Do you have trouble sleeping at night? Do you feel cold and clammy, even though the temperature seems to be at the right level? Do you have musty odors or smells in any areas of your home? It could be that your home’s relative humidity (RH) is high.
Excess RH can cause all of the above and more. The old saying "it's not the heat, it's the humidity" rings true in many ways. Excess RH can cause discomfort, trigger health issues such as allergies and asthma, and cause severe damage to your home. Experts in Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) agree that maintaining your RH between 30% and 60% is optimal to control or eliminate problems associated with excess moisture in the home. The question is, how can you do this? The answer is, with a whole-house dehumidifier from Aprilaire.
Aprilaire is your whole-house solution
Unlike portable dehumidifiers that only remove moisture from the room they're in, Aprilaire works in conjunction with your home’s HVAC system to efficiently remove moisture from every room of your home. Maintenance is also a breeze with Aprilaire, as only periodic cleaning of the air filter is required. No messy, heavy tanks to empty and clean on a daily basis, which is what you have to do with the portables.
Call your local Aprilaire dealer and schedule the installation of your whole-house dehumidifier today. Your dealer can help you choose the model that is right for your home and make it possible for you to sleep better tonight.
Aprilaire - Protecting you and your home for over 50 years!
Do you have high levels of moisture in your condominium or town-home, but don't like the fact that portable dehumidifiers are noisy and an eyesore? Not to mention the pain-in-the- back hassle of emptying the tank every day. If so, Aprilaire has the whole-house solution for you.
Compact size makes dehumidification easy
The Aprilaire Model 1730A dehumidifier is the solution to whole-house dehumidification in smaller homes and condominiums. Its compact size allows for easy installation in smaller equipment closets where standard-sized units won't fit. It works in conjunction with your HVAC system, quietly removing damaging moisture from every room in your home. Maintenance is a breeze; all you have to do is clean or replace the air filter on an annual basis. There are no messy tanks to empty and clean, no stress on your back, and no hassles.
Contact your local Aprilaire dealer and schedule the installation of your Aprilaire whole- house dehumidifier today. You'll be glad you did.
Aprilaire - fresh ideas for indoor air.
I don't often link to blogs because there are so many out there that go right to poorly-worded content about how great portable room air purifiers are without giving mention to whole house solutions. Of course they always link to ads for.....room air purifiers. Horray!
Here's a better one! Not only because it discusses whole house solutions but also because it doesn't have an ad associated with its contents. Pretty credible, then.
For anyone who owns an Aprilaire 2000 series or SpaceGardAir Cleaner, you can now upgrade to a higher efficiency filtering media.
If you change filters yourself, you should be asking for the 1213 or 1415 Upgrade Kits to replace your old 201 or 401 filtering media.
If these Upgrade Kits are not available where you usually purchase your filter, then you are either buying cheaper, less-efficient knock-offs at a home store or hardware store, or you are buying filters online or from a dealer who should be offering the upgrade kits instead!
The best way to handle this is to call your local Aprilaire dealer and tell them you want to upgrade!
Why upgrade? The new kits are easier to install, but the best reason is that they are up to 2 times more efficient at removing crap from your air; Better air for you to breathe and better protection for your expensive HVAC system.
Isn't that the reason you have an air cleaner in the first place?!!??!
It is totally true - properly humidified air is healthier, more comfortable and can save energy. Of all the indoor air quality issues and products made to fix those issues, a whole house humidifier probably addresses the most problems in the easiest way.
A dehumidifier does too, for the same reasons.
Air cleaners, purifiers, ventilation and all those things are important; especially if you have chronic respiratory health problems or allergies.
But even if you don't, being more comfortable while you breathe healthier air is a slam dunk! Humidity control is what it's all about.
Comment from Denise
It's time for me to replace the filters on my Aprilaire humidifiers. Please contact me with information on how to do that. Thank you.
Hi Denise,
The filters you refer to are called water panel evaporators and they are the heart of an Aprilaire humidifier. This is where the moisture is picked up by the air in your heating system, and from there is distributed throughout your home. To maintain optimum humidifier performance, it is recommended that you change this item on an annual basis.
