About 5 years ago I did something that no one ever should…I started smoking again. I don’t really know what had possessed me to, but here I am, a smoker. One of the many drawbacks to this habit is that cigarette odor just seems to permeate every inch of your living residence. It is always a better idea to smoke outdoors, however, if you would rather smoke inside but cannot stand the smell, I have a few tricks that will help you keep a fresh home.
Use vinegar to remove that stale smell. Getting rid of cigarette odor is one of the less well known uses for vinegar. Get a few small jars and absorb them about halfway with white vinegar. (You can use red cider vinegar as well, just make sure you like the smell of it, because that sour apple smell tends to linger in the place of the smoke.) Leave the jars in the corners of the room for about 24 hours. If you have a “freshly smoked cigarette site”, Soak a small hand towel in a two parts vinegar one part warm water solution for a few minutes. Ring the cloth out very well, and wave it about the room for about 45 seconds.
Air purifiers. Air purifiers work well in removing contaminants from the air, thus removing most of the smells in the air. They range in price from $45.00 to in the thousands. I use the Honeywell Enviracare purifier and purchased it at my local Home Depot for about $100.00. It is quiet, has three speeds, covers about 200 square feet and comes with a remote control. This blueprint has worked very well for me in the past. Depending on which model you choose be sure to remember to change your filters at least twice as often as necessary.
Smoke catching ashtray. Whenever I smoke in the house I turn on my handy dandy smoke catching ashtray. I like the Holmes HAP76 smoke grabber ashtray, purchased from my local Target for $21.99. This ashtray in and of itself will not clear your home of smoke, but it will certainly serve. Makes a noticeable difference in my opinion.
Use a draft stopper. I have a designated room in my home where I smoke, and that is the only room that I will ever have a cigarette in. To keep the odor from freely moving in between rooms I close all the doors and establish a draft stopper at the bottom of my bedroom and bathroom doors. I use a manufactured stopper, which I picked up at a local big box store, but if you can’t salvage one feel free to use rolled up towels because they work just as well.
Keep your windows originate and use an exhaust fan. Keeping your windows open is an distinct solution, but to make it even more effective consider investing in a box fan. Retract a size that will “fair” fit onto your sill and place the fan on exhaust. After a few minutes, turn the fan around and you will have a room full of fresh air within moments.
Chemical warfare. As far as cleaning solutions and air fresheners go, your best bet would be to stick with anything containing Febreeze. You can buy Febreeze air sanitizer, carpet refresher, trip in’s, candles, Mr. Clean with Febreeze, and Magic Erasers containing Febreeze. Believe me when I tell you, they all work fabulously!
Clean up. Produce sure you wash out and sanitize your ashtrays every single day. Wipe down all hard surfaces at least once a week with a sanitizing solution, making sure not to forget the ceilings and walls. Wash all removable fabrics in the washing machine at least once a week, and spray down the items you cannot remove (like couch cushions and rugs) with Febreeze every single day. For rugs, try laying down a box of baking soda, allow it to sit for 15 min, and then vacuum it up. This laborious routine can be a injure in the neck to keep up on, but trust me when I tell you that it absolutely works wonders in keeping your home fresh. In addition to removing the smell, it can virtually eliminate the yellowing of the walls, ceilings, and fabrics.
Related Posts
Filed under Whole House Well Water Filters by on Dec 18th, 2011. 
The beginning of winter is always marked for me, not by a positive date on the calendar or by a change in temperature, but by a return of the dreaded doggy dandruff. When my Chihuahua climbs into my lap for a back rub and leaves late more white flakes than he does dog hairs a few minutes later, I know it’s time to get my humidifier out of storage. Humidifiers are appliances that put moisture back into the air through various distribution methods. Humidifiers are essential in winter because the forced-air units that heat our homes also rob the air of its moisture. The resulting low humidity not only dries out our pets’ skin, causing dermatological conditions like doggy dandruff, but if affects our skin and mucous membranes as well. As winter progresses, we find that our own skin feels parched and itchy. Our lips become so chapped that the mere act of eating a sandwich causes the corners to crack. Our nasal passages dry out and bleed. Even our wooden floors and furniture aren’t spared. They, too, often crack under winter’s dry conditions.
