How to choose a humidifier for an apartment or house + Video

In our apartments now there are a lot of appliances that increase comfort and facilitate life. For example, a humidifier is designed to get rid of dried air, which is especially common in winter. There are many variants of these devices, which differ in price, principle of operation, power and other parameters. Let's figure out how to choose a humidifier with the optimal ratio of all characteristics.

The purpose of the humidifier and how to determine that you need it

Excessively dry air is not only an evil for plants that quickly fade and grow poorly this reason. It also becomes bad for people, especially young children, because of drying out of the skin and mucous membranes, difficulty in breathing, and headaches. And they can deteriorate, cracked, expensive flooring and furniture.

Humidifier - designed to fix the microclimate in the apartment, saturating the air with water vapor and bringing its humidity to comfortable limits.

The following are the optimal values ​​of humidity for humans, plants, furniture and equipment:

As you can see, people, and at the same time, furniture sets, feel best if the moisture content in the room air is at least 40%, for plants this indicator is slightly higher. From this value, and we will build.

To determine how the situation is in your apartment or house, in fact, you will have to purchase a special measuring device, called a hygrometer. However, the costs will not be too big: for 150 rubles it is quite possible to buy a decent analog device, and to order rubles for 500 - 600 in China in the online store of an entire digital weather station. She at the same time and the temperature with pressure displays, as well as the owner will appreciate the alarm clock and calendar.

Home thermometer and hygrometer.

Home digital weather station.

Using a hygrometer, it is necessary to make measurements of the content of water vapor in the air. And not just once, but several. Let's say 4 - 5 days in a row. Note that in summer and winter, the figures differ significantly. It is the winter results that are very important, because in the cold period we suffer the most from dry air. After all, batteries and heaters take a lot of moisture from it. The latter - up to 30 percent.

Earlier, when the humidifiers had not yet been released, the hostesses covered the batteries with wet rags in the winter to get rid of dry air. But this is not aesthetically pleasing, it is a chore (after all, the rags dried up all the time and needed to be wetted again), and it’s not at all useful for the heating system. Whether the case - pretty compact device, which is enough to turn on the network and pour water. And the rest he does himself.

After all measurements, you will receive the desired number. If it is in the most adverse conditions more than 40 percent, then there is nothing to worry about - you can safely bypass the side of the shelves with humidifiers in the store. But when it turns out less, it is worth without delay to begin the choice of a humidifier. Then we will talk about what, in fact, to choose from.

Select the type and type of humidifier

Traditional humidifiers

Device and principle of operation . These devices are extremely simple in design and are based on the principle of natural evaporation of moisture. There is a tank in which water is poured and a sponge filter or cartridge is installed, which is partially immersed in a pan of water. This wet filter is only half closed with water - its upper part protrudes above its surface. There is also a fan, forcing the air from the room to move through the filter, saturated with moisture. The maximum humidity that can be reached is 60%. The rate of evaporation of water - 400 grams per hour or less.

The device of a traditional humidifier:

Service . Devices of this type are as unpretentious as possible. All you need to do is to add evaporating water to the tank and wash the filter under running water once every 1 - 2 weeks. Another wet filter is changed every 2 - 3 months. Despite the recommendations to use distilled water, humidifiers work fine with tap water.

Experts recommend using traditional units in the nursery or in the bedroom. These devices are safe because they do not create hot steam and are not capable of supersaturated air with moisture. That allows, when the device is always on, to provide optimal humidity in the range of 50 - 60%. But for greenhouses, they are not suitable, because they are not capable of over-saturation of the air with moisture.

Steam humidifiers

Device and principle of operation . Here you can draw an analogy with an electric kettle, since hot steam is used to saturate the air masses with water. Accordingly, there is a container with water and a pair of electrodes connected to the network, lowered there. This design is most effective in performance, reaching up to 700 grams of evaporated water per hour. If necessary, you can reach any level of humidity that exceeds natural limits.

Steam humidifier device:

Service . As for maintenance, it is also simple here: you need to monitor the water level and replenish capacity. For which, by the way, tap water is quite suitable. Just remember about the scum - as in the kettle, you should regularly get rid of it. Using the appropriate means.

Steam aggregates are ideal for a winter garden, greenhouse, greenhouse. For children it is not recommended - it is dangerous. And the close proximity of the steam device do not like books, furniture and expensive hardwood floors. Prefer a similar model equipped with a hygrostat. This will save - the device will turn off when the exposed moisture level is reached. However, in the absence of a built-in hygrostat, you can purchase it separately.

Ultrasonic humidifiers

Device and principle of operation . If you have a task to choose a humidifier for an apartment, pay attention to these devices. These devices are leading in the ranking, being considered the most modern, convenient and economical. The basis of their design is a special plate that vibrates with an ultrasonic frequency, turning water into a mass of microscopic droplets. The resulting cold water suspension is sprayed around the room using an electric fan. As a rule, each model has a built-in hygrostat. Another mandatory detail is a filter cleaning system.

