For those who live in Bluffdale, Utah or other nearby areas, the dryness of this climate is well-known. Utah is primarily a desert, after all, and this means the air tends to be particularly dry – and for some homes, this leads to a need or desire for a humidifier of some type, whether for the whole home or just for certain rooms where you spend lots of time.
At Airtime Heating & Cooling, we’re here to help with several indoor air quality areas as part of our broad HVAC services, including whole house solutions for air quality and purification plus humidity control. At the same time, we’re here to ensure our clients understand how humidifiers work, plus some general tips on when they should be turned off – there’s such thing as too much humidity, after all, and it might lead to issues like mold growth or mildew odors. Here’s a primer on how humidifiers work, some times when they should often be turned off, and how to go about doing this.
A humidifier works by adding moisture into the air that’s present in a given room or space, moisture that’s passed into the air in the form of water vapor. Broadly speaking, there are two types of humidifiers: Portable options that are meant to be moved around the home and humidify a single room, and central humidifiers, which are bigger models that connect to your home’s HVAC system and brings added humidity to every room in the home that has an air vent.
As you may have guessed (or already known), there are also dehumidifiers out there that perform the opposite task when needed. However, in a dry climate like Utah, dehumidifiers are far less common than humidifiers.
The most common usage period for a humidifier is during winter, where the air tends to get particularly dry. However, by late spring or the early summer period, many homes will see their humidity levels rise as the weather gets a bit more humid – and many homeowners can easily turn off their humidifiers for some or all of this period. This might not be the case for everyone, as some Utah homes will remain dry throughout the year; this is one of the valuable areas of working with HVAC professionals like ours, who can test your home’s humidity level and make specific recommendations about whether you should be using a humidifier during a given time of year.
If you do determine that turning off the humidifier is the right move, doing so is relatively simple. For portable models, this is as easy as switching the machine off and unplugging it.
For central systems, you need to find the humidistat, which is typically near the thermostat or humidifier unit. Set this item to the off position, or to the lowest percentage of relative humidity if there’s no off position. Also be sure to shut off your water supply to the humidifier by turning that water valve clockwise until it stops.
For more on how to utilize your humidifier and when to turn it off, or to learn about any of our heating and air services in Bluffdale or other parts of Utah, speak to the staff at Airtime Heating & Cooling today.
