The humidity level in your home has a dramatic effect on comfort. To achieve a comfortable interior environment, the humidity levels should be from 30 to 50 percent in the winter and 40 to 50 percent in the summer.
Lower levels of water vapor in the air can dry out and irritate skin and higher levels can feel damp and may encourage mold and mildew that cause allergies and damage to your house.
In some parts of the country, notably the Southwest, the air is dry most of the time. In other regions, winter heating robs the air of humidity. To solve these problems, humidifiers put water vapor into a home's air. They are available as:
* Table-top units
* Consoles
* Units connected to central heating and cooling systems
Tabletop humidifiers serve one room, while console or central humidifiers can serve a whole apartment or house. Tabletop and console models are relatively inexpensive, easy to move from one room to another and easy to hook up. The downside is that they must be filled manually--sometimes every day.
Central humidifiers are hooked up to the heating equipment and water is piped directly to them. They are part of the home's forced-air central heating and cooling; air is humidified only when these systems are running.