The best way to have your humidifier properly serviced is by your local Aprilaire dealer. Your local dealer will have the expertise to not only change out the water panel evaporator, but also to check other critical aspects of the humidifier to ensure it performs properly this upcoming heating season.
If you feel you can do it yourself, you can still purchase the water panel evaporator over
the counter from your local Aprilaire dealer. If you don't have a dealer, you can purchase from the Aprilaire e-store. All orders ship out same day for your convenience.
Thank you for your inquiry, Denise. And thank you for supporting Aprilaire.
Do electronic air cleaners have MERV ratings?
Electronic air cleaners cannot be given a MERV rating.
The reason is this. The MERV test standard (ASHRAE standard 52.2) requires the use of a specific “loading” dust to simulate the effect of time, where the filter gradually captures more dust. This “loading” dust contains a significant percentage of carbon. The carbon in the dust causes shorting in the electronic component of any electronic air cleaner, reducing the removal efficiency below the level it actually performs at (carbon dust is not normally present in homes).
Because of this, the only test that can be performed is the initial efficiency test, which is not enough to get a true MERV rating per the ASHRAE standard. If we tested the Aprilaire Model 5000 by replacing the carbon based dust with a non carbon dust that is the same particle size the Model 5000’s performance will be equal to a MERV 16, but this is the official test.
This article misses out on the full story. It does a great job of calling out what to do if you are allergic to pet dander, but it misses the real advantages of high efficiency air cleaners installed on your HVAC system.
It touts HEPA air purifiers, but it is impossible for them to protect your entire house.
If I were REAL allergic, I'd probably consider using both; High efficiency air cleaner on my HVAC system, AND a room HEPA filter in a room that may have restricted return air flow or one that I inhabit most.
So there's the rest of the story regarding protection from pet allergies. As for the sex part, pregnancy, STD's, etc., that kind of protection is another story.
What is a MERV Rating?
MERV, which stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, is a rating that was developed by ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers) used to assess the filtering power of a furnace filter/air cleaner.
The MERV scale consists of ratings from 1 to 16, with filter performance being greater as the number increases. On the MERV scale, dirt particles are graded from 0.3 microns to 10 microns. A micron is 1 millionth of a millimeter, and to give you an idea of just how small that is, you can look at the size of a single human hair. The average strand of human hair is about 100 microns thick, so imagine just how small 0.3 microns of dirt is!
Why is MERV Rating Important?
When you’re purchasing an air conditioner or furnace filter for your home, you want to be sure that you are buying a filter that will keep the air in your home clean. While all Aprilaire air cleaners will provide you with the filtering efficiency needed to improve the air quality of your home, depending on the particular needs of your family, you may require a filter that has a higher MERV rating, like the Aprilaire Model 5000 Electronic Air Cleaner.
Cases in which this is likely are those when you or someone in your home suffers from allergies, respiratory problems, or other similar incidences. Then again, you may just want to get the best filter for your family so that the indoor air quality around your home is the best it can be.
With Aprilaire AIr Cleaners, it's Garbage in, NO Garbage out!
Even though it's summer time, you need to make sure that your HVAC system (which pushes the cold air from the air conditioner through your house) has plenty of air so the motor isn't straining. Much of the new equipment being installed today has a variable speed motor. This means that the motor has multiple speeds to move the air through you house.
This equipment is expensive and will run on high unnecessarily if the filter isn't changed often. Imagine trying to run with a towel over your face! When you cannot get enough air your breathing becomes more and more labored. This is what's happening to that expensive stuff in your basement that heats and cools your house! And it's totally preventable.
To prolong the life of your investment and to make it run as efficiently as possible, make sure that you check your filter every couple of months and change it per the manufacturer’s recommendations.
The filter in Aprilaire media air cleaners can last one year or more and can keep your HVAC equipment clean and help it last as long as possible. Contractors throughout the country install Aprilaire air cleaners because many of them see it as the best protection for their customers’ equipment and homes; not to mention because they provide a cleaner, healthier home environment.
Here is a picture of two cooling coils from furnaces that were installed for over 15 years. Air is blown over these coils and into your house year around to heat or cool it. The coil on the right had a poor furnace filter on it that didn’t stop the dust from coming through and collecting on the coil. The coil on the left was protected by an Aprilaire media air cleaner which does a great job protecting your investment. For only a few hundred dollars more, Aprilaire media air cleaners can prolong the life of your equipment and make it run more efficiently.
