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Is Your Humidifier a Health Hazard?Dec 08 '03 (Updated Dec 12 '03) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Humidifiers can be a benefit if they are looked after properly. A health hazard if they are neglected. ~~~Remember Paul Pavlou "Pins For Pauly W/0"~~~
Winter has finally arrived well not officially until December 21 but still the Heating Season is started and I wanted to share a few things about Humidifiers. If you use a portable room humidifier then follow the cleaning recommendations of the manufacturer. Because these types of humidifiers are in plain sight they are less of a risk for Bio hazards. Even so, empty the water when not in use, as standing water can stagnate and then be spewed into the house. Clean it several times during the season also. Otherwise the water bucket will start building a slimy residue that is not always easy to see but can usually be felt. If you own a central humidifier then I highly recommend having your HVAC service technician service and clean this annually while he is checking the heating system. (Note: Central humidifiers are tied directly to the domestic water source and tied to the central heating duct work.) You should also ask him to add **ƒ Humi-Tabs by Virginia KMP to your system to keep your house safe from mold spores and other bacteria that can otherwise find a safe breading ground in your humidifier system. A product that well... you just can't go out and buy it because it is only sold commercially for use by HVAC contractors. So there is never going to be a product category on Epinions for these tablets, but I believe that many people would benefit from using these tablets if they ask their HVAC contractor about them. The tablets are placed in the water reservoir and dissolve in a few weeks but according to Virginia KMP they leave a protective plating and will prevent the growth of mold spores, algae and slime that forms from the airborne bacteria that is constantly being circulated through the humidifier. It has been my experience that these tablets do perform and humidifiers I have treated with them are much cleaner at the end of the season than those that have not been treated. If you have an atomizer type humidifier then the tablets should be placed in the water bucket. Some humidifiers spray or trickle water directly onto a "water panel" I recommend that the water panel be replaced at the beginning of the heating season and removed and discarded at the end of the season. They are usually not that expensive and it is better to be safe than sorry, these types of humidifiers do not allow water to stand directly in the pan and so are less likely to cause problems unless the panel is left in too long. Believe me I have seen these things get so bad that they look worse than anything you have ever unwittingly grown in your refrigerator. The safest humidifier is the "Steam" humidifier. They cost a little more to install but they actually heat the water just like a water heater does. They are all metal construction and have a heating element similar to those found in water heaters. They literally heat the water to near boiling temperature, much to hot to allow any bacteria to grow, and create enough steam to humidify the house. The upside is the only thing that gets into your house from this style is pure H2O. Everything else is left in the bottom of the water pan. The downside to this method is the operating cost, cleaning the lime and calcium deposits left behind (these get hard as bricks) and the element only lasts a few years before it has to be replaced. If you live in an area where you have hard water your humidifier may not be working at all. Heavy lime and calcium deposits can clog up the water fill valves and prevent sufficient water to pass to keep up with the demand. If this is your experience and you feel you need the humidity then have a ¼" in line water filter installed and replaced as necessary. NOTE: these are good for ice makers as well **ƒ This information was taken from Virginia KMP's web site www.virginiakmp.com "Many of the Virginia KMP pan treatments are EPA registered to kill mold, mildew, fungus and other bacterial growths, including those which may cause Legionnaires disease." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please be sure to join Jefbluefan1's Pins For Pauly W/0 and check out http://www.Leukemiafoundation.org/ to see how you can help someone with leukemia this holiday season. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  |
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