Best Humidifier

You know you need a humidifier.  You understand all the benefits that come with properly humidified air: health, comfort, protection of assets, and energy savings.  Now comes the tricky part; which humidifier do you buy?

Answer these three questions before you purchase
There are three simple questions you need to ask yourself to determine which humidifier is best for you:

1) Is noise important?
2) Do you have children?
3) How much humidification do you require?

We covered items one and two in our last blogs.  Let's finish up with number three today by asking how much humidification do you require.  Or, put another way, how many rooms do you have and how big are they?

Your house has more than one room
Unless you live in a one-room efficiency, you probably have 2-3 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and more.  It would take one portable humidifier for every room in your home to adequately increase your comfort and protect your valuable possessions.  That's five or more units to fill and clean every day.  And, have the remote control for your TV handy as you'll have to crank up the volume to get over all the noise.

A whole-house humidifier from Aprilaire is your best solution.  It works in conjunction with your home’s HVAC system to add soothing, protecting moisture to every room in your home.  It operates quietly and efficiently, with only annual maintenance required: no tanks to fill and clean, no noise, no hassles.

Call your Aprilaire dealer and schedule the installation of your whole-house humidifier today.  You'll be glad you did.

Aprilaire - providing all the humidification you need for over 50 years!
 

You know you need a humidifier.  You understand all the benefits that come with properly humidified air: health, comfort, protection of assets, and energy savings.  Now comes the tricky part; which humidifier do you buy?

Answer these three questions before you purchase
There are three simple questions you need to ask yourself to determine which humidifier is best for you:

1) Is noise important?
2) Do you have children?
3) How much humidification do you require?

In my last blog we explored question number one.  Today, let's look at number two.  Why do we ask that?  The answer is easy; safety.  Warm mist humidifiers use a heating element to heat the water and can have very hot surfaces.  These portable humidifiers sit out in the open in your home where your children can touch them.  OUCH!

Aprilaire has your safety solution.  A whole-house humidifier from Aprilaire works in conjunction with your home’s HVAC system, out of sight and out of reach of your curious little ones.  And, unlike portable humidifiers that add moisture to only one room at a time, Aprilaire distributes soothing moisture throughout your entire home, protecting your family members from dry air no matter what room they're in.

Call your Aprilaire dealer and schedule the installation of your whole-house humidifier today.  You'll be glad you did.

Aprilaire - protecting your family for over 50 years!
 

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.

 

You know you need a humidifier.  You understand all the benefits that come with properly humidified air: health, comfort, protection of assets, and energy savings.  Now comes the tricky part; which humidifier do you buy?

Answer these three questions before you purchase
There are three simple questions you need to ask yourself to determine which humidifier is best for you:

1) Is noise important?
2) Do you have children?
3) How much humidification do you require?

Today, let's explore question number one.  How important is noise in your home?  Portable humidifiers have fans to move the moisture from the holding tank into the room.  Fans can make quite a bit of noise.  If your humidifier is sitting in your living room, will you have to turn up the television or stereo so you can hear it over the humidifier?  If it is in your bedroom, will you be able to sleep with all that noise?  Also, portable humidifiers only provide moisture to the room they are in, so you will need several of them to properly humidify your home.  That's a lot of extra, unnecessary noise.

If noise is an issue in your home, Aprilaire is your humidification solution.  An Aprilaire humidifier installs on your home’s HVAC system, out of sight and out of mind, quietly providing soothing humidification throughout your entire home.  And, unlike portable humidifiers, Aprilaire has no tanks to fill and clean and only requires annual maintenance.

Call your Aprilaire dealer and schedule the installation of your whole-house humidifier today and quietly add soothing moisture to your home tomorrow.

Aprilaire - quietly adding moisture to homes for over 50 years. 
 

Did you know...proper levels of humidity can reduce influenza survival, transmission, and seasonality.  Studies done at Oregon State University indicate the key to reducing airborne tranmission of the flu is maintaining the proper levels of humidity as measured by absolute humidity.  Absolute humidity is the measure of the actual water vapor content of the air irrespective of temperature. 

