Types of Humidifiers and the Humidifier Filters Involved

Just as there are many humidifier models available in the market today, consequently there are just as many humidifier filters to match. The models vary in sizes, table top units to room sized to units for the entire house, as well as in the technology that filters the air and technology that releases the moisture into the air.

The most common type of humidifiers use an evaporative humidifier filter to moisten the air as it passes through the unit. It works by passing air over a filter that is saturated with water. The filter captures any pollutants or particles in the air before it is passed out of the unit and back into the room. This produces air that has moisture and free of most pollutants in the air.

Evaporative humidifiers are simple but very effective. One of the best features of such a simple process is the self regulating aspect of humidifying. Since the rate at which the water evaporates into the air slows down as humidity levels rise, the room cannot be over humidified which is a problem that must be monitored for with other humidifying techniques. The minimal monitoring makes this easy-to-use unit that much more gratifying.

A more recent product of technological innovation applied to the humidifier industry is ultrasonic humidifiers. Instead of a fan blowing air over a filter as in typical humidifiers, these units use high-frequency vibrations to gently push water vapors through the machine and back out into the room. Ultrasonic humidifiers are popular for their energy saving design as well as the very low noise generated during operation. The quiet humidification makes this type of machine very useful during the night so that sleep is not interrupted. There are also potential costs savings in the long run because of the low maintenance required. There are units that can produce cool or warm mist that can be controlled with adjustable settings. Control settings are very important to preventing over humidification especially if the unit is used at night when humidity levels are not being monitored.

Most small humidifiers are cool mist humidifiers that use an evaporative humidifier filter. The difference with a cool mist humidifier is that it offers no heating which is ideal for some climates when heating is not a necessary function from a humidifier. These types of humidifiers use a fan to blow air over the wet filter and many consider it a safe unit to use when infants or small children are present.

A humidifier that requires no filter separates itself from the pack in a major, and obvious, way. It does not need a filter which saves money on consumables compared to other units that require replacement humidifier filters. Other than that the concept of humidifiers remains relatively similar. Push air through a unit that moistens and filters the air going through, and then release that air into the room and cycle until the desired humidity level is reached. The other benefit of such a machine is that cleaning the plate that replaces the need for a filter is a breeze, no pun intended. Simply pulling out the plate and wiping it with a cloth is all that is required. Of course, just like any other humidifier, the water reservoir or tank will need to be cleaned and refilled once in a while.

However, the way it filters the air without a filter is something that differentiates the filter-less humidifier and might raise some safety concern as well. As the unit passes air through it charges the air using electro-static energy. This causes the particles and pollutants to carry that particular charge and as it passes through an oppositely charges plate, the particles stick to the plate while the rest of the air flows through the unit picking up moisture on the way out.

The concern comes from the ozone that is believed to be created through this process and there is little empirical evidence to support whether this humidification system is truly safe for consumer use. The general idea right now is that following manufacturer guidelines and utilizing this unit in the properly sized space will minimize any potential risk. The risk lies in using a unit designed for a larger space in a small room.

In any case, any humidifier owner should follow manufacturer user instruction anyways to prevent potential complications that could arise from improper use. The most common problem is over humidification which can be prevented by choosing a product with adjustable control settings that allow the user to set a target humidity level. The typical recommendation is between 30% to 50% humidity. This way the unit knows to stop when the target level has been reached. Knowing the size of the space is the next most important part of using a humidifier so to avoid much the same issue of over humidification. Keep the unit clean and replace the humidifier filter when necessary to enjoy the most of your machine.