Question:
The best humidifiers are evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it.
Aha, a good design idea. I had turned off my revolving drum furnace mouted humidifier because of the immense mineral buildup (very hard municipal water supply) whose weight had stripped several drum motors already . There was also this yukky filamentous gunk on the drum reservoir. I can probably come up with a conversion to my humidifier to turn it into a drip type. Winter in-house breathing problems and asthma are quite common complaints. That gunk is probably fungal filaments that produce spores, gets blown into the hot air system, etc. There’s probably a stong health related link there. Kelvin Mok
Response:
I used to have "moving belt with fan" humidifiers when I lived in a "soft water" city. Then I moved to "limestone soup" country and tried the ultrasonic units, but did not want to pay for distilled water or for the demineralizer cartridges sold by the humidifier manufacturer. I was also not interested in cleaning up the limestone dust which is the result of evaporating the "hard" water drops out of the ultrasonic humidifiers. I am currently using "wet towels" hanging from a wooden dowel and dunked into a 6 inch by 6 inch by 36 inch window box plastic tray purchased at a garden center. Supports at each end of the dowel keep it about 18 inches above the floor level. Osmosis moves water 12 or 15 inches up the towel [or I rotate the dowel until I soak the entire towel.] Towels get washed in hot water and vinegar [to dissolve accumulated limestone] at least once a month during the heating season. This also hopefully kills any molds which start to grow. I have baseboard hot water heat, so I just put my "low tech" rig on the floor next to the baseboard and let convection of hot air past the towel do the evaporating — no fans needed. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
Response:
They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it. I also owned a Sears steam-type portable unit before I installed the Aprilaire, it was also a mess, as the minerals accumulate on all the wet surfaces and the heating element. It was a pain to fill twice a day, also. Rick – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
Response:
I realize not everyone owns a distiller or reverse osmosis system, but if you do, use this water, and your fine dust problems will disappear! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are
Response:
Having used many domestic (read under $200) humidifiers for my house, having serviced them at work for 30 years, I’ve settled on this one… http://www.humidity.com/products/index.html Expensive, but my family’s health has been better for it over the years, Dave
|They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, |not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up |as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are |evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh |water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing |dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once |a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it. |I also owned a Sears steam-type portable unit before I installed the |Aprilaire, it was also a mess, as the minerals accumulate on all the wet |surfaces and the heating element. It was a pain to fill twice a day, also.
Response:
G’day all! I would not, under circumstance, install any type of humidifier that has a reservoir full of water. I have inspected hundreds of these (typically the evaporative-pad type, with a rotating drum) and they are nearly always full of microbial growth.
Microbial growth which causes allergies and asthma. In my experience there’s no such thing as a _working_ whole house humidifier. If the air feels dry this is usually caused by particles and chemical irritants. — _/_/_/ – Den vor Herre giver et embede fratar han ogsaa forstanden.
Response:
What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
Response:
What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
The explanation I was given was that ultrasound also atomises the dissolved minerals in the water. Breath those minerals in along with the water vapour and the minerals may cause lung injury. I never did come across any authorative source (science of medically based) that examined this subject. Kelvin Mok
Response:
Why not just stick a tea-kettle on the wood-stove? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Eric, I would not, under circumstance, install any type of humidifier that has a reservoir full of water. I have inspected hundreds of these (typically the evaporative-pad type, with a rotating drum) and they are nearly always full of microbial growth. Most of the time, after the nozzle has clogged, the unit malfunctions, either by leaking into the furnace or by ceasing to operate. The only central humidifier unit that I have found to be free of significant microbial growth is the trickle-type Aprilaire, with the aluminum mesh evaporative pad. In these units, water flows down the mesh pad and evaporates into the hot air flow from the furnace. Excess liquid water must be drained from the bottom tray into a condensate pump and discharged; in one installation, there was no drainage and unevaporated water leaked continuously into the furnace! The humidified air is drawn into the return air so no duct condensation occurs. If you install a steam system, make sure that there is an observation window at the misting unit so you can watch the operation and check it regularly. Be sure that there is a clean tray under the unit in the event of leakage. All humidification equipment should be checked weekly, cleaned at least monthly if type needs it. An important component of this system will be the furnace filter, as you will want to be sure that there is no dust in which mold can grow. Do not use inexpensive fiberglass filters or washable filters of any type. Use only a media filter (minimum 40% efficiency), preferably four or six inches deep, such as an Aprilaire or Air Bear; these require installation of housings. (Electronic filters require too frequent cleaning, at least monthly.) Until you can install the deeper filter, use a one-inch media filter. Be sure to look at my book "My House is Killing Me! The Home Guide for Families with Allergies and Asthma," just published by Johns Hopkins University Press. The books has lots more tips for heating and cooling systems as well as the whole house. Jeffrey C. May J. May Home Inspections, Inc. