Humidifiers help regulate the moisture levels in your house and keep the air from drying out during the warmer and colder seasons. While humidifiers have a positive effect on the house, they can also make your indoor air quality worse if you don’t clean them properly, especially when they start generating white dust.
Lone Star Comfortaire, one of the top HVAC contractors in Texas discusses white dust and how it forms in humidifiers.
How White Dust Forms
White dust originates from the water that goes into the humidifier. When the mist that moisturizes the air lands on a surface and dries up, it will leave behind a dried mineral deposit “white dust”.
This dust is actually more of a nuisance than a risk in most cases. However, If you have family members with asthma, allergies, and respiratory conditions, the dust can aggravate their condition and can become a health risk.
Only two types of humidifiers produce white dust as a by-product of their process: the ultrasonic and impeller portable humidifiers. These two utilize a steaming process that turns water into vapor. Once the water molecules completely evaporate, all that’s left is the mineral dust.
How to Prevent White Dust
There are many ways you can prevent white dust. Instead of using mineral water, use distilled water to fill the humidifier tank instead. This has a lower mineral count and won’t produce any mineral residues once the water completely evaporates.
Installing a demineralization cartridge on the humidifier can also reduce or completely eliminate white dust.
As your air conditioning installation experts, we also recommend you keep your room ventilated. This eliminates the chances of the white dust accumulating in the room. You can do this through either passive ventilation using the windows or by using the air vents in your home.
Finally, you can use a warm or cool mist humidifier for harder water. They do not operate the same way as ultrasonic humidifiers and will not leave any mineral residue when you use them.
Lone Star Comfortaire offers complete HVAC services – from air conditioning repair service to complete replacement. Call us today at (972) 578-1701 to learn more about our services. We offer air conditioning installation in Plano, TX.
