Tired of the side effects of hard water? Why not take action? Home water softener installation is a potentially great solution. Look at the pros and cons of water softeners to decide whether adding one of these water quality improvement systems is a smart move for you and your family.

Water Softener Pros

1. Avoid Limescale Buildup

Limescale is caused by a deposit of minerals from your water supply (usually magnesium, calcium, and manganese), which builds up over time. The thick whitish crust it forms can be found on kettles, sinks, faucets, showerheads, and shower screens … and it looks ugly! A water softener will reduce or eliminate limescale.

2. Make For Easier Cleanup

Limescale deposits are tough to clean, especially when they’re combined with leftover soap residue. Soft water will make cleaning up your bathroom and kitchen much easier and faster.

3. Keep Your Plumbing In Good Shape

Your home plumbing will also benefit from a water softening system, with no more hard water mineral deposits to block your pipes and slow the flow.

4. Improve Your Looks and Health

Washing your hair and face with soft water makes it easy to rinse away soap and shampoo. As a result, your hair and complexion will be softer and less dry. Skin conditions such as eczema, which are associated with hard water, may be soothed by washing with softened water.

5. Use Less Detergent

You’ll need less detergent to do your laundry using soft water. Other wash day benefits: Your clothes and linens will look brighter, feel softer, and last longer. Your washing machine will tend to function more efficiently, unblocked by limescale.

6. Reduce Energy Bills

Installing a water softener will reduce scale buildup on your water heater and other water-using appliances, improving their efficiency and cutting your energy bills, which will save you money.

Water Softener Cons

1. Expense of Installation and Maintenance

Installation of a high-quality water softener is an extra item in your budget, as is the biannual servicing it’s likely to require. However, homeowners tend to find that these expenses are offset by the savings on detergent, energy, and the cost to replace appliances.

2. Wasted Water

Softeners do waste some water during the regeneration phase, perhaps as much as 10%.

3. Drinking-Water Quality

Soft water is not ideal for cooking or drinking, as it can leach heavy metals from your plumbing. If rock salt is utilized in the softening process, the salt content can be dangerous for someone on a salt-restricted diet. A physician should be consulted.

Do You Really Need A Water Softener?

Are you still on the fence about whether a water softener is worth it?

Talk to us about water softener solutions that will be right for your home and your budget.

Look into water softener solutions

You probably already know the importance of ventilation for Canadian homes. Your next step is learning about the difference between HRV and ERV systems.

Both methods of whole-house mechanical ventilation are excellent at improving your indoor air quality, yet each has advantages and disadvantages. There’s really no “one size fits all” solution. But once you read the facts below, you’ll be better prepared to make the right choice.

What Does HRV Mean?

HRV stands for “heat recovery ventilation.”

How Do HRV Systems Work?

HRV systems vent stale air outdoors and bring in fresh air. At the same time, in the winter they literally recover part of the heat from the outgoing air (which is warmed by your furnace, as well as sources such as your water heater, cooking, and washing) and use it to pre-warm incoming air.

In summer, an HRV system goes through a similar process. However, now it works to recover some of the outgoing air’s chill (from your air conditioning), utilizing it to cool the incoming air.

In either case, your furnace or air conditioner won’t have to work as hard and you’ll need less energy to bring the new air to a comfortable temperature. With energy loss minimized, your utility bills are lower.

What Does ERV Mean?

ERV is the acronym for “energy recovery ventilation.”

How Do ERV Systems Work?

An energy recovery system also draws in fresh air from outside to replace stale indoor air. In the process, it transfers some of the heat or chill from the outgoing air to the new supply.

What’s The Difference Between HRV And ERV Systems?

The one major difference between HRV and ERV systems is likely to be the decision-maker when you’re making your choice: HRV systems recover only heated or cooled air, depending on the season, but ERV systems recover both heat and relative humidity.

In winter, moisture recovery helps keep your indoor air from becoming too dry, while in summer, it prevents excessive humidity from entering your home.

Overly dry air makes your family more vulnerable to health conditions like dry skin and sore throats. On the other hand, air that’s too moist fosters mold and mildew growth, leading to allergies and respiratory problems. Both extremes are bad for the structure of your house.

Which Is Right For My Home?

Before you choose, consider the following differences between HRVs and ERVs:

Local Climate: An ERV’s moisture recovery feature is desirable when you live in a climate like we have in Brampton and the GTA – cold, dry winters, yet hot, humid summers.