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Familiar with your area…we installed many a system in Colorado Springs to be exact…and the one home that we did that we were particularly proud of was a nice place down on the south side of Academy that was 13,000 SF…we used only two units, and it was more than enough to keep the home at a comfortable level, normally in the 45 to 50% RH range. After that..we were in the deserts of California…and dry…..well..Colorado was like a lake compared..LOL First, you must keep in mind that a humidifier needs to be maintained. You will hear from people that say, "I hate it..its always got a cruddy pad in it" and the like. SURE it will…its like ANY OTHER part of your heating and cooling system..it must be taken care of, or it WILL be a bitch to run, if it will at all. First thing is home size..ok..we know that now. Second…you need to pick a brand..why? Simple….sold them all…Honeywell’s to Skuttle, and after several years we have narrowed it down to two brands that work, and work well…as designed, WHEN INSTALLED CORRECTLY. Skuttle and AprilAire. You can get a unit from AprilAire that can be mounted in the cold air return, or the warm air supply side, or, everyone’s units can be mounted on the warm air side…and all the readings you will be hearing about gallons of water per day output, is based on an air temp of 120F. Now…do you want a power humidifier, a drum style, by-pass, flow through, or steam? That will depend in part, on what TYPE of heat you have…is it fuel, like gas, or a heat pump? What is the tonnage of the air handler, and what is the CFM of the air flow in the unit? What is your duct construction? If it is ductboard, you just eliminated a spray type…and pretty much steam…. HW HE420? Looking at the newest catalog mine stops at HE360A, rated at 19 gallons a day….more than enough for your home….provided that the unit is installed correctly, and with a humidistat. The units will come with one….hope either way, hes not charging you more than $200-250 for the unit itself… I am partial..depending on the need and application…location..etc, to the Skuttle S2002…also rated at 19 gallons a day, and has a power fan in increase evaporation…its a flow through type, that works well..easy to maintain….and not as expensive as the Honeywell…to maintain, run, or buy. Even with steam, you are looking at about only 17 gallons a day…you are looking at more parts to go bad..like the element, the flushing timer…the chlorine filter.. With spray types…they are the most customizable units..you can take one machine…start out at 0.37 gallons per hour, up to 2.0 gallons per hour. the drawbacks to that are, you can get piddling in the duct….adjust the spray wrong with metal duct, and you have, or can have rust..put it in a ductboard unit and you have a bacteria and mold issue… This trade, is like any other….ask one question to 50 different techs, and get at least 40 different answers. You need to talk to more than one contractor, and see what they offer…ask for people that have similar homes to yours, built about the same time that they built yours, preferably in the same area…if they are smart, they will contact some people and allow you to contact them, and ask how it has been for them. Granted..before someone flames me…sure…I sell them….but, unless you have a particular brand in mind….or have shopped and finally picked out a model..its not as easy as saying…give me one of those…it may or may not work for you. I sold one to my cousin (of all people) in Kansas City KS today….but I have been to his home, know how large it is…how new it is…number of people in it at a given time…etc…plus, his dad was in the trade for many years…so, he had a pretty good idea of what he wanted….but we STILL talked about it for over 2 hours before we packed his order up… his is the same problem many people are asking about them for….allergies and how the home feels in the winter….He ended up with a different model than I have talked about, and a Hepa whole home filter, with UV assembly. We will have those results from him in about 2 weeks, since I will be in California for a week installing another unit for an old client of mine. We are trying out one of the HEPA filters now….and so far, the wife, who is allergic to everything it seems…loves it..:) Shes the best critic of what we carry….she gets to try it out first and if it does not work well…..we stop keeping it in many cases.. At anyrate…keep asking…and contact the makers direct…it can help in many cases. Really…and dont be afraid to ask lots of questions to the guys that are trying to sell you a product….be informed…and corner them if you know they are BS’n you. Many salesmen for some HVAC companies dont have a clue what they are selling….only that when they sell it, they make money…..find one that will take time…and do the homework. Other comments below in original. — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree.
Again…ask 50 different people…get many many different answers… I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years.
Possible…did he bother to check your duct to see if it was capable of that? Second…steams not that bad, its the SPRAY ones to worry about if set up wrong. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted).
Actually….240VAC. And the AprilAire 600 is only a 0.70 gallon per hour unit…if your home is REAL tight….maybe… Its a good unit…but I think you would soon find its not what you want. Its a by-pass type, and excellent in design….might well be the best in its class…just too small.. Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers.
Normally……and thats NORMALLY, they buy one that is too small. Thats the reason that the one that we keep on the online store, is rated at up to 14 gallons per hour…with a humidistat…so if you need it…its there.. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%.
LOL..been there…done that…great state…now if I could just finish getting the hail damage fixed from a few years ago….:) So what’s the real story?
See that book I wrote way above this.. I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers.
