The onset of the heating season gives our homes not only warmth and comfort, but also dry air. Dry air in the room can cause drying out of wooden interior items or walls, cracking of wallpaper. The stuffiness in the apartment affects its inhabitants, there is rapid fatigue, distraction, fatigue. Today, to prevent all these situations, equipment manufacturers offer household air humidifiers that create comfortable conditions for a person and his environment. Like any other equipment, humidifiers require special handling and maintenance, repair and replacement of damaged parts. How to independently carry out maintenance and care of the equipment, it is worth talking about this in more detail.
The principle of operation of humidifiers
Modern household appliances for humidification come in four types:
- Traditional aggregates. The principle of operation of such equipment occurs by passing air through a wet filter. Air temperature may drop slightly. The humidifying cartridge must be replaced at the intervals specified by the manufacturer. You can increase the service life by using distilled water in its operation.
- Air washer is a modernized traditional model of humidifier. The process of saturation of air with moisture occurs due to spinning disks, alternately falling into the water and blown after the fan.
- Steam humidifiers - the principle of operation of such a device is similar to electric kettles. In order for the air to get moisture, the water is brought to a boil.
- Ultrasonic humidifiers saturate the air through ultrasonic vibrations, knocking out small drops of water from its surface. Such technologies are also used in medical inhalers.
A detailed example of the device of ultrasonic humidifiers in the picture.
Each of these devices requires special treatment. The humidifier must be cleaned for its specific features.
It's important to know! Any humidifier must undergo preventative treatment. It will increase the life of the equipment, improve air quality and prevent the spread of infections and the need for repairs.
Do-it-yourself cleaning
Obstructing the operation of the equipment may be caused by scale in thermal and ultrasonic models. There are a lot of ways to clean a scum yourself; the procedure can be similar to taking care of a teapot.
The safest way can be considered scaling with citric acid. This is a natural component that does not contain any dangerous substances, and even if it remains on the parts of the humidifier, no consequences will arise. But malfunctions arise not only due to the formation of scale.
Users may not find out about most malfunctions in the generator, so periodic preventive maintenance is also a way to identify problems. Cleaning can be done daily, at the end of the season, for disinfection, during filter replacement or for deep cleaning. Doing all these manipulations with your own hands is quite simple:
- daily cleaning of equipment involves replacing the water in the tank, washing from accumulated dust;
- deep cleaning of parts is done every 3-5 days. It is needed to prevent the formation of mold and scale. Such processing is carried out using table vinegar;
- disinfection is carried out using hydrogen peroxide or with the addition of bleach.The manufacturer indicates how to clean one or another device from infections in the instructions;
- filters are replaced by a visual assessment of their condition or in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations;
- seasonal cleaning involves preparing equipment for storage. All parts must be thoroughly cleaned and completely dried.
DIY humidifier repair
Self-repair of humidifiers is possible, even for ultrasonic models. An unpleasant odor often arises in the operation of ultrasonic equipment - and this is an alarm signal that indicates the need for repair. This problem occurs due to clogging of the inner membrane. It must be cleaned and dried.
Connected to the network and working device does not consume water. In this case, making repairs with your own hands will be a little more difficult, but still possible. Most often, the breakdown is in the engine or the annular membrane. Contaminated air holes and the air intake, as well as malfunctions in the fan, also prevent the formation of steam. Perhaps you can’t fix such a breakdown with your own hands.
It's important to know! Do not interfere with the device of the humidifier in the event that there is no elementary knowledge of the device of this or that device, as well as if the device is under warranty service.
In the event that a leak is detected in the device, you need to find out the cause of its formation. If the equipment was recently purchased, then it is better to return it to the store, most often such problems arise in defective devices. If you plan to make repairs with your own hands, then you should be extremely careful in figuring out the cause. First you need to check the density of the installed filter. If it is installed correctly, then you need to look at the condition of the exhaust pipe and the quality of its connection with the humidifier. Such a part costs a lot, but it is worth replacing it if it is worn. You can clean the water seal, because in the event of clogging, it prevents the passage of steam, collecting liquid on itself.
Increased noise or humming during operation. Most often, such problems arise due to malfunctions in the fan. You can eliminate extraneous noise by cleaning the fan from dirt, or by changing the part.
Important! Cleaning the parts of the humidifier or making repairs with your own hands should be carried out with the device turned off from the mains. Do not step aside from the manufacturer's recommendations and try not to start the general condition of the equipment, then comfortable and safe conditions in the house will be supported by a humidifier for many years.