A humidifier helps to alleviate these problems by increasing the air’s humidity, ideally returning it to its pre-winter dwelling. There are many different types of humidifiers on the market today. The humidifiers vary in size, price, the temperature of the water they emit, and how they emit it. All can be installed by the consumer.
Types of Humidifiers
Warm Mist Humidifiers
A warm mist humidifier, also known as a vaporizer, heats the water in its tank and then releases it into the air in the form of steam. This steamy mist, in turn, causes the air around the humidifier to feel not just moister, but warmer as well. Price-wise, warm mist humidifiers tend to be the cheapest humidifiers on the market. They are also the least likely, due to the boiling process, to disperse bacteria into the air. Unlike cool mist humidifiers, warm mist humidifiers offer the consumer the option of adding medications like Vick’s VapoSteam to the water. However, they provide a distinct disadvantage as well. The boiled water in the humidifier’s tank can scald if the humidifier is knocked over or the water otherwise comes into contact with skin.
Cool Mist Humidifiers
A cool mist humidifier, in contrast, does not heat up the water in its reservoir. Instead, it uses either a fan or ultrasonic vibrations to send wintry water droplets into the air. While cool mist humidifiers do not pose a scalding risk, they are not hazard-free. The standing water in the humidifier’s tank is a breeding ground for bacteria and other microorganisms that can be dispersed into the air with the cool mist. Furthermore, if the water has a high mineral content, a mineral-filled, white dust may accompany the microorganisms and determine on linens, curtains, floors, and furniture.
Cool Mist: Evaporative Humidifiers
In evaporative models of cool mist humidifiers, a wick filter absorbs water from the tank, and then a fan blows air through the filter and into the room, taking cool drops of water with it. These types of humidifiers are generally considered self-regulating. As the humidity in the room increases, the ability of the water to evaporate from the filter and to be dispersed into the room decreases. Some evaporative models arrive with disposable filters that must be replaced on a regular basis, while other models offer a permawick filter that must simply be cleaned. The filters help sever down on the amount of bacteria and minerals emitted into the air.
Cool Mist: Impeller Humidifiers
Impeller humidifiers are similar to evaporative humidifiers with one key difference: they lack an antibacterial filter. A fan sends the water through a diffuser, rather than through a filter, and the diffuser, in turn, breaks the water into dispersible droplets. Due to the absence of a filter, impeller humidifiers are more likely to dissipate bacteria and white dust into a room than evaporative models.
Cool Mist: Ultrasonic Humidifiers
Unlike evaporative and impeller humidifiers, ultrasonic humidifiers do not use fans to disperse a mist. Instead, ultrasonic vibrations created by a metal diaphragm inside the humidifier send the cold mist into the air. The lack of fan causes the ultrasonic humidifiers to be the quietest of the cool mist humidifiers.
Tabletop v. Console v. Central Humidifiers
Humidifiers don’t just different in how they emit moisture. They also differ in size and how mighty air they humidify. The smallest humidifiers are tabletop humidifiers. They tend to be portable, humidify only one room at a time, and come in all of the water-emitting varieties discussed above. Due to their slight size, tabletop humidifiers have to be refilled more often than console humidifiers and may also have to be cleaned more frequently. Console humidifiers are usually of the evaporative variety and can humidify several rooms at once. They tend to be concealed in cabinets and therefore blend into a room’s décor better than a tabletop humidifier. Central humidifiers, also known as whole-home or in-duct humidifiers, are connected to the home’s forced-air unit and water supply. While they don’t have to be refilled, they only accelerate when the forced-air unit runs and are the most expensive option of the three.
How to Install a Tabletop Humidifier
1. Decide where you’re going to place the humidifier. A firm, level, and water-resistant surface out of the reach of children is recommended by most manufacturers. It also recommended that you place the humidifier at least six inches away from walls, bedding, drapery, and other heat sources.
2. If the humidifier needs assembling, put the pieces together according to the included directions. If the manufacturer recommends that the unit be cleaned prior to use, follow those directions as well. Make definite that the filter, if any, is in its proper place prior to operation.
3. Occupy the tank to the recommended water level. Do not overfill, as too much water may cause the humidifier to leak. Also, if you are using a cool mist humidifier, fill the tank with cool, not warm or hot, water.