Dont really need to, but you DO need to find a contractor out there that will work with you..and not one that will say..HERE…THIS works…anyone can take your money…and will.. Its just like buying a car…or a new heating system…you never buy the first one presented to you….unless its after you looked at the rest. Good luck. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
You dont understand the evap process very well for that type of application…all the air has to be is dry…dry air sucks up moisture like a sponge…the ONLY time you want a humidifier on is when the air is being heated, so of COURSE it works better..however.. What do you think an evaporative cooler is?? Hint…its one big humidifier.. — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on. Doesn’t work well because the air needs to be hot to evaporate water off the filter.
Response:
Jeeez….I hope you are not in the HVAC trade… — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. The reason you will get different stories is that it depends on the home. Our house is well insulated. In such a case, or if you have a furnace that’s much more powerful than needed, or during the swing season when it’s not that cold, the fan doesn’t run for very long. A bypass type only works when the furnace fan is running, and so we find ours to be worthless. On the other hand, people who run the fan all the time, for temperature uniformity or because their furnace is small, will report that the bypass humidifier is very effective. And people who have poorly insulated windows will get dripping windows faster than those who have good windows. Now it is true that the steam type will turn the fan on as needed (the bypass type won’t because it needs hot air to evaporate the water, so turning the fan on when the furnace isn’t on is not effective). I haven’t tried this type; locally there is no one who will install one of these. In principle this is a much better method, but such humidifiers are rare. The problem here is scale. Evaporation of cold water creates a fine powder; a lot of it stays in the disposable filter and the rest of it is flushed out through the drain. But in a steam type, which is just a tank with an immersion heater in it, the heating element gets a hard crust on it that is impossible to remove entirely. Plan on replacing the heating element every 1-2 years.
Response:
Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers.
The reason you will get different stories is that it depends on the home. Our house is well insulated. In such a case, or if you have a furnace that’s much more powerful than needed, or during the swing season when it’s not that cold, the fan doesn’t run for very long. A bypass type only works when the furnace fan is running, and so we find ours to be worthless. On the other hand, people who run the fan all the time, for temperature uniformity or because their furnace is small, will report that the bypass humidifier is very effective. And people who have poorly insulated windows will get dripping windows faster than those who have good windows. Now it is true that the steam type will turn the fan on as needed (the bypass type won’t because it needs hot air to evaporate the water, so turning the fan on when the furnace isn’t on is not effective). I haven’t tried this type; locally there is no one who will install one of these. In principle this is a much better method, but such humidifiers are rare. The problem here is scale. Evaporation of cold water creates a fine powder; a lot of it stays in the disposable filter and the rest of it is flushed out through the drain. But in a steam type, which is just a tank with an immersion heater in it, the heating element gets a hard crust on it that is impossible to remove entirely. Plan on replacing the heating element every 1-2 years.
Response:
In Denver, 1960-64, and here near Las Vegas, 1964 to present, I have used an evaporative type attached to my hot-air furnace. These let hot air from the furnace bonnet blow over an evaporative element and return to the cool air intake. With the included humidistat in Denver I was able to maintain humidity at about 20 to 25%. Unit was capable of more but the single pane windows would sweat or frost rather heavily on the below-zero nights. Here in the desert with very dry outdoor air and nights seldom below 20 degrees, I am able to maintain winter humidity between 30% and 50%. One negative aspect is that dissolved solids in the water supply accumulate so that the unit needs to be cleaned periodically. With our water, 750 ppm of solids, I do that about once a month. If the unit is easily accessible, that is a small chore. This is a bit awkward here since the furnace is in a tight interior closet. In Denver, with lightly mineralized water and the furnace easily accessible in the basement maintenance was no chore at all. I should add that both houses were small, about 1300 square feet. Be sure to get unit or unit compatible with the area the furnace or furnaces serve. Sten – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Start out with-NO- to heated types. They create humidity at an elevated heat. When that warm, wet air becomes cooled by air at the ambient temp in the house, it will ‘rain’. I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on.
Doesn’t work well because the air needs to be hot to evaporate water off the filter.
Response:
I have an Aprilaire 550 bypass type in my 3000 sq. ft. home in central Ohio, and if I turn up the humidistat I can make the windows drip within two hours . . . I’d go with the Aprilaire . .
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
Response:
What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
The explanation I was given was that ultrasound also atomises the dissolved minerals in the water. Breath those minerals in along with the water vapour and the minerals may cause lung injury. I never did come across any authorative source (science of medically based) that examined this subject. Kelvin Mok
Response:
They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it. I also owned a Sears steam-type portable unit before I installed the Aprilaire, it was also a mess, as the minerals accumulate on all the wet surfaces and the heating element. It was a pain to fill twice a day, also. Rick – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
Response:
I realize not everyone owns a distiller or reverse osmosis system, but if you do, use this water, and your fine dust problems will disappear! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are
Response:
Having used many domestic (read under $200) humidifiers for my house, having serviced them at work for 30 years, I’ve settled on this one… http://www.humidity.com/products/index.html Expensive, but my family’s health has been better for it over the years, Dave
|They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, |not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up |as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are |evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh |water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing |dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once |a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it. |I also owned a Sears steam-type portable unit before I installed the |Aprilaire, it was also a mess, as the minerals accumulate on all the wet |surfaces and the heating element. It was a pain to fill twice a day, also.
