Florida tends to be a pretty humid state. However, things can get pretty dry indoors. Both air conditioning and heating systems pull moisture out of the air, and if you struggle with allergies or colds, the resulting dry air can make daily life pretty miserable. Adding a little humidity to the air can make a big difference, and you don’t have to create moldy conditions to get the results you want. Instead, you can use a humidifier.
If you’ve already looked into humidifiers, you’ll know they come in two main forms: portable and whole house. Portable humidifiers come in many different shapes and sizes and can be placed practically anywhere in a room, as long as its cord can reach a power outlet. A whole house humidifier gets installed into your HVAC system and uses water from your home’s water supply to humidify each of your rooms. In today’s blog, we want to discuss the pros and cons of these two humidifier types to make it easier for you to figure out which type might work best for you.
THE PROS & CONS OF PORTABLE HUMIDIFIERS
Let’s look at portable humidifiers!
PRO #1: DESIGN CHOICES
Portable humidifiers can look like simple water tanks or penguins or lemons and everything in between. Depending on the room needing the humidity, you’ll be able to find a fun design that makes you smile. You can even turn the humidifier into a statement piece and inject a bit of style into a space that needs it.
PRO #2: EASE OF INSTALLATION
All a portable humidifier needs is to be taken out of the box, plugged into the wall, and filled up with water. You can turn it on and you’re good to go. There are no setup fees, and you can unplug the humidifier and carry it to any room at any time.
CON #1: EXPENSE
While portable humidifiers are fun and convenient, they use more power than whole house humidifiers. Additionally, if you’re using distilled water in your humidifier (as you should), the cost can add up after a while.
CON #2: MAINTENANCE
Portable humidifiers require more maintenance than whole house units. Depending on how much you run your unit, you may be filling it back up every other day (or more often). Using distilled water can also be inconvenient. After a while, you’ll want to wash the humidifier out to ensure it isn’t putting bacteria into the air.
Now for a look at whole house humidifiers!
THE PROS & CONS OF WHOLE HOUSE HUMIDIFIERS
PRO #1: COST EFFECTIVENESS
A whole house humidifier can keep your entire home at a comfortable level of humidity for around a dollar a year because it doesn’t require distilled water and uses only a little power. Compare that to all you pay to power a portable unit just to have one room humidified, and the whole home option can look pretty great.
PRO #2: MINIMAL MAINTENANCE
Because this humidifier pulls water from your water supply, you don’t have to refill it. And because it monitors your home’s humidity levels and adjusts its output to meet your desired results, you don’t have to think about it. Once that thing is installed, you can move on worry-free and enjoy breathing air that doesn’t hurt your nose or throat.
CON #1: POLLUTANTS
When your humidifier draws from your water supply, it can pull in pollutants and clog up. Generally, whole house humidifier filters should be cleaned with vinegar after each heating season. This keeps the pollutants from sticking to the filter and affecting your air quality.
CON #2: BLANKET EFFECT
If the people who share your space disagree on what comfortable humidity levels feel like, a whole house system can cause issues. This type of system does not allow you to determine unique humidity levels in each room. If you know identical humidity levels will cause issues, it might be better to use a portable humidifier to cover your own needs.
KEEP YOUR DUCTS HEALTHY WITH DUCTZ
Whether you have a portable humidifier or a whole house system, keeping your ducts clean is absolutely essential to keeping the air you breathe at its best. Humidity can encourage the growth of bacteria and mold within dirty duct systems, so let us make sure your ducts are spotless year-round. Contact us for air duct cleaning in Palm Beach and beyond today!