Atlanta Humidification

Your indoor comfort is not just determined by the temperature in your home, but also by the amount of moisture in the air. The human body feels most comfortable in air that has a relative humidity between 30% and 50%. In the hot Southern summers, we use our air conditioners to remove excess moisture from the air. But in the winter when the air is dry, most homes lack a system that adds needed moisture. Dry winter air irritates our throats and sinuses, causing us to elevate the temperature in order to feel the same level of comfort. Dry air can also cause wood to shrink and warp, which effects not only wood flooring and furniture, but even the construction components of your home. Humidifiers are added to heating equipment to elevate the indoor relative humidity in the winter to protect you, the home and its furnishings from the effects of dry air.

Most humidifiers (bypass type) use the heat from the furnace cycle to evaporate the moisture into the air. This means that the furnace must be on and operating to deliver needed moisture to the home. This heat can immediately dry out the moisture just introduced by the humidifier. In addition, the bypass type humidifier design has limited effectiveness in the Southeastern region because furnaces have limited run time with the mild climate. Your humidistat may be calling for humidity, but unable to achieve desired level due to the limited run time. They also have water panels that typically retain water on them after the system has shut down. This allows for an environment well suited for bacteria, mold and spore growth to become present and circulated into the living space.

The most effective type is steam humidifiers that are installed onto existing or new heating systems. It does not rely on the furnace heat to evaporate the moisture into the air. Upon the call for humidity, it boils water using an electric heating element. When the steam is detected to be present, a relay simply energizes and the indoor fan circulates the moisture through the ductwork into the living space. When the desired humidity level has been satisfied, it automatically drains, flushes itself and the fan runs until there is no more moisture present. The steam humidifier does not refill the reservoir until there is another call for humidification. This eliminates the opportunity for standing or stagnating water.