Using a humidifier is one of the best ways to combat this annoying dry air.
There are many types of humidifiers and one of these is the ultrasonic humidifier. Ultrasonic humidifiers use high frequency sound vibrations for producing extra fine mist that will be expelled for adding more moisture to a room.
Ultrasonic humidifiers are known to be the quieter out of the different types of humidifiers.
Overview of Ultrasonic Humidifiers
As mentioned earlier, this specific type of humidifier uses sound vibrations to produce a water mist. The vibrations are made from extremely high frequencies. It is a quieter type of humidifier that doesn’t have the added cost of filter cleaning and maintenance. The mist of an ultrasonic humidifier might appear a bit greyish because it doesn’t have a filter that will catch the water minerals. But, this kind of humidifier doesn’t heat water at all, making it much safer to use. Although evaporative humidifiers are the more commonly used ones, these might not be the best choice for all homeowners.
How Do Ultrasonic Humidifiers Work?
An evaporative cool mist humidifier relies on fans that blow air through the wick filters. An ultrasonic humidifier, on the other hand, contains a tiny metal plate that will vibrate at ultrasonic frequency. Humans cannot hear these ultrasonic sounds but these have the capacity to do some really powerful things such as dislodging surface dirt. These sounds can also break apart the particles of water from the built-in reservoir of the humidifier into cool vapor. The device will then emit the fine mist to the air and at the same time, it distributes humidity around the room.
Advantages of Ultrasonic Humidifers
An ultrasonic humidifier offers several benefits such as the following:
- Ultrasonic humidifiers are really good when it comes to humidifying the air. These can even add a lot of moisture to the air yet this advantage can become a drawback, too, as this can result to over-humidified air that can cause mold and dampness. This is the reason why it is important for ultrasonic humidifiers to come with a humidistat to detect levels of humidity and shut the unit off once the air already has sufficient amount of moisture in it.
- Ultrasonic humidifiers can produce much quieter vibration compared to the fans of evaporative humidifiers. But, an ultrasonic humidifier emits an audible hum that can be easily noticed in a quiet bedroom.
- An ultrasonic humidifier can also be made very compact and small since it has a simple humidifying mechanism. The limiting factor on how small ultrasonic humidifiers can get is their water reservoir. This makes them the perfect option if you are looking for a humidifier that can fit in a rather tight space.
- There is no need for you to replace a filter or wick on ultrasonic humidifiers. The filter or wick in an evaporative humidifier soon collects build up of materials that the water leaves behind, particularly if you are using hard water. You need to replace these filters on a regular basis that can add to operational costs and effort.
- An ultrasonic humidifier doesn’t generate any heat that makes them safer than a steam humidifier that boils water to create water vapor. It can be specifically essential if you are using the humidifier in the room of your child. But, most evaporative humidifiers can also work with no heat and with no need to boil water.
- An ultrasonic humidifier consumes very little electricity.
Disadvantages of Ultrasonic Humidifiers
All the downsides of ultrasonic humidifiers stem from the fact that this type of humidifier releases water droplets to the air instead of water vapor. It can cause a few issues.
First of all, while most droplets of water will soon evaporate to water vapor, a few of these droplets will settle out the air and on nearby surfaces before they evaporate.
It can become an issue if the room has cold air or if there is already high moisture content in the air. This results to a damp area or a water puddle near the humidifier.
It is the reason the why you need to place an ultrasonic humidifier on a dresser or shelf instead of letting it stay on the floor so that the droplets of water will have more time for evaporating before it settles to the floor.
A more serious issue is the fact that the substances in water will get propelled to the air together with the droplets of water. These substances are either biological contaminants or minerals.
The Bottom Line
A humidifier is basically a necessity if you are living in an area with a climate that tends to generate dry air or if your place gets long winters.
Choosing the best humidifier for you can be a bit difficult so it is important that you re-evaluate your unique needs before making a final decision.
If there are young kids in your home, you will be better off with an ultrasonic humidifier. If you choose to, you can soon switch to a different kind of humidifier.
As you can see, there are many reasons why it is worthy to consider using an ultrasonic humidifier in your home. Since these models don’t rely on fans, they are the quietest humidifiers you can find in the market.
They also require super low maintenance unlike other models that often demand frequent cleaning of pans, replacement of steam canisters, and changing of bulbs. Since heat is not use, ultrasonic humidifiers need minimal electricity, making them true must-haves in homes.