4. Return the tank to its allocated spot in the humidifier. In some models, bubbles may appear in the tank when the tank is properly seated in the humidifier’s base.
5. If your model requires that you wait until water has filled the base of the humidifier, do as suggested. The bubbles will stop rising when the base is full.
6. Uncoil the humidifier’s cord and check for any damage. Do not use if damage is visible.
7. Plug the undamaged cord into the outlet.
8. Turn the unit on.
9. Your model may require you to prime the humidifier’s pump by, for example, running it on high for 60 to 90 seconds. If the manufacturer recommends priming, follow the included directions for priming.
10. If the unit includes a humidistat, set it to the recommended level, which is between 30 and 50 percent humidity.
How to Install a Console Humidifier
A console humidifier is installed in the same manner as a tabletop humidifier except that canisters may need to be added to the bottom of the unit during the assembly stage.
How to Install a Central Humidifier
1. Always follow the manufacturer’s directions included with your central humidifier, as they can vary from model to model.
2. Turn off the water supply to your house and release any pressure in the pipes by flushing a toilet or turning on a faucet.
3. Turn off the electrical supply to your furnace.
4. Decide the best region to mount your central humidifier, following the manufacturer’s recommendations on location if possible. For example, Desert Spring recommends that you mount its DS 3200 model on the furnace’s cold air return but allows for mounting on a plenum or duct, so long as the plenum or duct is reinforced. Honeywell, in contrast, recommends that you install its Steam Power Humidifier, Model No. HE420A, on the warm air side of the furnace but allows for installation of the humidifier at least six feet upstream from the furnace filter.
5. Tape the included template on the desired location. Make obvious that the template is level so that the humidifier will also be level.
6. Follow the directions on the template to cut or drill holes for the humidifier. A drill, metal shears, or both may be needed to create the holes.
7. Remove the template.
8. Assemble the humidifier if it did not advance pre-assembled.
9. Mount the humidifier. Produce sure that it’s level or else the water in the humidifier won’t be level.
10. If the humidifier includes a template for the bypass gate, use it to mark and create holes for the bypass gate. Follow the included directions for how far to place it from the humidifier.
11. Mount the bypass gate.
12. Connect a flexible duct to the humidifier and bypass gate. Cut the duct to a smaller length if necessary to prevent sagging.
13. Attach a water supply valve to the closest water supply line.
14. Connect flexible plastic tubing to the valve and to the water supply valve.
15. If the humidifier includes a template for the humidistat, use this template to label and create holes for the humidistat near the humidifier. Again follow the included directions for top-notch distance. Honeywell’s directions, for instance, recommend that the humidistat be at least eight inches from the humidifier or next to your thermostat if wiring permits.
16. Mount the humidistat.
17. Follow the included directions for wiring the humidistat.
18. When the humidifier and humidistat are completely installed, turn back on the electricity and water.
19. Adjust the humidistat so that the humidifier starts.
20. Then adjust the humidistat to the desired humidity level.
Tips on Spend and Maintenance after Installation from the Environmental Protection Agency
Due to the risk of bacteria and mineral-filled emissions, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends the following use and maintenance program with regards to humidifiers after installation.
1. Use distilled instead of tap or spring water in the humidifiers if possible. Distilled water has a lower mineral thunder and thus a lower likelihood of creating white dust.
2. Use demineralized filters when possible. Such filters would also chop the white dust and hard water buildup in your humidifier.
3. Empty ultrasonic and impeller humidifiers daily to alleviate bacteria buildup. Then wipe down all surfaces and refill the humidifiers with fresh water.
4. Clean all tabletop humidifiers, regardless of emission type, every three days following the manufacturer’s recommended cleaning method. If the manufacturer does not recommend a particular cleaning method, the EPA recommends that you use a three- percent hydrogen peroxide solution.
5. Do not let the humidity level in your home exceed 50 percent. Higher humidity levels encourage the growth of bacteria, mold, and dust mites throughout your home and may cause moisture to get into your walls, thereby damaging the home’s structure. The EPA recommends that you purchase a hygrometer if your humidifier does not come pre-equipped with a humidistat. If you cannot afford one, look for condensation on your windows, walls, and pictures, an indication that the humidity level is too high.
