Humidifiers are a great investment for any homeowner. They not only keep you in a good shape but are also good for your furniture and other belongings. People with asthma and other breathing problems get irritated by the allergens and the low moisture, and the best way to deal with that; a good humidifier.
There are different varieties of humidifiers, and they come in all shapes and sizes. If you want it for a small room, you can get a little one. For a bigger room, you climb up the size ladder. The whole house humidifier is made for the purpose of humidifying the whole house.
Generally, whole house humidifiers can be classified into three categories, based on their mode of working –
Steam Humidifier –
As the name suggests, this type of humidifier creates steam to humidify the whole house. The steam is created by electrically heating up the water. There is no need of a furnace for this, and the steam is spread throughout the house with a system blower. These type of humidifiers are very efficient and very fast functioning.
Bypass Humidifier –
The functioning of this humidifier is pretty much as the name suggests. It uses the warm air from your home furnace and allows it to pass through the water panel to activate the evaporation process. The moisturized air is then distributed throughout the house. For the installation, your supply or return plenum of the forced air handling system can be used. Depending on the type, these can further be divided into drain less bypass humidifiers and humidifiers with floor drainage system.
Fan Powered –
Fan Powered humidifier’s working is very similar to the bypass humidifier except, it uses a fan to blow the air across the water panel. What this does is, it speeds up the evaporation process, meaning creation of more moisture, quickly. This type of humidifier generally produces one gallon or more moisture daily, as compared to the bypass humidifier. On top of that, this humidifier doesn’t require a bypass duct. This means that it can be installed in a small room as well.
Typically, you’ll come across one of these whole house humidifiers. But, different models can vary vastly in their design and efficiency. You have a lot to choose from, when it comes to buying one of these. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself while looking for one –
- Are there any air leakages in your house that can be the root cause of low humidity.
- Do you really need the whole house humidifier, or can you do with a smaller one.
- What kind of humidifier will be best for your house.
- How much moisture can the humidifier produce, and will that be enough.
- What is your best option, depending on your budget.
- Can you maintain it properly, and if so, what are you going to need for that.
These few questions will help you in making right choice for you. You want something that is affordable, easy to maintain, efficient, and promises durability.
To Read: Best Whole House Humidifiers
Here we’re going to compare two of the options for you, and you can choose which one fits into your expectations. Here we go
Aprilaire 700 vs Honeywell he360 Humidifier- Which One to Choose
Aprilaire 700 Automatic Humidifier
This model is one of the most popular ones. This lightweight product with excellent performance will immensely improve your home environment.
Let’s look at the specifications first –
- The Aprilaire 700 automatic humidifier weighs only 15 pounds (15.6 – shipping).
- It is best for humidifying homes up to 4, 200 square foot in size.
- The unit has the evaporation capacity of 0.75 gallons per hour.
- It has an 18 Gallon reservoir.
This humidifier has great features as well. Here are some of them, so you can get an idea –
Automatic control and LED indicators –
It is designed wonderfully and is totally automatic. You just have to set it to your own specific requirements and its dual sensors which monitor and respond to both outdoor temperature and indoor relative humidity, help deliver optimal humidity around the clock, throughout the home. This is immensely helpful in bringing down the time and effort that goes into optimizing the humidifier manually. There are digital indicators on the humidifier to notify you about the percentage of humidity, when the humidifier is running, when you need to change the water panel, when service is needed, and so on. You can also choose between the three mode i.e. whisper, medium, and high, to set it to your preference. It is really convenient.
Ease of Maintenance –
Aprilaire 700 is very low maintenance. It is very easy to install, and you can take care of the unit without much effort, and ensure that it is working well. Except for refilling the water and regular cleaning, there isn’t much you need to do. It works good with all kinds of water, so you don’t need to worry about that either. There aren’t any filters that you need to replace so it’s quite the money saver.
Output –
The unit gives excellent output. It has a evaporation rate of 0.75 gallons per hour, which is quite a lot. It is one of the best output models out there in the market today. The unit has a eighteen Gallon reservoir, which can humidify up to 4200 square feet. It operates quietly, and efficiently.
How it works –
It is an evaporative humidifier and it works by piping the water into the distribution tray, which is located at the top of the unit. Through a system of well designed outlets, the water is distributed across the width of the tray. From there it flows over the water panel evaporator, and dry hot air from the HVAC system moves through the moisture-laden water panel evaporator. After evaporation, the water is turned into vapors and humidified air is distributed throughout the entire house. It is extremely easy to set it up and through this wonderful working mechanism, Aprilaire 700 humidifies your house thoroughly.
Now, let’s move on to the next whole house humidifier on the list
Honeywell HE360A Humidifier
Honeywell is also a well known name in the market and this whole house humidifier from Honeywell is also very good. This easy to install flow through whole house humidifier, works wonderfully with your home HVAC system to give you a great experience, spreading the moisture throughout the house while the heating is on.
Without further ado, let’s look at the specifics
- The total weight of the unit is 18 pounds.
- It can easily humidify homes up to 4, 200 square feet.
- This unit can produce up to 18 Gallons of moisture every day.
Easy Installation –
The installation process for the unit is easy, and it can be mounted either directly onto the warm air supply or air handler of your forced air furnace. While installing, you’re going to need connecting components in the package and the installation kit. Also, you’re going to need access to a nearby floor drain, to provide drainage for AC condensation as well as the humidifier. For guidance, you can refer to an instructional video while installing.
Ease of control
It is quite easy to control. Relative to the outside temperature, you can set the humidistat for optimal humidity. There is a recommendation table in the user manual that you can refer to while setting the thermostat. It is a great choice for variable speed and multi-stage systems in homes that are up to 4, 200 sq. feet.
Flow through technology –
The flow-through technology of this humidifier ensures that the maintenance required is minimal, and the unit can stay cleaner for a good while. The recommended period after which you should clean the unit is tone to three months, depending on your house setting.
How it works –
The humidifier creates vapors when warm air is blown over the water soaked portion. The vapor keeps circulating, relatively giving a rise to the humidity. The humidity control monitors the humidity and activates the humidifier accordingly. Water is evenly distributed across the humidifier pad by the humidifier water supply. The moist air is circulated all through the house by the warm dry air coming from the furnace, after it passes through the humidifier pad.
The well humidified air lowers the need for heating, bringing down the electricity consumption.
Conclusion –
Both of the whole house humidifiers are a good choice for your home. They both can effectively humidify large areas consistently. To make a decision, you need to look at your home requirements.
Both of the units are unique in their own right, and it depends on what you have going on inside your home. Aprilaire 700 is an easy installation, and doesn’t require much for the process. Honeywell 360A needs little bit more than that to be taken care of. Both produce quite a lot of quality moisture, and are easy to operate. Both make your home a fresher, more comfortable place. Both are quite affordable and lightweight. Both look good. However, Aprilaire takes a point on being totally automatic. It is easier to make sense of what’s going on. In terms of ease of functioning, Aprilaire 700 takes the lead.
We find both units to be excellent, but our vote goes to Aprilaire 700, just for the fact that its more comfortable in an aspect or two. But again, it depends on what your home needs. We hope that this article was helpful and wish you the best with making the insides of your home comfortable and cozy.