When it comes to the comfort of our homes, many people want the temperature to be at a setting that is not too warm or too cold. However, aside from the actual temperature of the air in your home, the air quality is just as important as well. If your house is in an area where the air becomes too dry or too humid, then many turn to using a dehumidifier or humidifier respectively. To achieve optimal air quality in houses with very dry, arid air, many people use humidifiers in their home in order to maintain a comfortable level of moisture in the air. While most humidifiers are good for specific rooms, the best whole house humidifier is quite spectacular.
Why Is Humidity Level Important?
Maintaining a good amount of humidity in the home can help prevent cold and flu viruses, static electricity, dry skin, throat, eyes and other allergy symptoms. The right amount of humidity levels in your home can even protect your leather and wood furniture by keeping them nourished and preventing cracks in leather and creaks in floors.
Not only does having a humidifier in the home help keep you health in an optimal state, humidifier can also help with your homes energy bills. This is because having the right humidity levels in your homes air will help keep your home warm and at an optimal temperature which can help tremendously during winter months.
Generally speaking, having a humidifier in your home, work place, et cetera can greatly improve the quality of the air which will help with breathing, temperature, and just overall comfort. While there are many reason why someone would want a humidifier, choosing the right one may not be so easy. With so many humidifiers on the market, knowing what to look for will greatly help you in your search.
Here are some key features that may help you when choosing a humdifier for your home:
Furnace or Console
Both are capable of humidifying your entire home however unlike a console humidifier, a furnace unit is connected to your HVAC system. This is great as it requires less maintenance as time goes on. Whereas a console humidifier requires refilling the water panel and regular cleaning, a furnace humidifier basically operates itself.
Flow Through versus Bypass
Unlike a Bypass unit, a flow-through humidifier doesn’t need a water reservoir which can help reduce maintainence needs as well as costs.
Overall efficiency
There are some humidifiers that use more gallons of water than others while leaving a pool of unused water that basically goes to waste depending on the type of humidifier. A humidifier that connects to your HVAC system will draw it’s energy from that. This factor can have an effect on your energy bill so keep this in mind when making your decision.
Since you are opting for a humidifier that can accommodate your entire home as opposed to a room, you may want something as efficient as possible. Also, think about the maintenance requirements for each type of system rather than just cost. There may be systems that are lower in price however, they may require more daily maintenance and not be as energy efficient.
On the other hand, a humidifier may be more expensive to install initially, however, as time passes, you may see that it requires very little maintainence and actually reduces your energy bill significantly.
We have reviewed various whole house humidifiers and compiled a list of the ones we feel are some of the best humidifiers on the market. Hopefully, our list can help you find the best whole house humidifier for you.
OUR TOP TEN WHOLE HOUSE HUMIDIFIER REVIEWS
1. AIRCARE MA0800 Digital Whole-House Console-Style Evaporative Humidifier
Features
With the use of a saturated wick, the AIRCARE digital humidifier helps to balance your homes humidity levels by adding moisture to the air. The humidifier is 2.5 gallons and can be used for areas up to 2600 square feet. This unit is digitally controlled with three speeds one of which is a quiet mode for nighttime. What I like about this humidifier is that it will detect when the humidity levels have reached the optimal percentage and it will automatically shut itself off. This automatic shut off even kicks in if the humidifier is out of water. When the water has run out or the filter needs changing, this AIRCARE humidifier will display that information.
Positives
- Quiet mode for nightime
- Automatic shutoff
Negatives
- This humidifier has a warning about exposing consumers to cancer causing chemicals.
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2. Aprilaire 500 Whole House Humidifier, Automatic Compact Furnace Humidifier
Features
The Aprilaire 500 humidifier is one of the few humidifiers I have seen that actually doesn’t waste water. Instead, the humidifier uses a process which completly evaporates the water inside of the panel. Not only is this humidifier conservative, it is great for larger homes as it can cover more than 3,000 square feet. Not only does this humidifier detect humidity levels inside the home, it is also influenced by outside temperatures as well. This feature helps the system to deliver the most optimal performance by maintaining the best amount of humidity levels needed.
Positives
- Because of the evaporating feature, no drain is needed
- Waste 0% of water
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3. Aprilaire 800 Whole House Steam Humidifier, High Output Humidifier
Features
Another awesome humidifier by Aprilaire, the Aprilaire 800 humidifier can cover homes as large as 6,000 square feet. With six output levels to choose from, you can determine how much moisture is released into your homes air.