Response:
The best humidifiers are evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it.
Aha, a good design idea. I had turned off my revolving drum furnace mouted humidifier because of the immense mineral buildup (very hard municipal water supply) whose weight had stripped several drum motors already . There was also this yukky filamentous gunk on the drum reservoir. I can probably come up with a conversion to my humidifier to turn it into a drip type. Winter in-house breathing problems and asthma are quite common complaints. That gunk is probably fungal filaments that produce spores, gets blown into the hot air system, etc. There’s probably a stong health related link there. Kelvin Mok
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I used to have "moving belt with fan" humidifiers when I lived in a "soft water" city. Then I moved to "limestone soup" country and tried the ultrasonic units, but did not want to pay for distilled water or for the demineralizer cartridges sold by the humidifier manufacturer. I was also not interested in cleaning up the limestone dust which is the result of evaporating the "hard" water drops out of the ultrasonic humidifiers. I am currently using "wet towels" hanging from a wooden dowel and dunked into a 6 inch by 6 inch by 36 inch window box plastic tray purchased at a garden center. Supports at each end of the dowel keep it about 18 inches above the floor level. Osmosis moves water 12 or 15 inches up the towel [or I rotate the dowel until I soak the entire towel.] Towels get washed in hot water and vinegar [to dissolve accumulated limestone] at least once a month during the heating season. This also hopefully kills any molds which start to grow. I have baseboard hot water heat, so I just put my "low tech" rig on the floor next to the baseboard and let convection of hot air past the towel do the evaporating — no fans needed. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
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G’day all! I would not, under circumstance, install any type of humidifier that has a reservoir full of water. I have inspected hundreds of these (typically the evaporative-pad type, with a rotating drum) and they are nearly always full of microbial growth.
Microbial growth which causes allergies and asthma. In my experience there’s no such thing as a _working_ whole house humidifier. If the air feels dry this is usually caused by particles and chemical irritants. — _/_/_/ – Den vor Herre giver et embede fratar han ogsaa forstanden.
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Why not just stick a tea-kettle on the wood-stove? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Eric, I would not, under circumstance, install any type of humidifier that has a reservoir full of water. I have inspected hundreds of these (typically the evaporative-pad type, with a rotating drum) and they are nearly always full of microbial growth. Most of the time, after the nozzle has clogged, the unit malfunctions, either by leaking into the furnace or by ceasing to operate. The only central humidifier unit that I have found to be free of significant microbial growth is the trickle-type Aprilaire, with the aluminum mesh evaporative pad. In these units, water flows down the mesh pad and evaporates into the hot air flow from the furnace. Excess liquid water must be drained from the bottom tray into a condensate pump and discharged; in one installation, there was no drainage and unevaporated water leaked continuously into the furnace! The humidified air is drawn into the return air so no duct condensation occurs. If you install a steam system, make sure that there is an observation window at the misting unit so you can watch the operation and check it regularly. Be sure that there is a clean tray under the unit in the event of leakage. All humidification equipment should be checked weekly, cleaned at least monthly if type needs it. An important component of this system will be the furnace filter, as you will want to be sure that there is no dust in which mold can grow. Do not use inexpensive fiberglass filters or washable filters of any type. Use only a media filter (minimum 40% efficiency), preferably four or six inches deep, such as an Aprilaire or Air Bear; these require installation of housings. (Electronic filters require too frequent cleaning, at least monthly.) Until you can install the deeper filter, use a one-inch media filter. Be sure to look at my book "My House is Killing Me! The Home Guide for Families with Allergies and Asthma," just published by Johns Hopkins University Press. The books has lots more tips for heating and cooling systems as well as the whole house. Jeffrey C. May J. May Home Inspections, Inc. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Familiar with your area…we installed many a system in Colorado Springs to be exact…and the one home that we did that we were particularly proud of was a nice place down on the south side of Academy that was 13,000 SF…we used only two units, and it was more than enough to keep the home at a comfortable level, normally in the 45 to 50% RH range. After that..we were in the deserts of California…and dry…..well..Colorado was like a lake compared..LOL First, you must keep in mind that a humidifier needs to be maintained. You will hear from people that say, "I hate it..its always got a cruddy pad in it" and the like. SURE it will…its like ANY OTHER part of your heating and cooling system..it must be taken care of, or it WILL be a bitch to run, if it will at all. First thing is home size..ok..we know that now. Second…you need to pick a brand..why? Simple….sold them all…Honeywell’s to Skuttle, and after several years we have narrowed it down to two brands that work, and work well…as designed, WHEN INSTALLED CORRECTLY. Skuttle and AprilAire. You can get a unit from AprilAire that can be