How to choose a humidifier – an overview of 4 design options

How to choose a humidifier

With the start of the heating season, the air in our homes and apartments becomes dry, even harsh. Difficulty breathing, headaches appear, mood spoils. Fortunately, it’s possible to avoid these consequences, because it’s not for nothing that one smart head came up with a healthy appliance, a humidifier, useful for health. There is only one device, but there are many modifications and types, therefore the reasonable question arises: “If I need a humidifier – how to choose it from the whole variety presented in the store?” We will try to give you a number of useful tips that will help you navigate the assortment and really get the device that you need.

Content

• Steam humidifier – a powerful source of health
• Cold Evaporated Humidifiers (Traditional) – Natural Savings
• Ultrasonic Humidifier – Squeak of the Season
• Humidifier with cleaning function – the most hygienic solution
• Which manufacturers to look at first?

Steam humidifier – a powerful source of health

If you think that the best humidifier is the one with the highest power, we will not convince you, because there is some truth in your statement. Steam humidifiers – bright representatives of the powerful family.

Steam humidifiers work on the principle of hot evaporation, that is, the steam leaving them will be hot. To heat water, two electrodes are used, immersed in a container. In fact, such devices are comparable to a conventional electric kettle, which heats water with a spiral or flat heating element. Due to this heating method, steam humidifiers received a lot of disadvantages:

• high noise level
• too hot steam (at the outlet its temperature can reach 60 degrees), which is very dangerous for small children
• high power consumption (300-600 watts)

But then such devices have the highest possible performance for all types of humidifiers. So, the humidity level in a room of 15 sq.m in one hour of operation of a steam humidifier can rise by 60%! Such power is both a plus and a minus at the same time. Plus for greenhouses, greenhouses, winter gardens, in general, for those places where it is vital to constantly maintain high humidity, and the air is quite warm. The minus is for typical apartments with a small area, because in small rooms such a powerful device is simply not needed: it will generate too much steam, which will subsequently cause mold.

But for fans of inhalation, the question of which air humidifier to choose should disappear by itself after the statement that steam humidifiers can be used both for its intended purpose and as an inhaler. It is enough to add aromatic oil or a decoction of herbs to the water tank, as the device instantly begins to produce useful steam.

Cold Evaporated Humidifiers (Traditional) – Natural Savings

Thrifty owners, thinking about which air humidifier is better to buy, may no longer think, but boldly purchase traditional humidifiers or, as they are also called, humidifiers with cold evaporation.

Such devices work as follows: water from the tank impregnates a porous filter, which is installed in the path of a small but powerful fan. The latter sucks in air into the device, drives it through a humidified filter and “releases” out. As a result of such a simple process, air humidification occurs in the apartment.

Due to the fact that traditional humidifiers do not heat anything, the energy consumption will not be large. You can compare their work with the work of a DVD player. In addition, the device independently adjusts the operating mode, accurately determining the state of air in the apartment: if the humidity is high, then evaporation will be slower, if low, then more intense. True, traditional humidifiers have a maximum permissible moisture threshold of 60%. This means that when this parameter is reached, the device simply stops saturating the air with moisture until the humidity level drops again.

Humidifiers with cold evaporation are economical in terms of energy consumption, but still, these seemingly ideal devices have a couple of drawbacks – they use only purified or distilled water, because the built-in filter is very sensitive to various kinds of impurities contained in the water and quite noisy.

Ultrasonic Humidifier – Squeak of the Season

If you look at the rating of air humidifiers, then ultrasonic devices will be on its highest step. Their popularity is easy to explain: they are almost silent, have a humidity adjustment knob and can heat water, which allows you to get rid of some types of microbes.

The principle of operation of such a device is simple: through high-frequency oscillations, water turns into a water cloud, fog. The unit is economical and easy to operate, but requires thorough cleaning of water from impurities using cartridges. By the way, the cartridges will have to be changed periodically, and much more often than you can imagine – about once every 2-3 months. The cartridge life can be increased by pouring distilled water into the device, not distilled water..

Another drawback of ultrasonic humidifiers is the regular “gurgling,” which is annoying at first, and later addictive. Therefore, this point can not be attributed to the shortcomings.

Humidifier with cleaning function – the most hygienic solution

How to choose a humidifier purifier? If you are concerned about hygiene and cleanliness in your home, then this question must be put on the agenda. You don’t have to choose especially, because all devices that combine two functionalities work on the same principle: air entering the unit first passes through a carbon filter, where it is cleaned from plant pollen, animal hair, dust particles, and only then enriched with moisture.

Such a device is noiseless, economical and very beneficial for health, because it allows you to remove from the air most of the substances harmful to our breathing and microorganisms. The unit is suitable for those who live near major highways and industrial facilities. It is indispensable for allergy sufferers and for those who constantly catch a cold..

Which manufacturers to look at first?

And yet, what kind of humidifier to buy? What to stop at? Which manufacturer is better? Judging by customer reviews, the most respected brand among them is Boneco, combining Swiss quality, affordability and practicality. The choice of humidifiers and air purifiers at Boneco is large, because the company specializes in this equipment. All devices have a lot of certificates confirming their high quality and reliability..

But the test of humidifiers carried out on the program “Control purchase” showed that the humidifier of the AIC company, which specializes in the production of HVAC equipment, turned out to be the most economical in terms of electricity consumption.

Ballu, Vitec, and Polaris brands have also worked quite well, but if Ballu is exclusively engaged in the production of heaters, cleaners and humidifiers, the other two companies also produce other household appliances for the home, which means they may not know everyone subtleties of this type of equipment.

In any case, you will decide which air humidifier is better, but, relying on our tips, choosing a device that will become your faithful companion for a healthy lifestyle will be much easier.