Ultrasonic humidifier device:

Service . Caring for the apparatus consists of both pouring water (preferably distilled, so that salts do not form) and periodic replacement of filters.

Ultrasonic units can be useful almost everywhere: both at home or in the office, and in a greenhouse or greenhouse. They are good in shops with antique furniture, shops with flowers, musical instruments, electronics.

Air wash

Device and principle of operation . Devices of this type are similar to traditional humidifiers, differing from them in the presence of an air purification system from pollution. For this purpose, rotating plastic discs immersed in water are used. As a result, dust, allergens, bad odors are removed from the air masses. In addition, there are similar models with air ionizers, designed to provide better air purification. A number of devices are additionally equipped with flavoring.

Air cleaning device:

Service . To maintain the washing, you only need to rinse the container (once a week) and plastic discs (once a month), as well as add water when its level drops.

Although the main purpose of these devices is to clean the air, they can be used very effectively for humidifying air masses. They use car washes in the same premises as traditional appliances. In all rooms of the apartment, including the bedrooms and children.

Combined devices (climate systems)

Device and principle of operation . These devices are the most advanced. They not only moisten, but also qualitatively purify the air with the help of several filter stages. In addition, they are equipped with numerous sensors that respond to: cigarette smoke, dust levels, dryness and other parameters. In the unit, in addition to the electric motor (rotating the fan) and the water tank, there are certainly: HEPA filters, carbon filters, wet filters of antibacterial type.

Example of a climate complex device:

Service . The maintenance of such a complex consists in regularly adding water to the tank, as well as in replacing the filters, each of which has its own service life.

Such systems will be useful to those who need a device that can clean and humidify the air for a long time, reliably and efficiently. At the same time, the issue price and regular financial costs do not matter to you.

Performance and Service Area

Now, in order to understand how to choose an air humidifier for your home, we consider the general selection criteria for all these devices.Productivity is indicated either in grams of water evaporated per hour, or in liters - per day.

The last figure is in the range:

• from 4 to 8 liters - traditional instruments;
• from 7 to 16 liters - steam appliances ;
• from 7 to 14 liters - ultrasonic devices.

The more efficient the device, the larger the area of ​​the room it will be able to moisturize. However, it should be remembered that buying a too productive device does not make sense. Do not count on the fact that installing such a device at a certain point in the apartment, you can humidify the air in all rooms. This will not happen, since the air exchange between the different rooms of an apartment or house is somewhat difficult. The ideal option is when you buy a device for a particular room in which it will be used. Therefore, before you start choosing a humidifier, determine the area of ​​the room and, when choosing, start from this indicator.

Placement method in space

Here, devices can be divided into two types:

# 1. Floor-mounted humidifiers, as a rule, have volumetric dimensions. They are suitable for spacious rooms. Often this is a complex that solves several problems at once.

# 2. Table-top appliances are compact, they can be put on a table or high on a shelf. In the latter case, the efficiency of work increases, as humid air becomes heavy and goes down. On the way to the floor, a cloud of water mist disperses, perfectly moisturizing the room.

About the filters used and their parameters

All humidifiers, air washers and climate systems can be equipped with certain filters. Some filters can be used to clean evaporated water, and some to clean the air. To make it easier for you to navigate in them, let us tell what they are used for. Certain models of humidifiers are not equipped with filters at all.

Pre-Filters . They are able to remove only large particles from the air, not cope, for example, with allergens and bacteria.

Electrostatic filters . They successfully fight with flower pollen, cigarette smoke, dust (including fine). But if harmful organic matter or toxins are present in the air (nitrogen oxide, for example), then they are powerless. Used in air washings.

Plasma filters . The principle of operation is the same as that of an electrostatic filter, but the cleaning rate is 10 times higher. In a short time, this method can purify a large amount of air by removing allergens from it.

Carbon filters . They can cope well with molecules that serve as sources of unpleasant odors. They also get rid of tobacco smoke, but not too quickly. Are applied in climatic complexes.

HEPA filters . Able to produce a sufficiently high-quality and fine air purification, including removing allergens (pollen, bacteria, dust mites). Their efficiency - 99 percent, particle trapping - from 0.3 micron. Climatic complexes are equipped with such filters, which are designed not only to humidify, but also to purify the air.

ULPA filters . Even more effective (give a result of 99.9 percent, catch particles from 0.1 micron) than HEPA filters. The principle of operation and the scope of both systems are the same.

Antiallergic filters . They fight viruses, mold fungi and bacteria.

Cartridge with ceramic filler . It is used if it is necessary to disinfect water and is installed in air humidifiers for pre-treatment of water.

Photocatalytic filters . Combine ultraviolet radiation with a catalyst. The result is a weapon that is detrimental to chemical toxins and harmful bacteria.