Adding moisture is the key
In cold winter months when your furnace is heating and drying the air, you cannot sustain proper levels of humidification without adding moisture.  In other words, you need a humidifier.  The addition of a humidifier to your home will make you more comfortable, protect your belongings from the ill-effects of dry air, and, as this study shows, protect your health from the devastating effects of the flu.

Your local Aprilaire dealer has your best solution for proper humidity.  Aprilaire humidifiers work in conjunction with your home's HVAC system to add moisture to every room of your home, ensuring your health and comfort regardless of which room you are in.  Call your Aprilaire dealer and schedule the installation of your whole-house humidifier today.  This is one of the most important calls you can make in protecting the health of your family this upcoming flu season.  Maintaining healthy humidity levels is an important part of a comprehensive strategy you can use to reduce the spread of viruses.  Keeping surfaces clean and avoiding contact with others infected are also essential.

Aprilaire - protecting your family’s health for over 50 years.
 

Is your house a hassle?  It can be if your indoor humidity is out of whack.  An excellent article in USA Today speaks to all the things that can go wrong if your home's relative humidity (RH) is outside the optimal range of 30% to 60%.  RH that is out of whack can lead to damaged wood floors and electronic equipment, increased dust, respiratory problems, throat and skin irritation, rot, pests, mold and mildew, dust mites, and allergies.  Any or all of these conditions can drive you nuts and cost you money!

Aprilaire has the solution
Aprilaire has a full line of whole-house products to eliminate the hassles of RH that is out of whack.  Whether it's a humidifier to add moisture to the air during those dry, winter months, or a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture in the summer, Aprilaire has a whole- house product for you.  Aprilaire works in conjunction with your home's HVAC system to add or remove moisture from your entire home, quietly and efficiently.  Maintenance is a breeze as well, with only annual service required.


Call your Aprilaire dealer and get your house back in the optimal zone today!
 

Did you know....There's nothing like a third party endorsement to prove your point.  For example, as an Aprilaire employee, I am more than willing to explain all the reasons why you need to install a dehumidifier in your home: comfort, protection, health, and energy savings.  Of course, you'll say all I want to do is sell more Aprilaire product.  But what if you heard this from someone who did not have a vested interest in any company’s product?  Would you be more apt to listen?  Probably so.

The Natural Handyman
Jerry Alonzy, a.k.a the Natural Handyman, makes a living by providing homeowners sensible advice pertaining to home-related topics.  In an article on dehumidifiers, he talks about everything from why you need one to how to purchase the right one for your needs.  He has some excellent advice on brand choice and where to buy.  He says he always asks himself the following questions: "If this product needs service or parts, can I get them locally?" and "Will this company be in business a year...or 5 years from now?” 

The answer is Aprilaire
Aprilaire is the most respected name in whole-house dehumidification for a reason.  First, our products are installed by respected HVAC professionals in your community.  Their livelihoods depend on treating you, their customer, the way you wish to be treated.  Second, Aprilaire has been doing this longer than anyone else.  We are the experts in whole-house comfort and protection.  Our reputation for quality is second to none.

Contact your local Aprilaire dealer and schedule the installation of your whole-house dehumidifier today.  You'll be glad you did.

Aprilaire - providing comfort and protection for over 50 years!
 

Did you know....Dry air is a pain, literally.  But don't take my word for it, ask Jonathon R. Richards of Ezine Articles.  You can find his expert advice on this website as well as the Flat Fee MLS website.  Mr. Richards has deep insight on how dry air in your home can make your life miserable.

People learn to live with dry air
Most people never stop to think why they wake up every morning with a dry, scratchy throat, or why their nasal membranes are severly dry and cracking (oftentimes to the point where their nose is bleeding).  If the air in your home is so dry that your home's plaster and expensive woodwork is shrinking and cracking, what do you think it is doing to your skin?  This is not normal and you certainly do not have to put up with it.

Aprilaire has the solution
A whole-house humidifier from Aprilaire provides soothing, relieving moisture to every room in your home.  You will no longer wake up with that scratchy throat and you will drastically reduce your usage of skin moisturizer.  Plus, Aprilaire works in conjunction with your home's HVAC system, quietly and efficiently.  You'll never even know it's there except for the fact that you'll be more comfortable than ever.

