Humidifier Maintenance Tips for Winter Season

A bit of background on how a humidifier works will be helpful. Anyone with a swamp cooler probablyalready understands the concept. The purpose of this appliance is to add a controlled amount ofmoisture, or humidity, to the home's living space.

How Does a Humidifier Work?

The unit is composed of four components that operate together:

The medium. Used to hold water, this is typically a pad, filter, screen, or a mesh of some sort. If it's apad, it absorbs water by being rotated through a container of water. Otherwise, the medium absorbswater by having the water flow across it.

A mechanical fan. This blows air across the medium, causing moisture to enter the air by the processof evaporation. If the unit is furnace mounted, the furnace fan may perform this function.

The humidistat. This operates in a similar fashion as a central air conditioning thermostat. When itsenses the need for moisture in the air, it causes the medium to absorb water and activates the fan.

Water reservoir. This, where applicable, is the container for the water used by the appliance.

A Humidifier Maintenance Checklist

Any handy homeowner can tackle this annual maintenance task. There aren't many things to dealwith because, like a swamp cooler, or evaporative cooler, this is a fairly simple household appliance.Following are the things to look at.

Cleaning the unit. This is the core of the checklist. During use, it builds up rust and scale or mineraldeposits if the home isn't equipped with a water softening system.

Servicing the float assembly. Reservoir-type humidifiers have a float assembly. A general cleaning

will allow it to move freely without binding up. Vinegar works well in some situation or a specialcleaning solution may be used.

Medium replacement. Regardless of which type of medium is used, it's a good idea to replace itduring each maintenance routine. They are inexpensive and easy to change.

Controlling bacteria build-up. Bacteria can build up in the reservoir in many situations. While theunit is operating, the fan can cause it to become airborne in the home which is a health risk. Avoidthis by cleaning the reservoir with an anti-bacterial solution periodically.

Turn On and Test the Unit

When the humidifier is the type working in conjunction with a furnace, the furnace will need to beturned on as well to operate, so the furnace fan can blow through the medium. The unit shouldinfuse the air with the amount of moisture that the humidistat is set to.

If not enough humidity is being added to the air and it's a furnace-mounted unit, the problem mightbe that the furnace fan isn't activated long enough. Either the fan must be set full-time or a stand-alone humidifier will have to be added to the home.