Positives
- No special water of filtration necessary
- Capable of covering large homes
Negatives
- Tends to drain a lot of water
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4. Emerson HSP2000 Whole House Steam Humidifier
Features
The Emerson Steam Humidifier is one of the simplest home humidifiers out as it does not rely on hot air yet is one of the more accurate humidifiers. The Emerson humidifier can detect humidy levels automatically helping to maintain your home or office’s humidity levels.
Positives
- 120-Volt steam powered whole house humidifier with flushing timer and filter
- For use in 1400 square foot minimum house
- Steam Powered
- Flushing Timer
- Rated output 13-Gallon per day
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5. Aprilaire 865 Whole House Steam Humidifier with Wall Mount Fan
Features
Aprilaire’s 865 Steam Humidifier has much of the same features as its other models such as covering large areas of more than 6,000 square feet, and allowing you six moisture output options. However, what’s so awesome about this particular model is that it features a fan that can be mounted on the wall and pushes the humidified air into direct spaces. This feature is really handy for homes that do not have a HVAC system to push the airflow.
Positives
- No duct of HVAC system required
- Can cover more than 6,000 square feet
- Does not require filtered water
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6. AIRCARE Whole House Pedestal Humidifier
Features
What I like about the Pedestal Humidifier by AIRCARE is that it has a remote control option with nine speed choices. The controls are digital with a display that indicates system information from filter check to refilling water.
Positives
- Humidifier automatically shuts itself off
- Uses less water than others at only 9 gallons
- Comes with decorative tile
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7. Aprilaire 400 Whole House Humidifier, Automatic Water Saver Furnace Humidifier
Features
Aprilaire’s 400 model humidifier has dual sensors that allow it to configure the best humidity output for your home based on indoor and outdoor temperatures. With a max daily usage of 17 gallons, the Aprilaire 400 waste zero water because it evaporates every drop. Because of this function, unlike many other humidifiers, a drain is not needed for the Apriaire 400.
Positives
- Zero water waste
- Can coverage a large home fully
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8. HE280A2001 HE280A Whole House Humidifier By Honeywell
Features
This humidifier by Honeywell is designed with flow through technology that eliminates microorganisms thus reducing the need for constant maintenance. It can work on areas with square footage as big as 3,0000 while using water efficiently.
Positives
- Works on for large areas
- Uses water efficiently
- Protects wood floors and furnishings from drying and cracking
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9. AIRCARE 831000 Space-Saver, White Whole House Evaporative Humidifier
Features
This evaporative humidifier by AIRCARE has an automatic shutoff whenever the humidity has reached th desired level, or when the unit is out of water. It can hold up to 6 gallons and has indicators for when the water needs to be refilled or the filter needs to be checked. The controls are digital while the unit is capable of automatically detecting humidity levels via Auto Humidistat.
Positives
- Automatic shutoff for convenience
- Affordably priced
- Indicates when water is low or filter needs changing
Negatives
- Maximum run time is 70 hours
- Manufacturer warnings to consider for best practice when using product
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10. AIRCARE 4DTS 900 Whole House Console Evaporative Humidifier With Brushed Nickel
Features
Not only is the AIRCARE 4DTS 900 one of my favorite humidifiers for its sleek brushed nickel design, I love the functionality of this humidifier. This humidifier uses less gallons of water each day than most other humidifiers at only around 11 gallons daily. The Humidistat automatically detects humidity levels so that the unit will shut off on its own when the desired humidity is reached. It will also shut itself off if the water is empty as well. The water tank can hold up to 5.7 gallons and the unit has nine different motor speeds to choose from.
Positives
- This humidifier can work on large homes
- It has nice motor speeds
- Uses less water per day than some other humidifiers
Negatives
- Unit can be quite noisy when running
- Manufacturer warns of product possibly exposing you to dangerous chemicals
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Final Thought
When choosing your humidifier for your home, first and foremost, keep in mind what your personal preference and lifestyle is. Are you willing to refill the water daily or do you need something that operates automatically? Do you prefer a humidifier that can run constantly or do you mind that the unit has a limited running capacity? How big of an energy conservatist are you? Does it bother you that some humidifiers may waste water and would you rather a unit that is 100% efficient?
There are lots of humidifiers that have varying features from motor speed to operating time and so on. Initially, before you get into price, you should first decide what are the deal breakers for you and what are the must-have’s. Doing so will help narrow down your search drastically and is really the better way to began your search.
The last thing you want is to make decisions for such a large investment based soley on price. Especially if you are having the humidifier installed onto your HVAC system. That is a lot of time and effort to put into something that you will end up having removed.
We hope this review was able to help you in your search of the best whole house humidifier unit for you.
