Adding A Humidifier To Your Furnace: Why Is It Better And How Much Does It Cost?

Air quality and home comfort are significantly influenced by humidity. You may increase the comfort and air quality in your home by installing a humidifier in your heating and cooling system. How much will it cost to install this?

It can cost between $200 and $400 to install a new humidifier in your furnace, however more expensive versions might cost up to $1,500. The following factors can affect how much it will cost to install the humidifier:

-Humidifier type (flow-through, steam, or drum) -Labor costs for installation -Special configurations or humidistat installation

It’s critical to comprehend every element that could drive up the price of installing your humidifier. The prices involved with adding a humidifier to your furnace will be covered in this piece, along with other significant information that might be useful for this kind of home repair project.

Installation Fees For Humidifiers On Home Furnaces

The sort of humidifier that will be installed is the first and most crucial thing that you should take into account. Home humidifiers come in three different varieties right now: steam, flow-through, and drum.

Drum
The least expensive type of humidifier is a drum humidifier, sometimes referred to as a reservoir humidifier, which normally costs between $100 and $250. They are 100% effective at humidifying the air in your home by using all of the water contained within the gadget. For adding humidity to a home, drum humidifiers provide the simplest operation and consistent results.

They utilize a rotating drum that is fitted with an absorbent pad to create humidity and operate on the evaporation principle. The pad absorbs the water that is subsequently collected by the drum as it rotates around inside the pan. The water then evaporates from the pad and is dispersed into the air as the air starts to pass through the bypass tube.

Flow-Through
The normal price range for flow-through humidifiers is $200 to $400. Similar to drums, flow-through humidifiers primarily operate on the evaporation principle. Both humidifiers circulate warm air through their systems using a bypass tube and absorbent pads. The biggest distinction between the two is where the water comes from. While drums use a moving drum to direct the water inside of it, flow-throughs move a small stream of water across the top of the humidifier pad.

Steam Humidifiers
The price of a steam humidifier might range between $500 and $1,600. In some circumstances, the rate of evaporation isn’t quick enough to allow for the maintenance of adequate moisture levels. In situations like this, steam humidifiers are your best bet for achieving the appropriate humidification results (as opposed to flow-through and drum humidifiers), as they often have a quicker humidification process.

Steam humidifiers employ power to convert water into gas rather than evaporation. This enables customers to more precisely control their humidity levels while allowing them to produce higher volumes of humidity.

Labor Charges
For installation and repairs, most HVAC specialists impose a fixed price that often combines a service charge and an hourly rate. You might anticipate to pay for labor somewhere from $50 and $100 per hour, depending on where you live.

Finding a reliable and experienced professional is crucial for this kind of installation because a poor setup can result in problems with your home’s plumbing, HVAC, or electrical systems. If a specific or complicated configuration is needed, professionals may often install residential humidifiers in two hours and four hours.

Additional Configurations Or Humdistat Installation
When humidifiers are added to a furnace, humidistats—which track humidity levels (similar to hygrometers)—are frequently installed. Technicians will need to size and then cut into the ducts to attach them, which will result in more labor costs.

Additionally, costly humidifier companies frequently include extra or customized settings in their products. The technician frequently needs to do an initial setup or calibration for these settings, and other components might need to be installed.

Where On A Furnace Should A Humidifier Be Installed?

Installing a humidifier system is done according to the instructions that come with it. On the supply (or hot air) duct, flow-through, drum, and steam humidifiers are typically mounted. When using hot water instead of cold water, certain manufacturers permit them to be installed on a furnace’s return duct. Additionally, certain brands permit wall mounting under some circumstances.

When Installing A Humidifier On A Furnace, How Long Does It Take?

Given that the system doesn’t need any specific settings, the majority of HVAC specialists can install a humidifier on a furnace in around two hours. Depending on your electrical expertise and handyman abilities, it can take two to five hours to install a humidifier on the furnace yourself. Let’s take a quick look at how this procedure works.