6. Do not allow the humidifier to dampen materials in your home, as these items can also grow mold and bacteria under wet conditions.
7. Replace or spruce the humidifier’s filter as recommended by the manufacturer.
8. Tidy and dry the humidifier before storing it in the spring.
Sources Cited
Buying Guide: Humidifiers and Dehumidifiers, http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentView? pn=Humidifiers_Dehumidifiers&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
Desert Spring Products DS 3200/DS2001 Humidifier Assembly & Instruction Manual, http://www.highqproducts.com/manual-humidifier.pdf
DoIt Yourself: Install a Furnace Humidifier, http://www.diyornot.com/sample/DiySteps.asp? ndx1=2&ndx2=6&ndx3=0&Rcd=96
Getting Steamed Up,http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/getting-steamed-up/191b9c777f803110VgnVCM20000012281eac____/health/healthy.home.car.safety/
Honeywell HE120A, B By-Pass Drum Humidifier Installation Instructions, http://customer.honeywell.com/techlit/pdf/69-0000s/69-1104.pdf
Honeywell HE420A Steam Power Humidifier Installation Instructions, http://customer.honeywell.com/techlit/pdf/69-0000s/69-1108.pdf
How Humidifiers Work, http://home.howstuffworks.com/humidifier.htm/printable
Humidifiers, http://www.consumersearch.com/www/house_and_home/humidifiers/review.html
Indoor Air Facts No. 8: Consume and Care of Home Humidifiers,http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/humidif.html
Installing a Humidifier, http://www.move.com/home-garden/do-it-yourself/heating-air-conditioning/installing-humidifier.aspx
Installing a Whole-House Humidifier, http://www.cornerhardware.com/howto/ht081.html
The Care Free Humidifier Plus Evaporative Humidifier Owner’s Manual, http://www.hunterfanhq.com/hiw-prod/orderinv/frames/ps_frame.htm
Related Posts
Filed under Whole House Well Water Filters by on Oct 25th, 2010.
About 5 years ago I did something that no one ever should…I started smoking again. I don’t really know what had possessed me to, but here I am, a smoker. One of the many drawbacks to this habit is that cigarette odor honest seems to permeate every inch of your living space. It is always a better notion to smoke outdoors, however, if you would rather smoke inside but cannot stand the smell, I have a few tricks that will help you sustain a fresh home.
Use vinegar to remove that stale smell. Getting rid of cigarette odor is one of the less well known uses for vinegar. Get a few small jars and fill them about halfway with white vinegar. (You can utilize red cider vinegar as well, just develop sure you like the smell of it, because that sour apple smell tends to linger in the position of the smoke.) Leave the jars in the corners of the room for about 24 hours. If you have a “freshly smoked cigarette situation”, Soak a small hand towel in a two parts vinegar one part warm water solution for a few minutes. Ring the cloth out very well, and wave it about the room for about 45 seconds.
Air purifiers. Air purifiers work well in removing contaminants from the air, thus removing most of the smells in the air. They range in price from $45.00 to in the thousands. I use the Honeywell Enviracare purifier and purchased it at my local Home Depot for about $100.00. It is tranquil, has three speeds, covers about 200 square feet and comes with a remote control. This device has worked very well for me in the past. Depending on which model you choose be sure to remember to change your filters at least twice as often as necessary.
Smoke catching ashtray. Whenever I smoke in the house I turn on my handy dandy smoke catching ashtray. I like the Holmes HAP76 smoke grabber ashtray, purchased from my local Target for $21.99. This ashtray in and of itself will not clear your home of smoke, but it will certainly help. Makes a noticeable incompatibility in my opinion.
Use a draft stopper. I have a designated room in my home where I smoke, and that is the only room that I will ever have a cigarette in. To keep the odor from freely moving in between rooms I close all the doors and put a draft stopper at the bottom of my bedroom and bathroom doors. I use a manufactured stopper, which I picked up at a local grand box store, but if you can’t find one feel free to use rolled up towels because they work just as well.
