Air quality is only a CONCERN outdoors, isn't it?

Not true! Since most people spend as much as 90% of their time at home indoors, the air inside your home can be even more of a concern to your health and comfort. In winter, the relative humidity in the average house can drop to as little as 5%. Compare that to the average 25% relative humidity of the Sahara Desert and you can see why the air inside your home can seriously affect your health and comfort.

What is "RELATIVE HUMIDITY" anyway?

Relative humidity is the actual amount of misture in the air expressed as a percentage of the amout of moisture the air is capable of holding.

if the relative Humidity of the air inside your home is 5%, the air can hold 20 times more moisture than completely saturated with moisture. Air will continue to add moisture (humidity) untill it reaches it saturation point.

Temperature affects relative humidity too. Warm air can hold more moisture than Cold air . In the winter, when 30º outdoor air with relative humidity of 50% enters your home and is heated to 70º, its relative humidity pluges to just 12% without supplemental moisture, your home quickly becomes "bone dry."

How does humidity AFFECT my comfort?

Warm air in your home will absorb water whenever it's found. It steals moisture from the bodies of you and your children, your pets, your furnirure and even your house plants. By giving up moistur to the air, your skin, throat and nasal passages dry out and crack, leading to various physical discomforts. That's why many doctors recommend Humidifiers for allergy and asthma sufferers.

Relative humidity in the range of 30%-60% is ideal. Outside this range, bacteria, fungi, viruse and mites thrive and multiply. As these creatures increase in number, so dose your risk for being adversely affected.

How dose humidity Affect my house?

Everything in your home made from wood contains some moisture. Dry air sucks that moisture out, causing the wook to shrink and crack. Hardwood floors separate at the seams, furniture loosens and cracks, and door warp. Pianos and other wooden musical instruments also shrink from the loss of moisture and go out of tune. Maintaining proper humidity levels helps eliminate frequent and costly re-tuning.

Perhaps the most annoying effect of dry indoor air is static shock. As you shuffle across a carpet or slide off upholstered furniture, a stati charge builds up in your body and results in that sudden, uncomfortable "zap" of electricity you feel when you touch a piece of metal or other conductor.

Are there any other BENEFITS to properly conditioned air?

Yes, it help you save enery! Warm, humid summer air feel hotter than it actually is because of the moisture it contains. That same principle applies to your home in the winter. By keeping the relative humidity inside your home at an ideal level, you can turn your thermostat down a few degtees and still feel comfortable. Dialing down your thermostat just three degrees can reduce your heating bill by as much as %5

How do HUMIDIFERS work?

All humidifiers for cenral forced warm air heating systems work on the same priniciple - as air is heated it absorbs additional moisture from an evaporative media places in it path.

What sets General Aire humidfiers apart is their efficiency and economy of operation in using this basic principle to add comfort to your home.

Forced warm air heating systems divert a portion of the heated air through a water-soaked pad in the humidifier cabinet. It then absorbs additional moisture before returning to the heating system for distribution throughout your home.

GenerAire flow-through humidifiers use a patented water trough design that assures uniform dispersion of the water across the pad for maximum evaporative efficiency. Any unevaporated water drains from the bottom of the unit so ther is less mineral buildup.

Reservoir or drumtype humidifers use a water laden polyurethane evaporator drum sleeve to provide added moistur. The sleeve picks up moisture as it slowly rotates in a reservoir of water. An automatic float valve contorls the water level in the reservoir.

How Much HUMIDITY dose my home need?

That depends on its size and construction. The more frequently the warm air in your home is replaced by colder, drier outside air, the greater the need for humidification.

The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute, a nonprofit trade association, developed and pubished the guide lines used by most contrators today. The guidelines classify home constrction as"tight," "average" or "loose."

Tight homes have have insulated walls and ceilings, vapor barriers and weather stripping around windows and doors. Windows and doors fir snugly and the fireplace has an effective damper. A tight home experiences about 1/2 air changer per hour.

Average home have insulated walls and ceilings and vapor barriers and a fireplace damper but loose storm doors and windows. Average homes experience one air change pre hour.

Loose homes have little insulation, no vapor barriers, no weather stripping and no storm doors or windows. These homes typocally experience two air changes per hour.

If you know the size of your home, you can evaluate its construction and refer to the chart for a for a good estimate of how much capacity your humidifier must have. your GENERALAire heating and air condiioning dealer can help you with these calculations and show you the GeneralAire humidifier that's right for your home.

Why should I choose GENERALAire humidifiers?

GENERALAire's patented water tray design on
flow - through models assures that the evapoator pad is moistened throughly and uniformly for greaest evaporative effcienct. Whit GENERALAire humidifiers, more water gets into the air instead of running down the drain . you'll not only feel more comfortable but you'll save on your water bill as well.