Call you Aprilaire dealer and schedule the installation of your Aprilaire whole-house humidifier today.  You'll be glad you did.

Aprilaire - Protecting your health for over 50 years. 
 

Pollution from power plants, cars, and other transportation is a well-known contributor to outdoor air pollution, but our indoor air quality is often worse; it can be up to 10 times worse for you than the air outside. Microbial pollutants like mold, pet dander and plant pollen can combine with chemicals like radon and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to create a pretty toxic environment in your home; since we spend an average of 90% of our time indoors and 65% of our time inside our homes, according to theNational Safety Council, that can aggravate allergies, asthma and worse.

Everything that comes in to our homes has the potential to be harmful to our health; this includes things from the building materials and elements that hold our homes together to the furniture we sit on and the paint that goes on the walls. Indoor air pollution can be bad, but it doesn't have to be.

What causes poor indoor air quality?
Indoor air pollution can be easy to manage once you understand where it comes from. Looking at the image above gives you some idea of the more common sources for poor indoor air quality. In many cases, it comes from chemicals that are part of the things that you bring into your home; the polyurethane common in mattresses, formaldehyde and organic chemicals like dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) andpolybrominated biphenyl (PBB) used in lots of furniture and other interior elements are all harmful to us humans. Drapes, carpets and other absorbent fabrics can help trap these nasties, along with dust, mites and other allergens, and our modern, mostly airtight homes keep them inside. Remember this: if there are chemicals and VOCs in a product, there are chemicals and VOCs that could come out, and they won't be good for you if they do.

Poor indoor air can be improved through ventilation. Bringing in fresh outdoor air and/or exhausting stale air will improve your overall indoor air quality. Aprilaire offers systems that can do both.

As we move into the fall humidifier season, one question that gets asked a lot has to do with our advice on water temperature. When given the choice, why choose hot water over cold water to run to your Aprilaire humidifier
?

There are three main reasons. The first is performance. Our furnace-mounted humidifiers (except the drainless models) can get a performance boost by supplying hot water. We would recommend up to 140°F water to see up to 30% increased evaporation. For example, a model 600M humidifier on a furnace with 120°F air and 55°F water should evaporate 0.7 gal/hr for each hour it runs. By increasing the water temperature to 140°F, it boosts that 0.7 by 30% (.21 additional) for .91 gal/hr. Over the course of a heating season, estimating total usage at 600 hours, this translates to an additional 126 gallons of water put into the air.
 

The second reason is comfort. The more quickly the humidifier adds water to the air, the more quickly the air feels comfortable. This eliminates common complaints about too-dry air, itchy skin, dry, sore throats and static shocks.
 

The third is cost. This is often a sticking point. Does it cost more to heat the water with your water heater or to use the additional furnace and humidifier run time to increase humidity? Well, at 0.7 gal/hr, it takes the humidifier an additional 180 hours of furnace run time to create 126 gallons of evaporation. The water still needs to be heated so that it will evaporate. Is it more efficient to heat it with your HVAC system's hot air or with a water heater? Most likely it’s your water heater. Over the course of the humidifying season, the humidifier is evaporating the same amount of water, but by using hot water, it’s actually using less water to reach the same amount of soothing evaporative vapor.

Did you know....Portable humidifiers are a pain.  Literally.  Here is a list of "Things to Remember" regarding portable humidifiers.  This list can be found on a major home improvement retailer's website.

• Always place your humidifier on a hard, level surface that will not be damaged by spilled water.  Do not place your humidifier on a carpet or any cloth.  Air must be allowed to circulate under the appliance.
• During operation, warm mist humidifiers and steam vaporizers boil water.  Keep the appliance out of reach of children and infants to prevent them from being scalded by the hot water in the appliance.
• Use only the type of water recommended by the manufacturer.  Some types of water can damage a humidifier.  Do not use water that has been treated with water softener.  The chemical agents found in water softeners can cause problems in the humidifier.
• Do not use additives in the water that are not specifically recommended by the humidifier manufacturer.  Unless there is a manufacturer's recommendation, using additives can cause irreparable damage.
• If a medicine cup is provided, only use liquid medications that are specified by their manufacturer for application with the humidifier.

