Central Humidifiers: Do They Help or Hurt?

Article by: John E. Bishop

Cold weather , Poster, Print or Painting. Where Are You Going To Put It? brings dry homes. , Solar Rebates And dry homes , Static Shock bring itchy skin, scratchy throats, and irritated sinuses. To counter the effects of "dry house , Things You Should Know About Selecting Hardwood Flooring syndrome," the first thing homeowners and contractors , Keep Your Home in 'Good Health' with Home Improvements often reach for is a central humidifier.

If you happen to be an admitted germ-phobe, central humidifiers aren't for you. Think swamp-environment. That's the best way to describe the conditions inside , Safety and Windows Installation your furnace-attached humidifier; a breeding-ground for bacteria, viruses, and molds.

If you have leaky ducts that run through an unconditioned area, such as the attic, warm "humidified" air , What is the Little Giant Ladder is able to escape and condense on the cold , Home Inspectors - Are They Worth It? roof-deck, causing costly moisture-damage and/or rot.

If you want to maintain comfortable winter , Router Bits Basics humidity levels (+-40 percent RH), here's a more "holistic" approach:

1.) Reduce your homes , Selecting A Canopy air-leaks. Cutting the homes , Safety and Windows Installation air-infiltration rate reduces the amount of moisture , Kitchen Renovations and Island Creations that gets lost to the outside. , Kitchen Renovations and Island Creations Reducing air-leaks also reduces drafts and saves energy. , Safety and Windows Installation

CAVEAT: In our opinion, there's no such thing as an "overtight" home. , Beautify With Awnings and Save Money on Your Energy Bills That said, if you don't have adequate ventilation, excess moisture , Electric Radiant Floor Heating can be a problem in tight homes. , Window Blinds Variety and Styles Offer a Multitute of Interior Design Options Additionally, overtightening the home , Don't Purchase A Fireplace Until You Read This in a manner that seals-off a furnace' or water-heaters source of combustion air , Decorate Your Concrete: Ideas fot the Do-it-Yourselfer increase the risk of back-drafting the chimney , Don't Purchase A Fireplace Until You Read This and introducing carbon , Solar For Your House: Learn The Lizard Lesson monoxide into the home. , How to Install a Sauna Ventilation System

2. Consider an energy-recovery ventilator (ERV). ERVs like their close-cousin, the heat-recovery ventilator (HRV), are 'balanced' ventilation systems. Conventional exhaust-only ventilators (i.e. standard bathroom , Water Purifiers - Answers To Your Questions fan) get their make-up air , Put Some Beauty To Your Open Spaces With Awning by pulling it through the cracks and leaks in the home. , How to Design a Lighting Plan Not a very well-controlled method, and certainly not the best for indoor air , History of the Chaise Lounge quality.

Balanced ventilators, like ERVs and HRVs, bring fresh air , How to Rep Burn Marks on Roll Flooring: Q&A into the home , Solar For Your House: Learn The Lizard Lesson by way of dedicated ducts. As an added bonus, HRVs 'recover' a portion of the heat , Solar For Your House: Learn The Lizard Lesson that normally gets exhausted and returns it back inside , How to get your paws on top quality bear rugs today the home, , Solar For Your House: Learn The Lizard Lesson a nice energy-efficiency feature. , How to Tell if You Need a General Contractor ERVs have an added-added bonus. They recover heat , Feather Wreaths: Attractive And Simple To Make AND humidity and help keep clean, fresh-air circulating through the home , What is the Little Giant Ladder without drying-it out in winter. , How to get your paws on top quality bear rugs today Controls prevent the unit from causing excessive humidity-levels that can lead to condensation build-up on windows, , Things You Should Know About Selecting Hardwood Flooring or more serious moisture , Things You Should Know About Selecting Hardwood Flooring problems.

Balanced ventilators, like ERVs and HRVs, also help minimize the risk of chimney , Tips for Home Remodeling back-drafting. Some models have built-in HEPA filters for even better indoor air , Keep Your Home in 'Good Health' with Home Improvements quality.

You'll have to spend more money in the short-term, but the benefits of this two-pronged approach are multi-fold -- cleaner air, , Knobs, Hinges and More is Proud to Introduce Objects by Tracy Glover Studios and Michael Healy Desig a safer home, , Who to Hire? Determining Which Pros Can Help Most with Your Project lower energy , Don't Purchase A Fireplace Until You Read This bills, and greater comfort. And believe us, the goopy, sticky stuff that's sticking to the bottom of your humdifier is nasty.

John Bishop is vice president of Enhanced Living, Inc., heating, cooling and indoor air , Guide to Memory Foam, Memory Foam Mattresses and Memory Foam Pillows quality specialists based in the Albany, NY-area. Extensive experience in the field of building , All you need to know about Whirlpool and Spa baths science and residential energy-management, John was formerly the state marketing coordinator for New York's award-winning Home , How to Tell if You Need a General Contractor Performance with ENERGY STAR and New York ENERGY STAR Labeled Homes , Window Blinds Variety and Styles Offer a Multitute of Interior Design Options Program. John can be contacted at johnbishop@enhancedliving.net.

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