mounted in the cold air return, or the warm air supply side, or, everyone’s units can be mounted on the warm air side…and all the readings you will be hearing about gallons of water per day output, is based on an air temp of 120F. Now…do you want a power humidifier, a drum style, by-pass, flow through, or steam? That will depend in part, on what TYPE of heat you have…is it fuel, like gas, or a heat pump? What is the tonnage of the air handler, and what is the CFM of the air flow in the unit? What is your duct construction? If it is ductboard, you just eliminated a spray type…and pretty much steam…. HW HE420? Looking at the newest catalog mine stops at HE360A, rated at 19 gallons a day….more than enough for your home….provided that the unit is installed correctly, and with a humidistat. The units will come with one….hope either way, hes not charging you more than $200-250 for the unit itself… I am partial..depending on the need and application…location..etc, to the Skuttle S2002…also rated at 19 gallons a day, and has a power fan in increase evaporation…its a flow through type, that works well..easy to maintain….and not as expensive as the Honeywell…to maintain, run, or buy. Even with steam, you are looking at about only 17 gallons a day…you are looking at more parts to go bad..like the element, the flushing timer…the chlorine filter.. With spray types…they are the most customizable units..you can take one machine…start out at 0.37 gallons per hour, up to 2.0 gallons per hour. the drawbacks to that are, you can get piddling in the duct….adjust the spray wrong with metal duct, and you have, or can have rust..put it in a ductboard unit and you have a bacteria and mold issue… This trade, is like any other….ask one question to 50 different techs, and get at least 40 different answers. You need to talk to more than one contractor, and see what they offer…ask for people that have similar homes to yours, built about the same time that they built yours, preferably in the same area…if they are smart, they will contact some people and allow you to contact them, and ask how it has been for them. Granted..before someone flames me…sure…I sell them….but, unless you have a particular brand in mind….or have shopped and finally picked out a model..its not as easy as saying…give me one of those…it may or may not work for you. I sold one to my cousin (of all people) in Kansas City KS today….but I have been to his home, know how large it is…how new it is…number of people in it at a given time…etc…plus, his dad was in the trade for many years…so, he had a pretty good idea of what he wanted….but we STILL talked about it for over 2 hours before we packed his order up… his is the same problem many people are asking about them for….allergies and how the home feels in the winter….He ended up with a different model than I have talked about, and a Hepa whole home filter, with UV assembly. We will have those results from him in about 2 weeks, since I will be in California for a week installing another unit for an old client of mine. We are trying out one of the HEPA filters now….and so far, the wife, who is allergic to everything it seems…loves it..:) Shes the best critic of what we carry….she gets to try it out first and if it does not work well…..we stop keeping it in many cases.. At anyrate…keep asking…and contact the makers direct…it can help in many cases. Really…and dont be afraid to ask lots of questions to the guys that are trying to sell you a product….be informed…and corner them if you know they are BS’n you. Many salesmen for some HVAC companies dont have a clue what they are selling….only that when they sell it, they make money…..find one that will take time…and do the homework. Other comments below in original. — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree.
Again…ask 50 different people…get many many different answers… I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years.
Possible…did he bother to check your duct to see if it was capable of that? Second…steams not that bad, its the SPRAY ones to worry about if set up wrong. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted).
Actually….240VAC. And the AprilAire 600 is only a 0.70 gallon per hour unit…if your home is REAL tight….maybe… Its a good unit…but I think you would soon find its not what you want. Its a by-pass type, and excellent in design….might well be the best in its class…just too small.. Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers.
Normally……and thats NORMALLY, they buy one that is too small. Thats the reason that the one that we keep on the online store, is rated at up to 14 gallons per hour…with a humidistat…so if you need it…its there.. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%.
LOL..been there…done that…great state…now if I could just finish getting the hail damage fixed from a few years ago….:) So what’s the real story?
See that book I wrote way above this.. I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers.
Dont really need to, but you DO need to find a contractor out there that will work with you..and not one that will say..HERE…THIS works…anyone can take your money…and will.. Its just like buying a car…or a new heating system…you never buy the first one presented to you….unless its after you looked at the rest. Good luck. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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You dont understand the evap process very well for that type of application…all the air has to be is dry…dry air sucks up moisture like a sponge…the ONLY time you want a humidifier on is when the air is being heated, so of COURSE it works better..however.. What do you think an evaporative cooler is?? Hint…its one big humidifier.. — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on. Doesn’t work well because the air needs to be hot to evaporate water off the filter.
