Can You Use Tap Water in a Humidifier
Dry air can cause a wide range of health issues such as cracked lips, dry and wrinkled skin, coughing, and a stuffy nose. Things become even worse when the winter comes. The best solution for the health problems caused by dryness is a humidifier, which can help you regulate humidity levels at your home.
If you choose to use a humidifier, you should be careful and use it carefully, following the manufacturer’s instructions. If not, it might even negatively impact the air quality and cost you a lot of money for home repairs and maintenance.
One of the most important things to know about your humidifier is what type of water you can put in it. Keep reading to find out if you can use tap water in a humidifier, and what kind of water serves that purpose the best.
Can You Put Tap Water in a Humidifier?
The answer here is simple: no! Although tap water might be safe for human consumption, you still shouldn’t put it in your dehumidifier. This is because tap water usually contains dissolved minerals and solids that can severely damage your dehumidifier. Tap water will help crusty scale deposits to form on the inside of the humidifier. After the water is sprayed into the air, the mineral components will be laid out as white powder-like matter and will land on the surfaces in your room.
This white powder can induce allergy symptoms such as sneezing, scratching, red eyes as well as breathing difficulties. Longer exposures can even cause serious respiratory issues such as asthma. Another important thing to keep in mind is that humidifiers are warm and moist, and thus a perfect place for the growth of germs, mold, and other microorganisms, so you must make sure not to help them thrive.
The only way we’d recommend using tap water in a humidifier is if the water was demineralized first. For this process, you will need a demineralization cartridge which will allow you to get rid of the minerals from the water, and eliminate white dust from your house.
What Type of Water Should You Put in Your Humidifier?
The best type of water to be used in dehumidifiers is distilled water since it has had all minerals, bacteria, and other compounds that can negatively impact your humidifier removed from it.
To distill the water is made in a device called a distiller, which removes 99,9% of chemicals, microbes, heavy metals, minerals, and other contaminants. A typical distiller includes a boiling container, a cooling system, and a storage container.
Distilled water keeps your humidifier clean since it doesn’t contain calcium, magnesium, or sodium nor other dissolved solids that tend to stay in your humidifier. This makes keeping it clean easier.
We should also note that neither bottled water, filtered water nor boiled water is advised to be put in your device since none of these three processes can remove the dissolved minerals.
Final Words
This concludes our post on can you use tap water in a humidifier. The answer is by all means no. Distilled water is the best option for your air quality, the longevity of your humidifier, and your health. We hope you like the article and find it helpful. If you still have any questions, please write us a comment, and we’ll be glad to respond.
