What to look for when choosing an air humidifier for a Smart Home

Three main criteria, in our opinion, for choosing humidifiers

Traditional humidifier for stove heating. A large metal container without a lid on a cast iron stove. Even better – two large containers (in the photo – on the floor on the right). In cold months, when the outside temperature is -10°C and below, water consumption is 10 or more liters per day with running supply ventilation and humidity in the house around 40%
Traditional humidifier for stove heating. A large metal container without a lid on a cast iron stove. Even better – two large containers (in the photo – on the floor on the right). In cold months, when the outside temperature is -10°C and below, water consumption is 10 or more liters per day with running supply ventilation and humidity in the house around 40%

1. Water tank capacity

The larger, the better. If your region has cold winters with negative temperatures or if you live in a very dry climate with humidity less than 30%, the daily water consumption in the humidifier can reach 10-30 liters for an average family. Especially if there is a full-fledged supply and exhaust ventilation system in the house. If you plan to integrate the humidifier into a Smart Home, manually refilling the tank when water is automatically consumed will be quite inconvenient. An example of calculation, as well as detailed information about the physical characteristics of air humidity and its impact on health, can be found in the article “How air humidity affects your health”

2. Labor intensity and operating costs

Regardless of the operating principle, all air humidifiers require regular maintenance and replacement of consumables. Choose what is closer and easier for you, but in any case, you cannot do without regular maintenance. At the very least, make sure in advance that all necessary consumables will be readily available to you:

  • steam humidifiers (hot steam) need to be regularly cleaned of scale, often also replace the corresponding filters, and pay slightly more for electricity
  • “air washers”, humidifiers operating on the principle of cold evaporation, when the airflow is passed through wet filters or a chamber where a large free water surface is artificially created. Such devices require increased attention to the cleanliness of these chambers and filters. “Washers” fully justify their name, in addition to humidifying, they also purify the air from dust. The flip side is that the collected dust accumulates in the water tank, and you will have to clean and disinfect it regularly. If you neglect cleaning and sanitary measures, you may eventually find mold or algae there, with all the consequences
  • ultrasonic humidifiers, devices that create a cloud of tiny water droplets using ultrasound, are almost the perfect solution. They are simple, safe, with high performance and low energy consumption. But there is a nuance that many have stumbled upon. Ultrasonic humidifiers REQUIRE DISTILLED WATER FOR NORMAL OPERATION. Otherwise, your apartment will quickly be covered with a fairly dense white deposit that is not so easy to remove. Where do you think the dissolved salts from these tiny droplets go? The water from the droplet evaporated, and the remaining salts, including those responsible for scale in kettles, went to reinforce the lime deposit on your furniture

So, if there is no convenient and inexpensive delivery of distilled water in your region, most likely this solution is not for you. Either you will have to make distilled, or at least very soft water yourself. Such solutions exist, but they all require both time and expenses.

3. Humidity feedback

Most manufacturers include this option by default, but not all. So make sure when purchasing that your device will be able to adjust itself when the humidity reaches a certain threshold.