers. The main benefit is that they will keep your entire home at a set humidity. They are usually able to humidify a much larger space and do not need to be moved from room to room in order to boost various rooms humidity levels. Since they are permanently installed, they do not require constant refilling point of use humidifiers.

Cons of Furnace Humidifiers

Furnace humidifiers are usually more costly than their smaller point of use cousins. They also usually require installation which can be a bit intimidating if you are not a handy person. A number of higher end furnace humidifiers manufacturers have taken this into consideration and have attempted to make installation as easy as possible, by including easy to use templates, detailed instructions, and time savers like needle or saddle valves.

Since furnace humidifiers often use the hot air coming from the furnace in the winter to aid in humidifying your air, they cannot be used with your air conditioning system in the summer. Your air conditioner actually removes moisture from the air, which is why it requires a drain.

Features of Furnace Humidifiers

When purchasing a furnace humidifier there are a number of features that you should look closely at to decide which product works best for your application.

• Capacity - capacity is usually measured in sq. ft.. Make sure that the humidifier can handle the area that you are purchasing it for. If your home has more than one furnace, or more than one heating zone then you may require more than one humidifier.
  
  
• Humidistat - a humidistat will measure the humidity and turn the humidifier on or off depending on whether the humidity in the room has reached a user preset level.
  
  
• Ease of Installtion - it is important to review the installation guide to a furnace humidifier before purchase to not only make sure you can install it in the space you have, but also to see if you will require a professional to do the installation for you. This can add quite a bit to the cost.