Many homeowners desire to control the humidity within their dwelling spaces—and for good reason. 

Dry air can play havoc with your life. 

It can lead to dry skin, cracked lips, and even increases in allergy symptoms. 

And don’t even get us started on how dry air can affect asthma sufferers!

With that being said, whole home humidifiers present a unique and effective solution for homeowners who are battling dry air—especially when smaller single-room humidifier options just aren’t adequate.

So in this blog post, we’re going to break down what they are and whether or not it may be a good idea for you to purchase one. 

Let’s dive into it. 

What Is A Whole Home Humidifier?

Whole home humidifiers (also called ‘whole house humidifiers’) are basically add-ons to the HVAC system that allow you to control the moisture level in the air. 

With that being said, not all humidifier systems are the same. 

And every situation is a little bit different—so one of the challenges associated with these types of units is figuring out what system your home needs, based on your current HVAC set-up and exactly what your living situation is. 

How Do You Know If You’re Ready To Install A Whole Home Humidifier?

Here’s what it really comes down to. 

Most whole home humidifiers are going to use the existing ductwork to spread moist air within the home. That means that you’ll need to buy a legitimate whole home humidifier system and get your HVAC professional to install it. 

In order to avoid this step, many people decide that investing in a ‘whole home’ system isn’t worth it, and opt instead for portable single-room units. 

But therein lies a problem as well. 

If you’re actually dealing with a home-wide dry air issue, then buying single units is only going to help the problem to a certain extent. Plus, single-room units become extremely time inefficient very quickly when you’re dealing with larger dry air problems throughout the entire home. (You need to keep refilling them, and refilling them, ad infinitum…)

So it really comes down to this. 

1. If dry air is only a limited problem that you experience once in a while, and it doesn’t tend to be very severe—then a single-room unit should be perfectly sufficient. 
2. If dry air is a more persistent problem that presents itself in more than one room of your home at a time, and tends to cause issues with breathing, sleep, and/or quality of life—then you should definitely consider investing in a whole home humidifier system. 

What Type Of Whole Home Humidifier Should You Purchase?

While whole home humidifiers are definitely in a category of their own, there are also different types of whole home humidifiers to consider. 

The biggest difference between different types of units will be related to the size of your dwelling and whether or not they’re designed to be incorporated into the ductwork system. 

For example—some units are smaller and don’t use ductwork. But, they may struggle to service larger multi-story houses, and will tend to fair better in smaller houses or apartments. Other systems do much better with larger multi-story homes. 

If you’re thinking about purchasing a whole home humidifier, it’s always recommended that you get an HVAC technician to assist you in not only choosing a unit, but also helping you to understand exactly what will be required for installation. 

This will give you a much better overall picture of exactly how a particular unit will fit into not only your home’s existing HVAC system, but also your budget (and how effective the unit will be in the long term). 

Do You Need Some Help Picking Out A Whole Home Humidifier Unit? 

If so, you should definitely consider contacting us here at F&S Master Air. 

We’d love to show you some units and take a look at your home to help you choose a system that’ll actually meet your needs without requiring you to spend needless extra dollars in the process. 

Here at F&S Master Air, we’ve got you covered. 

Let us help you create the ideal climate in your home, and do it as efficiently as possible!