Keep your windows originate and use an use fan. Keeping your windows open is an obvious solution, but to make it even more effective consider investing in a box fan. Pick a size that will “fair” fit onto your sill and place the fan on exhaust. After a few minutes, turn the fan around and you will have a room full of fresh air within moments.
Chemical warfare. As far as cleaning solutions and air fresheners go, your best bet would be to stick with anything containing Febreeze. You can buy Febreeze air sanitizer, carpet refresher, plug in’s, candles, Mr. Clean with Febreeze, and Magic Erasers containing Febreeze. Believe me when I tell you, they all work fabulously!
Clean up. Make sure you wash out and sanitize your ashtrays every single day. Wipe down all hard surfaces at least once a week with a sanitizing solution, making definite not to forget the ceilings and walls. Wash all removable fabrics in the washing machine at least once a week, and spray down the items you cannot remove (like couch cushions and rugs) with Febreeze every single day. For rugs, try laying down a box of baking soda, allow it to sit for 15 min, and then vacuum it up. This laborious routine can be a pain in the neck to keep up on, but trust me when I tell you that it absolutely works wonders in keeping your home fresh. In addition to removing the smell, it can virtually eliminate the yellowing of the walls, ceilings, and fabrics.
Related Posts
Filed under Whole House Well Water Filters by on Aug 26th, 2010.
The beginning of winter is always marked for me, not by a certain date on the calendar or by a change in temperature, but by a return of the dreaded doggy dandruff. When my Chihuahua climbs into my lap for a back rub and leaves behind more white flakes than he does dog hairs a few minutes later, I know it’s time to get my humidifier out of storage. Humidifiers are appliances that put moisture befriend into the air through various distribution methods. Humidifiers are necessary in winter because the forced-air units that heat our homes also rob the air of its moisture. The resulting improper humidity not only dries out our pets’ skin, causing dermatological conditions like doggy dandruff, but if affects our skin and mucous membranes as well. As winter progresses, we get that our own skin feels parched and itchy. Our lips become so chapped that the mere act of eating a sandwich causes the corners to crack. Our nasal passages dry out and bleed. Even our wooden floors and furniture aren’t spared. They, too, often crack under winter’s dry conditions.
A humidifier helps to alleviate these problems by increasing the air’s humidity, ideally returning it to its pre-winter dwelling. There are many different types of humidifiers on the market today. The humidifiers vary in size, price, the temperature of the water they emit, and how they emit it. All can be installed by the consumer.
Types of Humidifiers
Warm Mist Humidifiers
A warm mist humidifier, also known as a vaporizer, heats the water in its tank and then releases it into the air in the form of steam. This steamy mist, in turn, causes the air around the humidifier to feel not just moister, but warmer as well. Price-wise, warm mist humidifiers tend to be the cheapest humidifiers on the market. They are also the least likely, due to the boiling process, to disperse bacteria into the air. Unlike cool mist humidifiers, warm mist humidifiers offer the consumer the option of adding medications like Vick’s VapoSteam to the water. However, they provide a distinct disadvantage as well. The boiled water in the humidifier’s tank can scald if the humidifier is knocked over or the water otherwise comes into contact with skin.
Cool Mist Humidifiers
A cool mist humidifier, in difference, does not heat up the water in its reservoir. Instead, it uses either a fan or ultrasonic vibrations to send cool water droplets into the air. While cool mist humidifiers do not pose a scalding risk, they are not hazard-free. The standing water in the humidifier’s tank is a breeding ground for bacteria and other microorganisms that can be dispersed into the air with the frigid mist. Furthermore, if the water has a high mineral affirm, a mineral-filled, white dust may accompany the microorganisms and settle on linens, curtains, floors, and furniture.
Cool Mist: Evaporative Humidifiers
In evaporative models of cool mist humidifiers, a wick filter absorbs water from the tank, and then a fan blows air through the filter and into the room, taking cool drops of water with it. These types of humidifiers are generally considered self-regulating. As the humidity in the room increases, the ability of the water to evaporate from the filter and to be dispersed into the room decreases. Some evaporative models come with disposable filters that must be replaced on a regular basis, while other models offer a permawick filter that must simply be cleaned. The filters help cut down on the amount of bacteria and minerals emitted into the air.