Portable humidifiers are a hassle
If all of the above sounds like a lot to worry about, you're right.  Aprilaire takes away all the hassle and worry with a whole-house humidifier.  It installs right on your HVAC equipment, out of sight and out of mind.  There are no hot surfaces, no special water, no additives, no tanks to empty and clean.  Just soothing, properly humidified air that protects your family’s health for years to come.


Call your Aprilaire dealer and schedule the installation of your whole-house humidifier today.  You'll be glad you did.

Aprilaire - Hassle free for over 50 years!

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.

Did you know.....Research indicates there are indirect health effects of relative humidity (RH) in indoor environments.  A research article found on PubMed Central suggests that RH can affect the incidence of respiratory infections and allergies.  Experimental studies on airborne-transmitted infectious bacteria and viruses show that survival or infectivity is minimized when RH is maintained between 40% and 70%. 

How does this affect you?  This study also found that the incidence of absenteeism and respiratory infections was found to be lower among people working or living in environments with mid-range versus low or high relative humidity.  This basically says that you will be happy and healthier when the space you live and work in has proper levels of RH.

Aprilaire has the solution
Aprilaire whole-house humidifiers work with your home's HVAC system to provide soothing moisture throughout your entire home, protecting you and your family from the ill-affects of air that is too dry.  And Aprilaire's "set it and forget it" technology means years of automatic, trouble-free operation for years to come.

Call your Aprilaire dealer and schedule the installation of your humidifier today.  Your family will thank you for it.

Aprilaire - protecting your family for over 50 years!
 

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!

Aprilaire Sponsors Terre Verde Green Renovation Project

Control of indoor air quality at the forefront of “Greenovation”

Madison, Wis. – Aprilaire, manufacturer of products that provide whole-house solutions to indoor air quality problems, is sponsoring a massive renovation project in Florida by providing the latest technology in air filtration, humidity control and zoned temperature control systems.

The project is Terre Verde, a 1970’s Florida-style ranch home adjacent to the Ocala national forest in central Florida. The home has been virtually untouched with any improvements in its entire 40 years.

Dr. Anna Marie, health specialist for The Weather Channel and host of the syndicated better living show YOUR LIFE WITH DR. ANNA MARIE, is leading this green renovation project to transform this home into an eco-friendly, energy efficient and ultimately healthy home.

Part of the renovation will employ new building technologies to make Terre Verde much tighter in order to save energy. While good for the pocket book and the environment, these kinds of advancements lead to the increase of indoor air pollutants – houses that don’t breathe like they use to. 

Working with local Aprilaire representatives and indoor air quality specialists, Aprilaire has installed the latest in air cleaning technology with One Touch active control, allowing the homeowner to control when and how much air cleaning takes place based on their lifestyle and need. Also provided is Aprilaire high-capacity Central Dehumidification and Zoned Comfort Control; a system which provides for focusing temperature control in specific areas of the home only where and when it is needed.

“These products help save energy by providing comfort while running air conditioning less often, but that’s just the beginning, noted Dr. Anna Marie, “They also provide for a much healthier, more sustainable environment by dramatically controlling the growth of mold and mildew, and trapping airborne allergens and other harmful particles from the entire home. Aprilaire products work together to protect the home’s furnishings, materials and of course it’s inhabitants. And that’ll be me, eventually!”

“Aprilaire is committed to the project and to help promote sustainable living, said Tom Ruse, Marketing Communications Manager. “We’re excited to help showcase the latest technologies available to make homes healthier, more comfortable and energy efficient”.

Terre Verde will be showcased at the Lake County Florida Builder Association’s Parade of Homes in March 2010.  

Aprilaire (www.aprilaire.com)

Aprilaire has been a brand leader in the indoor air quality industry for over 60 years. The company designs, develops, manufactures and distributes whole-home indoor air quality products that provide comfort, health, energy efficiency, and the protection and preservation of the home. For more information on central air cleaners, visit www.aprilaire.com.