How to determine the water consumption and duration of work

Water tank capacity

The frequency of the instrument maintenance depends on the capacity of the water tank. As a rule, the volume of the tank depends on the performance of the device. To use the device did not give you unnecessary trouble, you need to focus on the following indicators:

Maximum water consumption

This parameter shows how much water per hour or per day the device consumes from the reservoir. It directly depends on the power of the device. Average household appliances - 12-15 liters of water per day.

Duration of work

The duration of work shows how long it takes, when working in the most intensive mode, the device runs out of water from the tank.To determine the time of maximum operation of your device, it is necessary to divide the volume of the tank (by transferring the value to milliliters) by the flow rate (converting to milliliters per hour). If the volume of the tank is 5500 ml and the water consumption per hour is 400 ml, then the device will use up all the water for 13.75 hours. It is after this time that you have to maintain the device topping up the water in the tank.

Determine an acceptable noise level

If we compare all household humidifiers manufactured to date, we can see that their noise limit varies from 5 to 55 dB. This parameter depends on the design features of the electric motor and the fan mounted on its axis, as well as on their power.

As you can see, the noise level varies significantly. However, in the daytime, people are usually not so sensitive to him. But at night, especially for people with a sensitive sleep, it is very important. Then you can advise to buy models in which this feature does not exceed 35 decibels. These devices are quite suitable for use at night.

By the way, for reference: the noise level in residential premises is 20 dB; 50 dB does not correspond to very loud conversation; whisper - 10 dB.

Control methods

Mechanical type

Models with such controls will be cheaper, they are simpler in design. As a rule, they have only a couple of regulators: setting the operation mode and timer. No additional features here.

Electronic Type

Usually present in devices with higher price, equipped with additional indicators, the ability to automatically adjust and programming. They, as a rule, have a display where you can trace the correctness of the specified commands and see the necessary data. Such models are often equipped with built-in sensors, which, in response to changes in the room atmosphere, are capable of putting the humidifier in the desired mode.

Indicators: which ones are and which ones are needed

• Power indicator . This is usually a light indicating that the device is connected to the network and is in good condition.
• Low water level indicator . If the water runs out, the appliance will be automatically turned off. Therefore, this indicator serves only as a warning that the liquid must be refilled. Otherwise, moisture will not be carried out.
• Humidity indicator . This option is present when there is a built-in hygrometer. But since the device can track this indicator only near itself, then for large rooms the result may have an error.
• Temperature level indicator . Here we see the temperature inside the room. Optimally, when humidity with temperature is maintained in a certain ratio.
• Mode Indicator . More needed in complex devices (for example, in climate complexes). This indicator shows in which mode the device is currently operating.
• Information about replacing or cleaning parts . Convenient option - you can visually see which of the filters you need to change or what part you want to clean. This is usually signaled by a special icon appearing on the display.

Additional functions

Aromatization

Some devices are equipped with an aroma capsule that allows you to pour aromatic oil: to create a pleasant atmosphere or to disinfect air. It all depends on the oil poured inside: fir or eucalyptus, for example, are used for disinfection, and lavender, pink or sandalwood - for a delicate fragrance. It is worth noting that in the absence of such an option, it is impossible to experiment, pouring oil into the main tank, so as not to damage the internal parts of the device.

Air ionization

Many devices are equipped with ionizers that saturate the air with negatively charged ions. The presence of an ionizer makes it possible to achieve a more thorough purification of air from dust, dust mites and plant pollen.

Ozonation

Ozone can damage the membrane of bacteria and viruses, preventing them from multiplying. This option is very useful during seasonal epidemics - the air in the apartment is disinfected. Often it is present at the sink air.

Ultraviolet

Used to destroy microorganisms present in water and air. Ultraviolet disinfection occurs exclusively inside the device and is aimed at cleaning the air and water leaving the device.

Any additional function affects the cost of the device towards its increase. Therefore, before you start choosing a humidifier, determine exactly which of these functions you need.

Manufacturers and price categories

The shops offer a variety of humidifiers - which one to choose depends not only on the size of the room and its purpose. Not the last role is played by the device brand. In order for it to serve for a long time, working properly, it is worth referring to the products of reliable brands. Which can vary significantly in price.

Of the premium options, you can name the well-known Swiss brand Plaston AG. The brands he produces are: Air-O-Swiss and Boneco. You can also note the devices under the brand Bork - they are also distinguished by the highest quality and very high price.

Models of a more budget type, but of quite good quality, are Polaris, Supra, Scarlett, Vitek brands. However, these same manufacturers produce models and more expensive, equipped with a large number of functions.

Also remember that the total cost depends on the type of instrument. The cheapest are traditional (or steam) units with mechanical control. The ultrasonic device will cost more, the climate station - even more expensive.

Tips for using and operating humidifiers

Video: How to choose a humidifier