Matching these words “vaporizer”and “humidifier” we get confused about them being similar. Although they might project similar end results, but little do we know that there are differences between them. I would want us to know the various differences which puts each device in a class of its own. Before I enlighten you on the differences, let understand the meaning of this two devices that keeps us confused.
What is a humidifier?
This is a device that release moisture into the air, changing dry air into moist air making the environment humid. However,a humidifier can either creates warm or cool mist.
What is a vaporizer?
A vaporizer disperses hot steam in the air through the process of heating substances, conveying it to vapor. In order words, vaporizer only product steam.
Comparison of Vaporizers and Humidifiers
Vaporizers Vs Humidifiers
Purpose
Humidifiers: Are use to prevent dryness of the air. Adds moisture to the air which helps to soothing dryness of skin, nose, lips, etc. and furniture in a environment especially wooden objects.
Vaporizer: This is a device use in converting substances to vapor for inhalation, plant extract can be used or inhalants to help with coughs and cold.
Usage Of Humidifiers Vs Vaporizer
Humidifiers: They are mostly used during cold weather either harmattan or winter when the air is cold and dry. For instance, when nasal passage is blocked with mucus, using a humidifier helps free your passages. The humidified air released eliminate dry air thereby increasing the level of humidity in the environment.
Vaporizers: They are used to vaporize substances into vapor for inhalation. Can be used medically with usage of inhalants or rather to vaporize active ingredients or herbal blends for inhalation.
Types of Humidifiers and Processes
There are different models of humidifiers, they are listed below.
Industrial Humidifiers
Static problems are concurrent in the industrial world such has printing, packaging, plastics, electronics and pharmaceutical. Friction causes static build up when humidity level is low, humidifiers help to prevent static issues by maintaining a specific level of humidity. However, food industries make use of industrial humidifiers to preserve freshness of fruit in a cold storage room against dry air. Museums also make use of humidifiers to protect sensitive art works in exhibit when dry air is caused by heating for visitors during winter.
Ultrasonic Humidifiers
They help maintain the humidity of a small environment such as single room. They vibrate at an ultrasonic frequency creating water droplets to humidify dry air
Fixed Installed Humidifier
This is mostly used in buildings with furnace. They are installed into the furnace and stabilizes the humidity of an entire building.
Spray Mist
It’s a portable humidifier which mostly use pipe to directly take water to the electric valve. It is sprayed directly into the environment and the mist is spread through diffusion in air.
Types of Vaporizers and Processes
Since we already discussed what a vaporizer is, below are the types and their uses are listed.
Electric vaporizer
Most vaporizers belong to this category; electricity is use to power the heating element. The material or substance is placed in the vaporizer metal plate while a flow of hot air passes through the exit opening.
Portable glass vaporizers
It’s a small vaporizer that can be taken along anywhere,it requires a lighter as its source of heat or butane gas lighter to prevent soot settling on glass. This type can be used to vape plant extracts like cocaine tobacco and also inhalants for nasal blockage, provides nice vapor.
Vape Pens
This are used mostly in place of cigarettes,inhaling heated propylene glycol or herbal glycerin with fruit flavors.
Release of Vapor or Mist
Humidifiers: It releases cool, warm or steam vapor to humidify the environment.
Vaporizers: They emit steam vapors due to the heating of the substances, releasing steam and moisture into the air.
Sound Emitted
Humidifiers: They are very loud devices; it creates a loud noise at first butfades out later although warm mist humidifiers are less noisy than cool mist because they don’t make use of a fan to blow filters.
Vaporizers: Vaporizers don’t produce noisy sounds, even a conversation in a room can cover up its sound, unless it has electrical issues with for it to produce a noisy sound.
Application
Humidifiers: It’s more advisable to use around children than vaporizers it moisten up dry skin and clear nasal passages due to cold.
Vaporizers: It’s actually unsafe with kids, it’s not suitable to use without adult supervision, could cause fire outbreak, electrical shock or burns due to accidental run over.
Water Type
Humidifiers: Distilled water are preferable, usage of tap water could cause mineral deposits in the humidifier which aids bacteria growth, when the air is released
We would inhale some minerals and it may cause white dust on furniture.
Vaporizers: Tap water can be used since the water is mostly heated. It reduces chance of inhaling some mineral from the warm mist that is dispersed into the air.
Accessories and Substances
Humidifiers: External materials cannot be added or put in the Humidifier water tank directly, except the refilled container inhalants or herbal flavor added.
Vaporizers: Substances can be added such as inhalants and herbal materials could be for medical purposes or vaping of a particular flavour of a substance.
The Cost of Vaporizer Vs Humidifier
Humidifiers: It is more expensive to acquire. The benefit of it is that it can maintain the level of humidity in the home instead of just one room.
Vaporizers: It is cheap to get, portable, but mainly used in a room; it can’t be used for a large environment.
Seen above the comparisons of a Humidifier and vaporizer, we can detect there have their differences;below is a format to summarize their differences.
Humidifiers Difference
- Used in preventing irritation of skin lips nose etc.
- Used mostly when air is dry.
- Used in industrial world, home and office.
- Not necessarily need heat.
- Cool mist is mostly emitted.
- It is expensive.
- Substance can’t be added in water directly unless you have a mode with essential oil compartment
- Can be used around anyone.
- Chances of inhaling mineral impurities.
- Distilled water is mostly used.
- Can be noisy when on high settings
- Turns water to steam due to turning disk under water.
Vaporizers Differences
- Used in inhaling substances.
- Used to clear nasal congestion.
- Not used in industrial world but in home and offices.
- Heat is needed.
- Warm mist is always emitted.
- It is cheap.
- Substances can be added.
- Causes burn if knocked over accidentally.
- Risks using around kids.
- Slight chance of inhaling impurities.
- Tap water can be used.
- It is less noisy.
- Heating element creates vapor.
Now that they are compared we can tell the differences between them, humidifiers and Vaporizers are not same thing but at times could be used to attain similar aims.