Around 25 million people in the United States have asthma. That’s approximately 7.7% of all Americans! What is shocking is that for the first time in two decades, deaths from asthma climbed to over 4,100 in 2020.
Asthma can be serious and even life-threatening if left unmanaged. But it is manageable and those suffering from it can have a normal life. To ease symptoms within the home, asthma sufferers often install a humidifier.
But with so many options from contractors and Amazon, what is the best humidifier for asthma?
What Are The Best Humidifiers For Asthma?
Asthma sufferers benefit the most from whole house evaporative or steam humidifiers installed centrally on the heating and air conditioning system. Despite the fact that room humidifiers are often promoted, they come with a large amount of upkeep and provide inconsistent results. If left unchecked, they often can generate too much humidity, causing just as many problems as not having a humidifier at all.
Installing a whole house evaporative or steam humidifier allows you to have full control of the humidity level in your home without needing to check on it frequently for maintenance. Moreover, your entire house is provided with the right level of humidity. This has numerous advantages for your home, but its chief benefit is to your health.
As far as specific recommendations…read on.
How To Choose The Best Humidifier For Asthma?
It’s not surprising that when searching for the top humidifiers, you’ll discover a plethora of articles referring to a room-based model.
Not because they work the best but because it’s the same misleading information rewritten again and again. They point to room humidifiers on Amazon that they’ll earn a commission on.
A room humidifier is fine if that’s all that’s available to you. I’m also in favor of earning a commission if you are genuinely recommending the best product to help someone. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
When selecting the right humidifier, factors like where you live, what kind of heating and air conditioning system you have, home or room size, and a few additional features should be taken into account.
Below are some suggestions in order of preference and things to think about when picking the best humidifier.
Whole House Evaporative Humidifier
Evaporative humidifiers are whole house humidifiers which use the process of evaporation to increase the humidity levels inside of a space. That’s obvious, but let me explain further.
In the case of humidifiers, evaporation happens when water is exposed to dry air. This action results in some of the molecules of water breaking away and becoming airborne, which adds humidity and water vapor to the airstream.
A bypass or power humidifier operates by circulating air over a water panel that needs to be periodically replaced. The panel allows air to pass through, which evaporates water into it and is sent through the ducts to raise humidity levels in the house.
Using this type of humidifier for asthma has several benefits compared to a room humidifier.
1) Maintenance – Regular maintenance is necessary for all humidifiers. Whole house evaporative humidifiers are generally the easiest to maintain. A yearly cleaning and water panel replacement of your humidifier will help you to keep the ideal humidity level in your home, saving you from the hassle of daily maintenance.
2) Reliability – With so few moving parts these humidifiers have very little that could break. They are generally very dependable as long as they receive their yearly check-up. If repairs are necessary, the parts are easy to find and are usually not very expensive.
3) Longevity – Humidifiers with minimal components are known to have a long lifespan. From my experience, twenty years is not an uncommon length of time.
4) Health – Humidifiers are beneficial for more than just asthma management. They are also great for your overall health. Maintaining the right humidity levels in your home can help prevent respiratory illnesses and allergies. It can also help reduce static electricity and make the air feel more comfortable.
Whole House Steam Humidifiers
Although not as straightforward to use as an evaporative humidifier, a steam humidifier still has advantages compared to the traditional room humidifier.
Humidifiers that use steam add moisture directly to the air in your home by releasing steam through a duct system.
An electric steam humidifier creates vapor by energizing electrodes located inside a water reservoir. Electrical current flowing between the electrodes causes the water to boil, producing steam.
These humidifiers are not typically the go-to option due to their high installation and maintenance costs. However, they may be exactly what you need. They do have two HUGE benefits that make them a great choice for humidity control when you suffer from asthma.
1) Versatility – If your home doesn’t have ductwork, a steam system also has the ability to add a fan system to it so it can work independently.
2) Applications – Because of their high capacity, these units are your first choice if you live in a desert climate like Arizona, New Mexico, Southern Nevada or Southern California.
Small Room Warm Or Cool Mist Humidifiers
There are pros and cons of both warm and cool mist room humidifiers. If you’d like more information take a look at our room humidifier article here.
As far as a recommendation, I can say that this cool mist humidifier is a good choice.
Acare Home Humidifier: Equipped with a 1L water tank so you don’t need to refill very often. 4 Output Modes so you can choose low/medium/high mist output by one button. And the removable rectangle-shaped tank also makes cleaning a breeze.
Please, please, please…keep in mind how important it is to clean and maintain the humidifier frequently to avoid bacteria growing and to ensure that it operates correctly.
Best Brand Humidifier For Asthma
When it comes to brands, Aprilaire offers the widest range and availability. Most people don’t realize that Carrier, Trane and Lennox are just a few of the well-known HVAC companies that use Aprilaire humidification systems with their own branding.
Because parts of Aprilaire humidifiers are easy to come by, they’re simple to maintain. Their equipment is also of good quality.
Aprilaire manufactures the 500, 600, and 700 models of evaporative whole house humidifiers. The model 800 is also a popular steam humidifier. Their models offer many features, and will provide you with a good foundation.
While I don’t often recommend it, if you’re a do-it-yourselfer, here are some links on Amazon for each model…(Don’t be fooled by the lower priced “M” models of each of these humidifiers. Those models are missing the outdoor sensor which degrades it’s effectiveness.)
Aprilaire 600 Whole House Evaporative Bypass Humidifier
Aprilaire 700 Whole House Evaporative Power Humidifier
Aprilaire 800 Whole Home Steam Humidifier
Though Honeywell and GeneralAire have offerings in the humidifier market, they are not as widely available.
Ultimately, don’t let brand sway your decision. In the end, an experienced contractor can help you decide which humidifier is best for your home. So if you want to make the best decision, hire a qualified contractor who can guide you.