Here is a list of the fundamental procedures for mounting a humidifier on a furnace.

A Furnace’s Humidifier Installation Procedure

1. Determine the best location for the humidifier by consulting the installation manual. Then, take everything out of the installation kit that was provided with your humidifier and leave it aside.
2. Turn off the furnace’s entire power supply. This entails turning off the unit’s energy at your home’s electrical panel as well.
3. Cut the necessary holes in the duct while clad in a pair of heavy-duty work gloves. Drill the mounting holes after that. (Note: For precision, make sure to note the center of each hole’s drill site.)
4. Cut a hole in the duct where the humidifier will go using a pair of tin snips from the humidifier kit.
5. The humidifier should be mounted on the duct. To place the humidifier firmly on the duct, tighten the screws included in the humidifier kit using a screwdriver. You may be able to apply mounting tape that is provided in the kit as well.
6. Cut off your home’s water supply. The next step is to turn on a faucet in any space to lower the water pressure. (Note: You might need the assistance of a qualified plumbing technician for this procedure.)
7. Cut any excess plastic tubing from the humidifier before connecting the water supply valve to it. Next, secure the two compression fittings to the waterline’s two ends. Use an open-end wrench to firmly tighten the fittings.

What Advantages Are There To Add A Humidifier To A Furnace?

These kinds of whole-house humidifiers are frequently added by homeowners to their furnaces to improve daily comfort, especially during the winter. It actually depends on your own preferences and the average daily humidity in your location. Let’s examine the benefits of integrating a humidifier with your home’s furnace in more detail.

Benefits For Physical Health
The respiratory system of a person might suffer greatly from excessively dry air. Therefore, it’s not unusual for plenty of people to endure the following ailments in the fall and winter:

• Always chapped lips
• Flare-ups in asthma or allergy symptoms
• Uncomfortable or scratchy throat
• Flaky and itchy skin
• Little nosebleeds

Keeping you and your family properly hydrated and providing your home with the right amount of moisture can help avoid many of these physical problems.

Reduced Energy Costs
We typically feel more warmer in humid weather because there is less space for our perspiration to drain. Because of this, even when the temperature is reasonably mild, those muggy summer days might feel unusually warm. In order to stay warm throughout the winter, it’s normal for householders to fall into a loop of raising the thermostat, which lowers humidity levels.

However, this frequently leads to excessive energy use. They might easily use a humidifier to achieve the same effects. Installing a humidifier on your furnace will save your winter energy costs since the increased humidity will make the air seem warmer.

Protection Of Household Goods
Humidifiers can also assist in preserving components in your home that could be vulnerable to drying out, splitting, and cracking due to low humidity levels. Books, musical instruments, wood furniture, and wall paint or plaster might all fall under this category. Your home’s interior structures and your personal belongings will last longer if you add humidity.

Can A Humidifier Run Continuously?

The answer to this question depends on the humidity levels in your home right now, which are influenced by the local climate. Yes, a humidifier can run continuously without posing any health risks. In fact, leaving humidifiers on all day (or night) is more frequent in the winter months than in the spring and summer.

As a result of the combination of the chilly, dry air outside and the use of a furnace, which takes humidity out of the air, moisture levels in your home tend to decrease throughout the winter.
For many homes, these dry circumstances are unfavorable since they can cause furniture, paint, and wooden floors in your home to dry out. A humidifier can assist in maintaining a cozy and constant humidity level in your house.

The demand for a humidifier decreases during the spring and summer, when outdoor moisture is more prevalent. The only exceptions are if you have allergies or asthma-related difficulties, live in an especially dry environment, or simply like a certain level of humidity for comfort.

Home moisture levels should be kept at or below 50% because extended amounts above this could cause mildew problems and pose a risk to electrical appliances.

Conclusion

Depending on other setup factors, installing a humidifier on your furnace can usually be done in a few hours. It’s always better to speak with a licensed HVAC professional if you need help choosing the ideal humidifier for your system.