Whole home humidifiers use a water panel to infuse the air with moisture before circulating it through your home. The water panel is not a permanent component, and needs to be replaced on a regular basis. Over time, the water panel becomes clogged with minerals and debris from your water source. In homes with hard water, it’s often necessary to change the water panel more frequently. Do it in the fall before you begin using your whole home humidifier for the season, and check it throughout the winter to determine if another change is needed. Steps for changing your humidifier’s water panel: Steps for changing your humidifier’s water panel:

• Turn off power to your furnace.
• Locate the panel cover on the outside of your humidifier.
• Slide out the enclosure that holds the humidifier water panel.
• Remove the old humidifier water panel from the enclosure. Dispose of the old panel.
• Insert a new humidifier water panel into the enclosure.
• Make sure the enclosure is inserted securely into the humidifier.
• Close or replace the panel.
• Power up your furnace.

If you are uncomfortable performing this humidifier maintenance checklist, call your local HVAC contractor to perform the maintenance your unit needs to operate correctly this season. The best time to have this performed is when you schedule your heating system’s preventative maintenance tune-up in the fall. Many homeowners rely on portable humidifiers to add moisture to the air in certain areas throughout the home. These types of humidifiers require more frequent maintenance than whole home humidifiers. Use our portable humidifier maintenance checklist to care for your units this winter:

Get Humidifier Help on Heating & Cooling

Heating & Cooling is the leading resource for all things heating, cooling, and indoor air quality online. We offer a variety of free resources to help you understand and best care for your HVAC systems and components. When you need individualized help for your home’s equipment, use our HVAC Contractor Directory to locate a nearby HVAC company to assist.