Most homes built within the last 15 years are so tightly insulated that very little fresh air can enter and little stale air can exit. Thsi means that VOCs (volatile organic compounds given off by carpet, plywood, etc.), household chemicals, smoke, radon, and odors have no way to escape, resulting in indoor air that can
be 10 times worse than the smoggiest city.

Poor indoor air quality inside the home can contribute to respiratory problems. Todays home is filled with dust, pollen, pet dander, dust mites, dust mite excrement, and other pollutants that we can't see that will aggravate allergy, asthma sufferers, and anyone with respiratory problems.

Up until now, it was nearly impossible to find a whole-house solution to this problem. You ended up putting several portable, noisy air purifiers in different rooms. These are not as effective because they only handle one room and offer no fresh air ventilation.

A GuardianPlus™ whole-house air system is the best way to keep the air in your entire home clean and healthy, conditioning up to 2500 sq. ft.

The Guardian Plus is highly effective, capturing 99.97% of the airborne pollutants as small as .3 microns (a human hair is 150 microns). This HEPA filtered unit will handle up to 2500 sq. ft. at a fraction of the costs of expensive whole-house units that the air conditioning companies try to sell you.

Outstanding Features:

• Whole-home filtration vs. small portable room units
• Quiet vs. noisy portable units
• Totally independent of your AC system. It can run 24 hours a day, 7 days per week cleaning the air in your home.
• Extremely affordable
• Very low maintenance
• Easy to install

Air Cycler is a low cost device attached to the air handler cabinet and connected to the low-voltage thermostat wiring block inside the air handler. By periodically operating the central heating and cooling system fan, Air Cycler improves the effectiveness of the temperature control, humidity and filtration system in a house. Doing so "averages" the air temperature conditions throughout the house, helping to eliminate stagnant and uncomfortable air that a thermostat can't detect.   What's "smart" about Air Cycler is that it turns the house fan on only after a selected period of time during which the central system fan has not operated. 

Finally, if a fresh air duct is connected to the air handler, Air Cycler boosts the effectiveness of house ventilation. Even when heating or cooling is not needed, Air Cycler periodically turns the air handler fan on, drawing in fresh filtered outdoor air through the ventilation duct and distributing it throughout the house.

Honeywell #F50F

This unit uses charging rods and two metal collector cells to filter the air to the highest level possible.  The charging rods give the airborne particles passing by them a positive or negative charge.  As the particles pass through the collector cells they are attracted to the cells with an opposite charge.  Particles as small as viruses and bacteria's can also be filtered out by this type of air cleaner which shows how effective they can really be.  Overall, this electronic air cleaner is around 90-95% efficient at total particle removal.

Animal dander is made up of pet hair and dead skin cells.  Homes that have pets often show a significant build-up of animal dander in the air duct systems particularly in the cold air returns.  Animal dander usually ranges from about 100 microns in size on the large side to 5 microns in size on the small side.  (Keep in mind that once a particle reaches 10 microns in size, it requires a light microscope to see it).  This means that that standard filter just isn't going to cut it.  It lets about ½ of the airborne animal dander particles pass right through it!

Plant pollen can also be a major problem.  Anyone who suffers from allergies knows how bothersome pollen can be.  Pollen becomes worse when it is blown around by forced air systems because it is much easier for allergy sufferers to breathe in, even when in the solitude of their own homes.  Pollen has the same size ranges as does animal dander and for the same reasons, your standard filter just won't cut it.


Honeywell Electronic air cleaners also do a great job at tackling very small particles (under .5 microns).  These particles would include smoke, smog, household & atmospheric dust, some bacteria and all viruses.

You should use Aprilaire humidifier if the following is true:

  1.  You chronically suffer from a dry nose and throat
  2.  You get static shocks
  3.  You notice gaps in the wood framing around doors and windows or separation of wood on floors
  4.  You find yourself reaching for sweater more often than necessary

RH or Relative Humidity is the percentage of moisture in the air compared to its maximum capability to hold moisture under the same conditions.

For example, 70 degree air can hold over 12 times as much moisture as 10 degree air can. In the winter, outside air at 10 degrees and 70% RH is brought into the home through various gaps in construction. This allows for healthy air changes to take place in the home. When heated to normal room temperature, however, the 70% RH quickly drops to around 7% RH, only a fraction of the recommended relative humidity for a heated home.

How They Work:

Aprilaire humidifiers are known as "flow-through evaporative" humidifiers. The humidistat is set at the desired humidity level based on outside temperatures. When the furnace blower is on, it activates the humidifier when humidity levels fall below the setting. Water is supplied to the patented distribution tray, then flows evenly across the Water PanelTM evaporator. The heated, dry air is forced through the wet panel and the now-humidified air carrying water as a vapor is distributed via the duct system throughout the home.

Bypass (#600)

Aprilaire bypass humidifiers, like this Model 600, move air through the bypass principle, where air is forced from the warm air supply to the cold air return due to positive air pressure in the supply and negative air pressure in the return. The humidified air mixes with the return air from the home and is then distributed to each room. The 600 is perfect for loosely insulated houses (houses that change air two times an hour) around 1,000 sq. ft., and tight houses (houses that change 1/2 their air in an hour) around 4,000 sq. ft.

Bypass (Drainless) (#400)

The Aprilaire Model 400 bypass humidifier is the newest addition to the line.  It uses new evaporative technology to minimize water use, eliminate standing water and provide comfortable humidified air throughout your home.  Gravity pulls water down while the wicking action of the water panel draws it back to the top, using 100% of the water delivered to the unit.  It's the perfect choice for homes with septic systems, locations where a floor drain is not available or families interested in water conservation.  Plus, its computer technology and innovative design makes it effortless to operate and simple to maintain.  The Model 400 bypass humidifier is a high-capacity, water-conserving humidifier (0.70 gallons evaporated per hour), well suited to handle up to a 4,000 square foot, tightly constructed home.

Power (#700)

The Model 700 power humidifier (formerly Model 768) features truly automatic control, so there's no need to ever manually control the humidifier.  It is also designed with ease of service in mind. It utilizes an outdoor temperature sensor for monitoring even the slightest changes in outdoor temperature.  This high-tech humidification system can deliver up to 50% more moisture in comparison to competitive units. With flexibility in mind, it can even be installed in manual mode if necessary.  Complementing any HVAC system, the 700 has an evaporation capacity of 0.75 gallons per hour, among the highest capacity humidifiers sold.  If you own a larger home and want the best, then this may be the humidifier for you, as it will handle up to 4,200 square feet if your home is tight in construction.