The humidifier test: humidify not only in winter

When I heard about the need for a humidifier in every modern apartment, I thought I was dealing with hidden advertising: “Again, the manufacturers want to force us to buy their products. But after taking a few humidifiers for a test, I realized that I have lived so far in an area close to the Sahara Desert. At least in terms of the level of humidity.

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One of the common opinions about humidifiers is that they are only needed in the winter, when the central heating radiators are on.

That statement is only partially true. During the heating season humidifiers are needed unequivocally, but in summer they can also be useful. Even in New York, during last not so hot summer, on some sunny warm days, the humidity in my apartment, for example, was only 35%. And this despite the fact that the windows were open and there were draughts.

On hot days, my teenage son would turn the humidifier on all the way and he would think it was cooler and fresher in the room. Of course, the humidifier is not the air conditioner, and when it works, the temperature in the room if it will fall, then at most by 1 ° C. But the feeling of freshness did occur. It was easier to breathe. It may be self-inflicted, but self-inflicted is pleasant..

But on rainy summer days, the humidity in the room was normal, and the humidifier could rest and stand idle.

YOU DIDN’T EXPECT

I realized the full extent of the problem after a couple of weeks, once the radiators started working. When, before the test, some manufacturers said that during the heating season to raise the humidity level to normal quickly, I did not really believe. Thought it was just words. But that’s not how it works. In general, I was sure that the humidity in my house is all right: there is an aquarium, which is considered a natural humidifier, something is always cooking in the kitchen, and the laundry is dried on the radiators almost constantly. But turned on humidifiers showed that the humidity level is only 30%. This is at an optimum of 45%! Moreover, the humidifier, indeed, could not raise the level to at least 40% for a few days. It looked like this: The unit was running and the humidity was slowly rising. But as soon as you turn on the oven or open a window, the humidity immediately drops. If you turn off the humidifier at night, the room is the same 30% again in the morning. In general, I saw in practice how our central heating dries the air. And this is bad for a number of reasons. Dry air is a weak indoor plants that have leaves dry up, and the roots can also rot because of the frequent watering. It is the shriveling floor of expensive hardwood floors, and most importantly, it is our dry hair, irritated mucous membranes, moisture-depleted skin. So in wintertime humidifier is indispensable for city dwellers.

WHY ULTRASOUND?

Among the various proposals in the market ultrasonic devices – one of the most common and popular.

Why it works out this way?

Ultrasonic humidifiers are as safe as can be as safe as all electrical appliances . The steam comes out cold, so you cannot get burnt by it. Even with the Warm Steam function, the outlet temperature of the latter does not exceed 40°C.

Another great thing about ultrasonic humidifiers is that many of them have a function that automatically maintains the set humidity level. You do not need to monitor this parameter and fear that soon the apartment will be like in Sochi. Many ultrasonic humidifiers shut off automatically when humidity reaches your set point. And when that level drops, the devices are turned back on. As long as there is water in the tank.

Another advantage of ultrasonic humidifiers: they work very quietly, and some models are also equipped with a night mode. In this case, the unit both monitors the humidity level and runs at minimum speed, which ensures a low noise level.

unRepARATED REPUTATION

Some consumers are afraid that the humidifier can leave a whitish, badly-washable deposit on the furniture and walls. And this happens because of the water!

Our water is hard, it has a lot of salts. So all good ultrasonic humidifiers are equipped with filters and cartridges to clean and soften the water. By the way, the duration of the filters, not least of all depends on the hardness of the water in your area: the harder it is, the more often you should change the cartridge.

You can use distilled water, but it will be too expensive, because the water is needed to humidify the air always.

Therefore it is important to pay attention to filters installed in humidifiers, which are designed to purify water. More accurately, there are 3 factors that will be relevant in the operation of the product: the life of the filter, its price, and where it is sold. It depends on whether you will use a year later and the humidifier and will not cost more than its usefulness and value.

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HUMIDITY

Before I went to test the humidifiers, I wanted to measure the time it takes the humidity in the room to change from 35% to 45%, to measure the accuracy of the hygrometer readings. But in the process of testing, I realized that such studies can only be done in the laboratory, and at home the situation is different every day: then the window is open, then the pie in the oven is cooked. In general, it was not possible to create the same climatic conditions for all devices in one apartment. As for the hygrometers, the humidifiers showed different numbers, even though they were standing side by side. I bought a reference hygrometer, hoping it would help the measurements. His numbers did not match any readings and seemed even more fantastic!

Ultrasonic humidifiers tested by us:

TEST PARTICIPANTS

It so happened that, although only 4 models took part in the test, the cross-section turned out very interesting. Models, despite the fact that it is an ultrasonic humidifier, are quite different from each other.

Stadler Form Poseidon

– It is the premium class of humidifiers. High performance, all possible modes, three speeds of steam, backlit display – a complete set of features and amenities. This humidifier is designed for large rooms, so it is big enough, and the water tank is the most capacious. But the control panel is not russified, all the inscriptions in English.

Cuckoo Liiot LH 5311N

– This humidifier is interesting, because at a fairly modest size has a very high performance. That is why it can be used in large rooms. True, it has no precise indication of moisture level, but there is a mode to maintain the specified level: it does not work simply until the tank runs out of water, and will periodically on off so that the actual humidity coincides with the set. Controls are mechanical and very simple.

Steba LB 6

– A very interesting humidifier in terms of design. Equipped with current humidity indicator and maintains its level automatically. It has modern controls, it’s a pity the panel is not russified. Water tank with a beautiful blue backlight, so in the dark time of day humidifier also plays the role of a night light.

Timberk THU UL 09(W

– The smallest of the tested and the most affordable. It has a built-in ionizer to saturate the air with negatively charged ions and the ability to further scent the room. This device can also be used as a night light.

Three of the devices on the test are equipped with a warm steam function. Why it’s needed? First of all, warm steam humidifies the air in the room faster. It also kills most of the known bacteria and microorganisms in the heating process, so the steam that comes out is cleaner.

We were lucky: all tested humidifiers are equipped with filters for water purification and softening, so there is no white stain on the furniture in the room, despite the active work of sometimes four humidifiers at once.

So, our little test revealed all the variety of the market of household ultrasonic humidifiers. Depending on your needs and capabilities, you can choose a serious device that will literally control the climate in the room, and you can pick up a small humidifier, which will not only humidify the air, but also “illuminate the reality”.

But the main conclusion that I made after the test was that an ultrasonic humidifier is not a luxury, but a means of survival in the stone jungle.