Utah Winters Are Dry.
Your Home Doesn't Have To Be.
Why indoor air gets so dry here
Cold winter air holds very little moisture, and when you heat it to 68 or 70 degrees indoors its relative humidity plummets. Utah's already-dry climate makes it worse. Indoor humidity can fall well under 20 percent in January. The signs are static shocks, dry or itchy skin, scratchy throats, nosebleeds, cracking wood floors and trim, and a house that feels cold at 70 degrees.
Whole-home versus portable
A portable humidifier can help one room if you fill it daily and clean it carefully, but it won't keep up in a whole house and unclean tanks can spread bacteria and mold. A whole-home unit connects to your furnace and water line, adds moisture to the air that circulates through the whole house, and needs far less attention from you.
Types we can install
Bypass humidifiers use air from your furnace's supply and return plenums to pass air through a water-soaked pad. They are simple and affordable, use no electricity beyond a small control, and are a common choice. Hard water scales the pad, so it needs replacing regularly.
Fan-powered humidifiers have their own blower so they work without depending on the furnace duct pressure balance. They output more moisture than a standard bypass in the same footprint and suit larger or tighter homes.
Steam humidifiers boil water into steam and inject it into the ductwork. They are the highest-capacity option and work independent of furnace airflow, but cost more to buy and to run, and mineral buildup in the steam canister means periodic replacement.
Which fits depends on your home's size, how tight it is, your furnace type, and how hard your water is. We cover that during the estimate instead of defaulting to one product.
The humidity target: lower than you'd think
The EPA's general guidance for indoor humidity is 30 to 50 percent. In cold weather you generally need to run at the low end, about 30 to 40 percent, because too much moisture condenses on cold windows and into walls, where it can cause mold and rot. A humidistat or the humidifier's automatic control adjusts to the outdoor temperature so you don't have to chase it. We set it up and show you how it works.
What installation involves
We mount the unit on your supply or return duct, tie into a cold-water line, run a drain line for the excess water, and wire the control to the furnace. Most installs take a half day. Furnace type matters: a humidifier needs a compatible furnace and enough airflow, and we'll flag it if your equipment has a limitation before you spend anything.
Care and maintenance
Expect to change the water panel or pad once a year or so, depending on how hard your water is, and to close the water supply and set the damper for the summer cooling season. An annual HVAC maintenance visit is a convenient time for this. Check our current specials for humidifier service and installation savings.
Hard water and mineral buildup
Many Wasatch Front homes have hard water. It leaves scale on humidifier pads and in steam canisters. A water softener helps the whole house, but be careful, since a softener adds sodium to water and some humidifier manufacturers recommend feeding unsoftened water to the unit. We'll go over the practical setup.
Better air beyond humidity
If dust, allergies or odors are a concern in addition to dryness, ask about indoor air quality options such as filtration and air purification that can work alongside a humidifier.
Where we install
We install and service whole-home humidifiers across Davis County and the Salt Lake Valley, including Salt Lake City, Murray, Sandy, Layton, Kaysville, Farmington, Bountiful and Centerville.
Price
For a new whole-home humidifier we offer a free on-site estimate. You get a written quote for the unit and installation before we begin, and we don't bill by the hour. If you already have a humidifier that isn't working, a service visit starts with our $49 HVAC dispatch fee, applied toward any approved repair.