What would you do?
Whether updating a home to be healthier, more energy efficient and sustainable or building a new home and trying to achieve green certification, Aprilaire, a leader in the indoor air quality industry, offers homeowners a complete indoor environmental quality package that features the most innovative products on the market. Over the past several years, research and experience have improved the understanding of what is involved in maintaining good indoor air quality. Four key indoor air quality components that help ensure the sustainability and health of the home and its occupants are moisture load control, ventilation, air filtration, and energy efficiency.
Moisture Control
- According to LEED for Homes, “Control indoor moisture levels to provide comfort, reduce the risk of mold & allergens, and increase the durability of the home. In hot and humid climates, dehumidification can reduce the energy demands associated with air-conditioning.”
Aprilaire addresses high indoor humidity problems and/or concerns in the home with an innovative, effective and affordable whole-home solution – the Model 1750 Central Dehumidifier. The Aprilaire central dehumidifier provides 24-7 moisture control in two critical ways: first, it works independently from the central air conditioner to control excess moisture on days that do not require cooling. Second, it works in conjunction with the central air conditioner to provide the most efficient complete humidity control solution while maintaining an optimum home temperature. An Aprilaire Dehumidifier provides the ability to automatically control moisture levels through the whole home in order to ensure the sustainability of the home, as well as a more healthy and comfortable indoor environment.
The 90-pint/day Aprilaire dehumidifier is a whole-house unit that can be installed in attics, closets, crawlspaces, garages, basements, and in new construction or existing homes. Built-in intelligence provides automatic control for not only whole-home dehumidification, but also for fresh air ventilation, air cycling, and air filtration. Automatic air cycling allows for improved humidity and temperature balance throughout the house. The built-in automatic fresh air ventilation provides not only the control of fresh air, but also the dehumidification, if needed, of that fresh air upon entering the home. The fresh air ventilation control will meet ASHRAE 62.2 standards where and when required.
Just as important as removing excess moisture is adding the right about during the winter months is cold climates. The National Association of Home Builders’ Model GREEN Home Building Guidelines recognizes that controlled humidity is an important health element for those living in regions where furnaces are used during the winter season. As the innovator of controlled whole-home humidifiers, Aprilaire offers a full line of automatic whole-home humidifiers that provide just the right amount of humidity based on outdoor temperature and indoor relative humidity. By utilizing an automatic whole-home humidifier, homeowners are protecting their health, preserving their home and saving energy.
Ventilation
- According to the EPA’s Energy Star program, “Without mechanical ventilation to provide fresh air, moisture, odors, and other pollutants can build up inside a home. Mechanical ventilation systems circulate fresh air using ducts and fans, rather than relying on airflow through small holes or cracks in a home’s walls, roof, or windows. Homeowners can breathe easier knowing their home has good ventilation.”
Aprilaire’s innovative Ventilation Control System offers an affordable and effective means for not only mechanically ventilating homes, but to ventilate them to ASHRAE 62.2 when required. The system consists of a six-inch damper, controller and transformer. The system provides time‑based control with outdoor temperature and indoor relative humidity operating limits. The control opens a damper with a fan or equipment call to meet a desired ventilation requirement that is set by the installer with the ventilation knob (0 – 60 minutes) and cycle time setting (1, 2, 3, or 4 hours). Once the ventilation requirement is met, the controller will close the damper. If the fan and equipment run times do not meet the ventilation requirement, the controller will turn the fan on and open the damper until the desired ventilation is met.
Air Filtration
- According to the Sustainable Living Sourcebook “ Of concern from a health standpoint are small, invisible respirable-size particulate matter, having a high probability of penetrating deep into the lungs, where they may stay a long time and cause acute or chronic effects. Large particulate matter such as some molds, pollen, animal dander, and house dust allergens, do not penetrate as deeply, but may cause an allergic response. Health effects can range from irritation of the eyes and/or respiratory tissues to more serious effects, such as cancer and decreased lung function. Biological particles, such as animal and insect allergens, viruses, bacteria, and molds, can cause allergic reactions, infectious diseases, and/or can produce toxic products that may be released into the air.”
