Air Humidifier For Hardwood Floors

A common complaint about hardwood floors in arid zones is checking and splitting due to low humidity. Many people believe running a humidifier in arid zones in summer is futile. This is largely due to the fact that an AC unit is a de-humidifier. Air Humidifier For Hardwood Floors Humidifier's and HVAC units will counter act each other but not totally as your AC does not run continually and this counter reaction by the AC unit can be neutralized to a point. However some very minor checking, gapping should be expected in your wood flooring as nothing can be 100% effective. Hey, it's wood not steel. I expect to see some verbiage to this effect in all manufactures requirements like this for arid zones soon.

Humidification and HVAC Systems

In my zone (Southern Arizona) it is still very dry during the summer months or down into the single digits until the rains (monsoons) come in mid July to August. Even though one may think it is useless, a humidifying system attached to your HVAC system is still working to keep up the Rh in your home, lessoning the chance your hardwood floor will check.

Stand Alone Humidifier

Other options exist such as using a stand alone humidifier which I think is more effective than the built-in humidifier as it runs all the time and does not shut off with the HVAC unit. Recently one of my clients found a stand alone humidifier that holds 10.5 gallons at Home Depot. So far it has kept the Rh in the house up to 35% as compared to the 19% Rh level it was at previously! Any qualified HVAC salesman can assist in your needs.

Dual Systems

Also, quite a few houses like mine have dual cooling systems. I am able to run an evaporative cooling system (MasterCool II) which easily raises the Rh of the home to any manufactures requirements. Then when the rains come I switch to AC. Humidification of your house in arid zones like Arizona will also help your wood furniture as well as your sinuses. In fact it is very healthy and typically called a healthy relative zone of 35 to 55 % for wood and people too!

After a discussion I had with a consumer who had a bad experience with their wood floor checking I called a Steinway Piano dealer I put a hardwood floor in for last fall. He humidifies his entire store, winter through summer. In fact I got a good chewing out when I was installing the solid maple in his showroom cus I left the door open when transporting tools in and out. His $100,000 Steinway he had near the entrance needs a constant ambient temp and Rh or the wood will__________ you fill in the blank.

Needless to say I don't have to worry about that maple hardwood flooring. And there really is no excuse for not at least trying to maintain your hardwood floor close to manufactures ambient zone requirements. Even though it might not be attainable. So go out and buy a hygrometer for your house if you do not have one and check the relative humidity, your floor will love you for it and so will your wood furniture.

NOTES:

The house is around 2200sf. Filling the three seperate plastic bottles in the unit is done in a facet. Initially the unit needed filling every day until the house absorbed the moisture. Then leveled off to 4 days. When I left the owner could turn it down to run less and the Rh was right at 30 to 31 %. Remember her inside Rh was 19%, Outside it was running 8%.

Submitted By: Stephen Perrera. Top Floor Installation Co.
Location: Tucson, Arizona

Contact: (520) 444-1885

• Moisture Testing Wood Floors - how, tools
• Moisture Control - environment in and outside home
• Drying Hardwood Flooring
• Humidity and Hardwood Floors