Your Heating System: HRVs work well when you use a non-drying heating system such as a boiler. If your heating tends to dry the air (electric baseboard heaters, for example), an ERV is preferable.

When Your Home Was Built: ERVs are recommended for homes built prior to the 1970s that usually have drier indoor air, because their construction allows humidity to escape outdoors. HRVs are good for more airtight newer homes.

Size of Your Household: More people in a home (especially a relatively small one) means more humidity — from showers, cooking, and simply breathing. In this type of household, an HRV would be a great choice. ERVs are right for smaller families and larger houses.

We’ll Help You Decide

The Dr. HVAC friendly experts will help you choose the best ventilation system for your home. We’ll walk you through the process, from selection through installation, and answer all your questions.

Request a free quote to start improving your indoor air quality.

There seems to be a lot of questions surrounding whole-home humidifiers. Like, do humidifiers really work? What’s the difference between a humidifier and an air purifier? Even if you’ve installed one, there are still some unknowns Canadians need answers to. Whether you’re just curious or you own one yourself, here are some of the more popular questions about whole-home humidifiers.

How Many Types Of Humidifiers Are There?

Not your average portable humidifiers, a “Whole Home” humidifier’s responsibility is to add humidity throughout the entire home. Drum, flow-through and steam are the three main types of central humidifiers that Canadian’s trust.

Drum Humidifiers

A basic whole-home humidifier is powered by a motor and rotating belt. It works by rotating the belt through a small tray of water, the water then evaporates off the belt into the air and into your return air ducts where moisture-laden air is then distributed throughout your home. These humidifiers are extremely simple and not especially precise. Although it’s the cheapest humidifier out of the three, it does require frequent maintenance.

Flow-Through Humidifiers

Flow-through humidifiers utilize an evaporator pad to distribute moisture into your home. A stream of water continuously passes by the pad to ensure it’s always moist. Like the drum humidifier, the water is then evaporated into the return air duct and spread out into the home. An efficient humidifier that requires less maintenance.

Steam Humidifiers

The steam humidifier is the most precise and efficient humidifier out of the three. This electric-powered humidifier produces an electrical current that heats and evaporates the water. This creates moisture heavy air that is then sent throughout the home to balance indoor humidity. A more expensive product but requires little maintenance.

How Do You Know If You Need A Humidifier?

Low humidity can cause all sorts of trouble, both for your health and your home’s indoor air quality. At the core, low humidity is simply dry air, a lack of moisture and is most common in cold weather. 

With dry air comes dry skin. If your wrists and scalp are always itchy and flaky during the winter, your home has low humidity.

Colds and sinus infections (and other health issues) aren’t only passed from snotty nose kids but from dry air as well. Running humidifiers will keep your throat and nasal passages moist – supporting your body’s natural protection against airborne infections.

Are your door’s stuck or floor’s creaky? This is probably due to the low humidity. The dry air in the room will shrink and warp everything wood, from your flooring to your furniture.

If you want to check your home’s humidity levels before catching a cold or suffering itchy skin and static shocks you will need a hygrometer. A hygrometer is a tool created to measure the humidity levels in the room.

How Is Your Humidifier Controlled?

Every humidifier is equipped with a humidistat. The humidistat is usually installed in the same location (basement) as the whole-home humidifier. Similar to a thermostat, humidistats are connected to your forced air heating system to either manually or automatically adjust the humidity in your home.

What Is The Ideal Home Humidity Level?

The recommended humidity levels during the summer is 40-50% and the ideal humidity level in winter is between 30 and 40%.

What Is Forced Air Heating?

Forced air heating and whole-home humidifiers work hand in hand, creating a very efficient heating and cooling system experience. Both help each other work better and efficiently. In a nutshell, forced air systems use a series of pipes (ducts) to pull cold, dusty or dirty air into the system and then push conditioned (heated, cooled, filtered, humidified) air throughout the home.

Forced air heating via natural gas is one of the most common ways to heat a home in Ontario. As well as being an efficient way to heat your home, balance home humidity levels and improve your air quality, all in one system.

What Are Trusted Brands For Humidifiers?

Aprilaire and GeneralAire are very efficient and lead the way in defeating dry air during the winter. These brands ensure your home is adequately humidified and balanced. Both are properly designed to prevent mould from forming within the systems. 

Humidify With Dr HVAC

If you need a Whole-Home humidifier installation or desire an upgrade, give Brampton’s HVAC system provider, Dr HVAC, a call. We install quality brands of whole-home humidifiers and have acquired the knowledge to show you how to use and maintain them. If you’re ready, request a quote with us today!