Aprilaire central air cleaners are attached to the heating and cooling system and permanently trap the airborne contaminants that can aggravate health and allergy and asthma symptoms. In a recent standard industry test, the Aprilaire 5000 achieved 99 percent efficiency against airborne particles. The unit captures and kills virtually all contaminants including those that most affect personal health—viruses, bacteria, spores and allergens 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Aprilaire also offers homeowners a one-of-a-kind air cleaner control that allows them to actively clean the air in their entire home based on personal preference and event triggers:
- Constant Cleaning: air cleaner is active for 24 hours a day seven days a week
- Automatic: air cleaner will run a minimum of 30 minutes per hour
- Event Clean: air cleaners will run for three hours continuously and then turn off
- Allergies: air cleaner will run continuously for 24 hours and then turn off
Installed next to the thermostat or on the air cleaning unit, the new control also provides validation the air cleaner is working by indicating through a sequence of bars that rise when the blower on the heating and cooling system is energized. It also indicates when the filter needs to be replaced based on blower run time.
Energy Efficiency
- According to the EPA, “Maximizing household energy use through serviced heating and cooling systems, leak-less ducts, and thermostats that are programmed to save energy at night or when residents are away, would prevent 169 billion lbs of greenhouse gas emissions per year.”
Heating and cooling costs are the #1 expense in most American homes. Energy Star states that the average home spends about $1,500 annually on energy bills. All of Aprilaire Programmable Thermostats are Energy Star Rated — and according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a programmable thermostat can save you up to 30% on your energy costs.
Good Tips from the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
(ACCAI) and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) • Avoid hugging and kissing pets if you’re allergic to them. • Wash hands after handling a pet to help avoid the spread of dander. • Remove litter boxes from direct contact with pet allergy sufferers and place them in areas away from vents. Have a non-allergic family member clean the litter boxes. • Wear a dust mask to vacuum. Use a vacuum with a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter if possible. • Wash your pet on a weekly basis. Check your local pet store or ask your veterinarian for shampoos that may neutralize or inactivate allergens present on your pet’s skin. • Don’t use carpeting in your home, try using throw rugs that can be washed in hot water instead. If you must have carpeting, choose ones with a low pile and vacuum and steam clean often.
Hey, lemme tell ya why!
No doubt about it!
Can't live without it!
- Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen
I was suggesting to our contractors that they provide us with some success stories; you know, ways that they sell and use Indoor Air Quality products to provide their homeowner customers with solutions to their problems.
Then I thought, what a great idea to ask HOMEOWNERS!!! So here I am. How about it homeowners? Or anyone else for that matter. Do you have a particular problem with your indoor environment that was helped with indoor air quality products?
Maybe air that's too humid or too dry? Or someone with allergies who could use a cleaner environment to live and breathe in?
Anybody use a room air purifier? A portable dehumidifier? How about an installed humidifier or air cleaner that works in every room automatically.
Any success stories you want to share with the world????
Comment to: I Want To Testify!!!!
Rick from St. Joe, Michigan
- Created At 2009-07-29 11:09:59
Hi Tom! I like Commander Cody, too. So I thought you are cool enough (without excess humidity) for a success story, but I only have a failure story. May I share that, too? No sweat? Cool. I have horrible allergies and I have grown very weary of my portable air cleaner. Actually, my wife who has no allergies is sick and tired of it. She says it is too noisy so she kicked me out of the bedroom. I hate that -- my only alternative is to hold my breath until I turn blue. I look like a Smurf. I felt the best way to get back in her good graces, and the bedroom, was to clean out the ducts, get all new high-efficiency heating and cooling, then make sure I had the finest air quality equipment money could buy. And you know what? My HVAC guy told me my space was too tight and he couldn't get a unit to fit. I'm really disappointed in him. Could you come over to my house and fix that? I'll put on my finest old Commander Cody vinyl if you do. Still Blue in St. Joe, Michigan.
Comment to Rick
7/29/09
Rick, Take a deep breath, Smurf-Boy! Don't need you passing out. I can't come over becuase I live in Wisconsin and I'm not smart enough to assess your space problems. He might be right.