Response:
Jeeez….I hope you are not in the HVAC trade… — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. The reason you will get different stories is that it depends on the home. Our house is well insulated. In such a case, or if you have a furnace that’s much more powerful than needed, or during the swing season when it’s not that cold, the fan doesn’t run for very long. A bypass type only works when the furnace fan is running, and so we find ours to be worthless. On the other hand, people who run the fan all the time, for temperature uniformity or because their furnace is small, will report that the bypass humidifier is very effective. And people who have poorly insulated windows will get dripping windows faster than those who have good windows. Now it is true that the steam type will turn the fan on as needed (the bypass type won’t because it needs hot air to evaporate the water, so turning the fan on when the furnace isn’t on is not effective). I haven’t tried this type; locally there is no one who will install one of these. In principle this is a much better method, but such humidifiers are rare. The problem here is scale. Evaporation of cold water creates a fine powder; a lot of it stays in the disposable filter and the rest of it is flushed out through the drain. But in a steam type, which is just a tank with an immersion heater in it, the heating element gets a hard crust on it that is impossible to remove entirely. Plan on replacing the heating element every 1-2 years.
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I have a small house (1300 sq ft or so), and have found a free-standing console humidifier [with two block-like paper filters that cause minerals to plate out on the upstream side] to work very well. I can readily get 12-14 gallons into the air in a 24 hour period (which translates into 30% relative humidity or so, enough to keep static way down and to feel a lot warmer) and the motor is quiet (though the airflow is a tad noisy). It’s an Emerson, but AFAIK Sears models are identical–possibly made by Emerson. I treat it every couple of fills or so with a bacteriostat, and the filters last for one winter and are about $14 or so for a pair. — David M. Wood Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401 Phone: (303) 273-3853; Fax: (303) 273-3840
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I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on.
Doesn’t work well because the air needs to be hot to evaporate water off the filter.
Response:
Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers.
The reason you will get different stories is that it depends on the home. Our house is well insulated. In such a case, or if you have a furnace that’s much more powerful than needed, or during the swing season when it’s not that cold, the fan doesn’t run for very long. A bypass type only works when the furnace fan is running, and so we find ours to be worthless. On the other hand, people who run the fan all the time, for temperature uniformity or because their furnace is small, will report that the bypass humidifier is very effective. And people who have poorly insulated windows will get dripping windows faster than those who have good windows. Now it is true that the steam type will turn the fan on as needed (the bypass type won’t because it needs hot air to evaporate the water, so turning the fan on when the furnace isn’t on is not effective). I haven’t tried this type; locally there is no one who will install one of these. In principle this is a much better method, but such humidifiers are rare. The problem here is scale. Evaporation of cold water creates a fine powder; a lot of it stays in the disposable filter and the rest of it is flushed out through the drain. But in a steam type, which is just a tank with an immersion heater in it, the heating element gets a hard crust on it that is impossible to remove entirely. Plan on replacing the heating element every 1-2 years.
Response:
In Denver, 1960-64, and here near Las Vegas, 1964 to present, I have used an evaporative type attached to my hot-air furnace. These let hot air from the furnace bonnet blow over an evaporative element and return to the cool air intake. With the included humidistat in Denver I was able to maintain humidity at about 20 to 25%. Unit was capable of more but the single pane windows would sweat or frost rather heavily on the below-zero nights. Here in the desert with very dry outdoor air and nights seldom below 20 degrees, I am able to maintain winter humidity between 30% and 50%. One negative aspect is that dissolved solids in the water supply accumulate so that the unit needs to be cleaned periodically. With our water, 750 ppm of solids, I do that about once a month. If the unit is easily accessible, that is a small chore. This is a bit awkward here since the furnace is in a tight interior closet. In Denver, with lightly mineralized water and the furnace easily accessible in the basement maintenance was no chore at all. I should add that both houses were small, about 1300 square feet. Be sure to get unit or unit compatible with the area the furnace or furnaces serve. Sten – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Start out with-NO- to heated types. They create humidity at an elevated heat. When that warm, wet air becomes cooled by air at the ambient temp in the house, it will ‘rain’. I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
I have an Aprilaire 550 bypass type in my 3000 sq. ft. home in central Ohio, and if I turn up the humidistat I can make the windows drip within two hours . . . I’d go with the Aprilaire . .
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
Response:
What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
The explanation I was given was that ultrasound also atomises the dissolved minerals in the water. Breath those minerals in along with the water vapour and the minerals may cause lung injury. I never did come across any authorative source (science of medically based) that examined this subject. Kelvin Mok
Response:
They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it. I also owned a Sears steam-type portable unit before I installed the Aprilaire, it was also a mess, as the minerals accumulate on all the wet surfaces and the heating element. It was a pain to fill twice a day, also. Rick – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
Response:
I realize not everyone owns a distiller or reverse osmosis system, but if you do, use this water, and your fine dust problems will disappear! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are
Response:
Having used many domestic (read under $200) humidifiers for my house, having serviced them at work for 30 years, I’ve settled on this one… http://www.humidity.com/products/index.html Expensive, but my family’s health has been better for it over the years, Dave
|They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, |not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up |as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are |evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh |water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing |dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once |a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it. |I also owned a Sears steam-type portable unit before I installed the |Aprilaire, it was also a mess, as the minerals accumulate on all the wet |surfaces and the heating element. It was a pain to fill twice a day, also.
