Do You Need to See an Expert for the Maintenance of Humidifier?

Humidifiers are designed to moisten the dry indoor air by dispersing a mist of water vapor into the air. With a humidifier, you can get relief from dry skin, ensure that there is the minimal static electricity in your home and keep nasal and respiratory passages moist. While a humidifier is an invaluable device in a modern household or office, it can breakdown or develop issues that will necessitate a call to a professional. 

While there are a few things that you can do yourself, such as cleaning the humidifier every two to three days and changing the water on a daily basis, other maintenance and repair activities are best left for an expert. To get an expert to repair the breakage in your humidifier, you can call Action Furnace. Here are a few things for which you should not hesitate to call an expert. 

Humidifier Not Blowing Steam

If your humidifier is not blowing steam, blame it on your tardiness and inability to properly clean the device. If you are using a warm mist humidifier, the heating element transforms the water into steam. In a cool-mist humidifier, the fan transforms the water in vapor which is then blown out of the humidifier. 

So, if your humidifier is not blowing out mist, you have a problem. Drain the water reservoir of the humidifier and clean it and the outlet well. If after that the humidifier still does not work, call in a licensed expert to fix the issue for you. 

In a warm mist humidifier, the problem could be the use of tap water, which contains high levels of minerals. When water evaporates, these minerals get deposited on the heating element. The deposited mineral forms a layer over the heating element, preventing it from turning the water into steam. To get the humidifier working again, the mineral deposit will have to be removed without damaging the heating element. 

In a cool-mist humidifier, the problem could lie with the fan. It may be malfunctioning or not working optimally to evaporate the water. A licensed technician is best suited to diagnose the problem and suggest the right solution. 

The humidifier is Leaking Water

This is a common problem with many humidifiers, especially portable ones. The leaking is due to an improperly sealed reservoir tank. However, there are many other reasons for it. If you have a whole-house humidifier, you will need an HVAC technician to attend to the leak. The technician will find out the cause of the leak and then suggest the best course of attention to stem it.

Besides an improperly sealed reservoir tank, the leak can occur due to high incoming water pressure, problems with solenoid valve, drainage pipe issue or problem with the evaporator pad. The water inflow pressure into your humidifier should be less than 125 psi. Remember, whatever may be the reason for the leak, your HVAC technician will be able to find it and ensure it does not occur in the future. 

The Bottom Line

While there are many things related to your humidifier that you can troubleshoot, you should leave maintenance and repair to experts if you are unfamiliar with the working of a humidifier, especially a whole house one.  You can avert many issues with your humidifier with the help of preventive maintenance. Make sure a trained and qualified technician undertakes preventive maintenance at least once a year, though the recommended frequency is twice a year. This maintenance will improve the efficiency of your humidifier; it will prevent repairs even though a humidifier is not a complicated device, and it will improve the performance of the device by ensuring that the filter is changed as necessary to remove sediments and particles.