Cool Mist: Impeller Humidifiers
Impeller humidifiers are similar to evaporative humidifiers with one key difference: they lack an antibacterial filter. A fan sends the water through a diffuser, rather than through a filter, and the diffuser, in turn, breaks the water into dispersible droplets. Due to the absence of a filter, impeller humidifiers are more likely to dissipate bacteria and white dust into a room than evaporative models.
Cool Mist: Ultrasonic Humidifiers
Unlike evaporative and impeller humidifiers, ultrasonic humidifiers do not consume fans to disperse a mist. Instead, ultrasonic vibrations created by a metal diaphragm inside the humidifier send the cool mist into the air. The lack of fan causes the ultrasonic humidifiers to be the quietest of the frigid mist humidifiers.
Tabletop v. Console v. Central Humidifiers
Humidifiers don’t just different in how they emit moisture. They also differ in size and how much air they humidify. The smallest humidifiers are tabletop humidifiers. They tend to be portable, humidify only one room at a time, and near in all of the water-emitting varieties discussed above. Due to their small size, tabletop humidifiers have to be refilled more often than console humidifiers and may also have to be cleaned more frequently. Console humidifiers are usually of the evaporative variety and can humidify several rooms at once. They tend to be concealed in cabinets and therefore blend into a room’s décor better than a tabletop humidifier. Central humidifiers, also known as whole-home or in-duct humidifiers, are connected to the home’s forced-air unit and water supply. While they don’t have to be refilled, they only run when the forced-air unit runs and are the most expensive option of the three.
How to Install a Tabletop Humidifier
1. Decide where you’re going to place the humidifier. A firm, level, and water-resistant surface out of the reach of children is recommended by most manufacturers. It also recommended that you site the humidifier at least six inches away from walls, bedding, drapery, and other heat sources.
2. If the humidifier needs assembling, put the pieces together according to the included directions. If the manufacturer recommends that the unit be cleaned prior to use, follow those directions as well. Make sure that the filter, if any, is in its proper place prior to operation.
3. Fill the tank to the recommended water level. Do not overfill, as too much water may cause the humidifier to leak. Also, if you are using a cool mist humidifier, fill the tank with cool, not warm or hot, water.
4. Return the tank to its allocated spot in the humidifier. In some models, bubbles may appear in the tank when the tank is properly seated in the humidifier’s base.
5. If your model requires that you wait until water has filled the disagreeable of the humidifier, do as suggested. The bubbles will stop rising when the base is full.
6. Uncoil the humidifier’s cord and check for any damage. Do not use if damage is visible.
7. Stagger the undamaged cord into the outlet.
8. Turn the unit on.
9. Your model may require you to prime the humidifier’s pump by, for example, running it on high for 60 to 90 seconds. If the manufacturer recommends priming, follow the included directions for priming.
10. If the unit includes a humidistat, set it to the recommended level, which is between 30 and 50 percent humidity.
How to Install a Console Humidifier
A console humidifier is installed in the same manner as a tabletop humidifier except that canisters may need to be added to the bottom of the unit during the assembly stage.
How to Install a Central Humidifier
1. Always follow the manufacturer’s directions included with your central humidifier, as they can vary from model to model.
2. Turn off the water supply to your house and release any pressure in the pipes by flushing a toilet or turning on a faucet.
3. Turn off the electrical supply to your furnace.
4. Choose the best place to mount your central humidifier, following the manufacturer’s recommendations on location if possible. For example, Desert Spring recommends that you mount its DS 3200 model on the furnace’s cold air return but allows for mounting on a plenum or duct, so long as the plenum or duct is reinforced. Honeywell, in contrast, recommends that you install its Steam Power Humidifier, Model No. HE420A, on the warm air side of the furnace but allows for installation of the humidifier at least six feet upstream from the furnace filter.
5. Tape the included template on the desired residence. Make sure that the template is level so that the humidifier will also be level.
6. Follow the directions on the template to cut or drill holes for the humidifier. A drill, metal shears, or both may be needed to create the holes.
7. Lift the template.
8. Assemble the humidifier if it did not arrive pre-assembled.
9. Mount the humidifier. Build sure that it’s level or else the water in the humidifier won’t be level.
10. If the humidifier includes a template for the bypass gate, exercise it to mark and produce holes for the bypass gate. Follow the included directions for how far to spot it from the humidifier.