Response:
The best humidifiers are evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it.
Aha, a good design idea. I had turned off my revolving drum furnace mouted humidifier because of the immense mineral buildup (very hard municipal water supply) whose weight had stripped several drum motors already . There was also this yukky filamentous gunk on the drum reservoir. I can probably come up with a conversion to my humidifier to turn it into a drip type. Winter in-house breathing problems and asthma are quite common complaints. That gunk is probably fungal filaments that produce spores, gets blown into the hot air system, etc. There’s probably a stong health related link there. Kelvin Mok
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I used to have "moving belt with fan" humidifiers when I lived in a "soft water" city. Then I moved to "limestone soup" country and tried the ultrasonic units, but did not want to pay for distilled water or for the demineralizer cartridges sold by the humidifier manufacturer. I was also not interested in cleaning up the limestone dust which is the result of evaporating the "hard" water drops out of the ultrasonic humidifiers. I am currently using "wet towels" hanging from a wooden dowel and dunked into a 6 inch by 6 inch by 36 inch window box plastic tray purchased at a garden center. Supports at each end of the dowel keep it about 18 inches above the floor level. Osmosis moves water 12 or 15 inches up the towel [or I rotate the dowel until I soak the entire towel.] Towels get washed in hot water and vinegar [to dissolve accumulated limestone] at least once a month during the heating season. This also hopefully kills any molds which start to grow. I have baseboard hot water heat, so I just put my "low tech" rig on the floor next to the baseboard and let convection of hot air past the towel do the evaporating — no fans needed. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
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G’day all! I would not, under circumstance, install any type of humidifier that has a reservoir full of water. I have inspected hundreds of these (typically the evaporative-pad type, with a rotating drum) and they are nearly always full of microbial growth.
Microbial growth which causes allergies and asthma. In my experience there’s no such thing as a _working_ whole house humidifier. If the air feels dry this is usually caused by particles and chemical irritants. — _/_/_/ – Den vor Herre giver et embede fratar han ogsaa forstanden.
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Why not just stick a tea-kettle on the wood-stove? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Eric, I would not, under circumstance, install any type of humidifier that has a reservoir full of water. I have inspected hundreds of these (typically the evaporative-pad type, with a rotating drum) and they are nearly always full of microbial growth. Most of the time, after the nozzle has clogged, the unit malfunctions, either by leaking into the furnace or by ceasing to operate. The only central humidifier unit that I have found to be free of significant microbial growth is the trickle-type Aprilaire, with the aluminum mesh evaporative pad. In these units, water flows down the mesh pad and evaporates into the hot air flow from the furnace. Excess liquid water must be drained from the bottom tray into a condensate pump and discharged; in one installation, there was no drainage and unevaporated water leaked continuously into the furnace! The humidified air is drawn into the return air so no duct condensation occurs. If you install a steam system, make sure that there is an observation window at the misting unit so you can watch the operation and check it regularly. Be sure that there is a clean tray under the unit in the event of leakage. All humidification equipment should be checked weekly, cleaned at least monthly if type needs it. An important component of this system will be the furnace filter, as you will want to be sure that there is no dust in which mold can grow. Do not use inexpensive fiberglass filters or washable filters of any type. Use only a media filter (minimum 40% efficiency), preferably four or six inches deep, such as an Aprilaire or Air Bear; these require installation of housings. (Electronic filters require too frequent cleaning, at least monthly.) Until you can install the deeper filter, use a one-inch media filter. Be sure to look at my book "My House is Killing Me! The Home Guide for Families with Allergies and Asthma," just published by Johns Hopkins University Press. The books has lots more tips for heating and cooling systems as well as the whole house. Jeffrey C. May J. May Home Inspections, Inc. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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Familiar with your area…we installed many a system in Colorado Springs to be exact…and the one home that we did that we were particularly proud of was a nice place down on the south side of Academy that was 13,000 SF…we used only two units, and it was more than enough to keep the home at a comfortable level, normally in the 45 to 50% RH range. After that..we were in the deserts of California…and dry…..well..Colorado was like a lake compared..LOL First, you must keep in mind that a humidifier needs to be maintained. You will hear from people that say, "I hate it..its always got a cruddy pad in it" and the like. SURE it will…its like ANY OTHER part of your heating and cooling system..it must be taken care of, or it WILL be a bitch to run, if it will at all. First thing is home size..ok..we know that now. Second…you need to pick a brand..why? Simple….sold them all…Honeywell’s to Skuttle, and after several years we have narrowed it down to two brands that work, and work well…as designed, WHEN INSTALLED CORRECTLY. Skuttle and AprilAire. You can get a unit from AprilAire that can be mounted in the cold air return, or the warm air supply side, or, everyone’s units can be mounted on the warm air side…and all the