I can suggest you try our Dealer Locator on our home page, type in your zip code and call one of the dealers listed to see if they can help you.
I can also say you were right to get rid of the portable. Not only did it likely not help your allergies much, but from the sounds of things it did very little for your sex life.
Hope that helps.
Also, if you truly don't have enough space to have an air cleaner installed, get the highest efficiency 1" filter you can find, keep it changed frequently, per the manufacturer, keep the humidity levels in check and crank on the the ol' Commander. Otherwise you'll be singing the Seeds and Stems Blues.
When it comes to air cleaners and purifiers most of the talk is about allergies. But particulates can just be downright irratation to your lungs and certain particulates can be downright dangerous (Smoke. Hello!)
This is pretty techy... pleasure reading.....
Do you get frustrated when changing the filter media in you Aprilaire air cleaner like this guy? Are you fed up with broken pleat spacers and a torn and tattered filter media? You asked and we listened!
Changing your filter is now easier with the Aprilaire air cleaner upgrade kit. In addition to eliminating the pleat spacers it is a more efficient filtration system. The Upgrade kit filter removes twice as many contaminants as the filter media in your model 2200 or 2400 whole house Aprilaire air cleaner. Please visit us at www.aprilaire.com watch the video at to learn more about the upgrade kit.
Did you know....According to the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, dust mites are found in most homes. While dust mites are not parasitic and do not bite, people can be allergic to them. Symptoms include sneezing, itchy, water eyes, nasal stuffiness, runny nose, stuffy ears, respiratory problems, eczema and (in severe cases) asthma. 
Dust mites need high temperatures (75 to 80 degrees F) and high humidity (70 to 80% relative humidity) to survive. One study showed when humidity is 60% or lower, the dust mite population stops growing and dies out.
Control humidity for dust mite management
At the top of the university’s list for eliminating problems due to dust mites is controlling the relative humidity (RH) in the home. Keeping the RH below 50% is the key. The best way to reduce the RH in your home is to install an Aprilaire whole-house dehumidifier. Unlike a portable unit that only removes moisture from the room it is in, Aprilaire works with your HVAC system to deliver dehumidified air to your entire home. And, unlike portable dehumidifiers that require constant cleaning and emptying of the tank, an Apriaire whole-house dehumidifier only needs the filter cleaned once a year.
Aprilaire - protecting your health for over 50 years!
Did you know...Medical professionals recommend the use of a dehumidifier to prevent mold growth in 
homes. One such professional is Dr. Alan Green, M.D. Dr. Greene has dedicated a section of his website to address mold and how to prevent its growth. The importance of this lies in health-related issues such as allergies. Prevent mold, reduce allergy symptoms.
Relative Humidity is the Key
Dr. Greene recommends the use of a dehumidifier to maintain relative humidity (RH) levels between 35% and 50%. Aprilaire recommends you take this one step further; install a whole-house dehumidifier. A whole-house dehumidifier provides many advantages over a portable.
- Whole-house versus one room - you live in more than one room of your house, it doesn't make sense to dehumidify only one room.
- Out of sight - Aprilaire installs in conjunction with your HVAC equipment, out of sight and out of mind. A portable dehumidifier sits in your living area where you can see and hear it.
- Maintenance – an Aprilaire unit only requires cleaning of the air filter once per year. A portable unit requires daily emptying of the tank and periodic cleaning. What a hassle!
Aprilaire - protecting your health for over 50 years!
Still, they recommend keeping the place clean, and that's where an air cleaner with a clean air cleaner filter can help.
And, humidifiers can help with skin irritations and respiratory problems.
Don't want to listen to Aprilaire bloggers? Who wouldn't want to listen to the experts from the Mayo Clinic?
Then there are
GadgetS!!!!
As much as I hate to give these guys a link, there it is.
Do you really want to protect your family with a gadget?
If you want a cute toy, go to Toys R Us (or online) and buy a cute toy. If you want effective air cleaning, do your homework. If you insist on a portable, buy the most you can afford in HEPA filtration with a FAN! If you want air cleaning in every room, buy an air cleaner installed with your HVAC system.
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