11. Mount the bypass gate.
12. Connect a flexible duct to the humidifier and bypass gate. Cut the duct to a smaller length if necessary to prevent sagging.
13. Effect a water supply valve to the closest water supply line.
14. Connect flexible plastic tubing to the valve and to the water supply valve.
15. If the humidifier includes a template for the humidistat, expend this template to mark and accomplish holes for the humidistat advance the humidifier. Again follow the included directions for proper distance. Honeywell’s directions, for instance, recommend that the humidistat be at least eight inches from the humidifier or next to your thermostat if wiring permits.
16. Mount the humidistat.
17. Follow the included directions for wiring the humidistat.
18. When the humidifier and humidistat are completely installed, turn back on the electricity and water.
19. Adjust the humidistat so that the humidifier starts.
20. Then adjust the humidistat to the desired humidity level.
Tips on Use and Maintenance after Installation from the Environmental Protection Agency
Due to the risk of bacteria and mineral-filled emissions, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends the following use and maintenance program with regards to humidifiers after installation.
1. Expend distilled instead of tap or spring water in the humidifiers if possible. Distilled water has a lower mineral bid and thus a lower likelihood of creating white dust.
2. Use demineralized filters when possible. Such filters would also reduce the white dust and hard water buildup in your humidifier.
3. Empty ultrasonic and impeller humidifiers daily to alleviate bacteria buildup. Then wipe down all surfaces and refill the humidifiers with fresh water.
4. Shapely all tabletop humidifiers, regardless of emission type, every three days following the manufacturer’s recommended cleaning scheme. If the manufacturer does not recommend a particular cleaning method, the EPA recommends that you expend a three- percent hydrogen peroxide solution.
5. Do not let the humidity level in your home exceed 50 percent. Higher humidity levels encourage the growth of bacteria, mold, and dust mites throughout your home and may cause moisture to net into your walls, thereby damaging the home’s structure. The EPA recommends that you purchase a hygrometer if your humidifier does not come pre-equipped with a humidistat. If you cannot afford one, look for condensation on your windows, walls, and pictures, an indication that the humidity level is too high.
6. Do not allow the humidifier to dampen materials in your home, as these items can also grow mold and bacteria under wet conditions.
7. Replace or clean the humidifier’s filter as recommended by the manufacturer.
8. Clean and dry the humidifier before storing it in the spring.
Sources Cited
Buying Guide: Humidifiers and Dehumidifiers, http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentView? pn=Humidifiers_Dehumidifiers&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
Desert Spring Products DS 3200/DS2001 Humidifier Assembly & Instruction Manual, http://www.highqproducts.com/manual-humidifier.pdf
DoIt Yourself: Install a Furnace Humidifier, http://www.diyornot.com/sample/DiySteps.asp? ndx1=2&ndx2=6&ndx3=0&Rcd=96
Getting Steamed Up,http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/getting-steamed-up/191b9c777f803110VgnVCM20000012281eac____/health/healthy.home.car.safety/
Honeywell HE120A, B By-Pass Drum Humidifier Installation Instructions, http://customer.honeywell.com/techlit/pdf/69-0000s/69-1104.pdf
Honeywell HE420A Steam Power Humidifier Installation Instructions, http://customer.honeywell.com/techlit/pdf/69-0000s/69-1108.pdf
How Humidifiers Work, http://home.howstuffworks.com/humidifier.htm/printable
Humidifiers, http://www.consumersearch.com/www/house_and_home/humidifiers/review.html
Indoor Air Facts No. 8: Use and Care of Home Humidifiers,http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/humidif.html
Installing a Humidifier, http://www.move.com/home-garden/do-it-yourself/heating-air-conditioning/installing-humidifier.aspx
Installing a Whole-House Humidifier, http://www.cornerhardware.com/howto/ht081.html
The Care Free Humidifier Plus Evaporative Humidifier Owner’s Manual, http://www.hunterfanhq.com/hiw-prod/orderinv/frames/ps_frame.htm
Related Posts
Filed under Whole House Well Water Filters by on Aug 24th, 2010.