readings you will be hearing about gallons of water per day output, is based on an air temp of 120F. Now…do you want a power humidifier, a drum style, by-pass, flow through, or steam? That will depend in part, on what TYPE of heat you have…is it fuel, like gas, or a heat pump? What is the tonnage of the air handler, and what is the CFM of the air flow in the unit? What is your duct construction? If it is ductboard, you just eliminated a spray type…and pretty much steam…. HW HE420? Looking at the newest catalog mine stops at HE360A, rated at 19 gallons a day….more than enough for your home….provided that the unit is installed correctly, and with a humidistat. The units will come with one….hope either way, hes not charging you more than $200-250 for the unit itself… I am partial..depending on the need and application…location..etc, to the Skuttle S2002…also rated at 19 gallons a day, and has a power fan in increase evaporation…its a flow through type, that works well..easy to maintain….and not as expensive as the Honeywell…to maintain, run, or buy. Even with steam, you are looking at about only 17 gallons a day…you are looking at more parts to go bad..like the element, the flushing timer…the chlorine filter.. With spray types…they are the most customizable units..you can take one machine…start out at 0.37 gallons per hour, up to 2.0 gallons per hour. the drawbacks to that are, you can get piddling in the duct….adjust the spray wrong with metal duct, and you have, or can have rust..put it in a ductboard unit and you have a bacteria and mold issue… This trade, is like any other….ask one question to 50 different techs, and get at least 40 different answers. You need to talk to more than one contractor, and see what they offer…ask for people that have similar homes to yours, built about the same time that they built yours, preferably in the same area…if they are smart, they will contact some people and allow you to contact them, and ask how it has been for them. Granted..before someone flames me…sure…I sell them….but, unless you have a particular brand in mind….or have shopped and finally picked out a model..its not as easy as saying…give me one of those…it may or may not work for you. I sold one to my cousin (of all people) in Kansas City KS today….but I have been to his home, know how large it is…how new it is…number of people in it at a given time…etc…plus, his dad was in the trade for many years…so, he had a pretty good idea of what he wanted….but we STILL talked about it for over 2 hours before we packed his order up… his is the same problem many people are asking about them for….allergies and how the home feels in the winter….He ended up with a different model than I have talked about, and a Hepa whole home filter, with UV assembly. We will have those results from him in about 2 weeks, since I will be in California for a week installing another unit for an old client of mine. We are trying out one of the HEPA filters now….and so far, the wife, who is allergic to everything it seems…loves it..:) Shes the best critic of what we carry….she gets to try it out first and if it does not work well…..we stop keeping it in many cases.. At anyrate…keep asking…and contact the makers direct…it can help in many cases. Really…and dont be afraid to ask lots of questions to the guys that are trying to sell you a product….be informed…and corner them if you know they are BS’n you. Many salesmen for some HVAC companies dont have a clue what they are selling….only that when they sell it, they make money…..find one that will take time…and do the homework. Other comments below in original. — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree.
Again…ask 50 different people…get many many different answers… I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years.
Possible…did he bother to check your duct to see if it was capable of that? Second…steams not that bad, its the SPRAY ones to worry about if set up wrong. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted).
Actually….240VAC. And the AprilAire 600 is only a 0.70 gallon per hour unit…if your home is REAL tight….maybe… Its a good unit…but I think you would soon find its not what you want. Its a by-pass type, and excellent in design….might well be the best in its class…just too small.. Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers.
Normally……and thats NORMALLY, they buy one that is too small. Thats the reason that the one that we keep on the online store, is rated at up to 14 gallons per hour…with a humidistat…so if you need it…its there.. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%.
LOL..been there…done that…great state…now if I could just finish getting the hail damage fixed from a few years ago….:) So what’s the real story?
See that book I wrote way above this.. I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers.
Dont really need to, but you DO need to find a contractor out there that will work with you..and not one that will say..HERE…THIS works…anyone can take your money…and will.. Its just like buying a car…or a new heating system…you never buy the first one presented to you….unless its after you looked at the rest. Good luck. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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You dont understand the evap process very well for that type of application…all the air has to be is dry…dry air sucks up moisture like a sponge…the ONLY time you want a humidifier on is when the air is being heated, so of COURSE it works better..however.. What do you think an evaporative cooler is?? Hint…its one big humidifier.. — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on. Doesn’t work well because the air needs to be hot to evaporate water off the filter.
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Jeeez….I hope you are not in the HVAC trade… — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. The reason you will get different stories is that it depends on the home. Our house is well insulated. In such a case, or if you have a furnace that’s much more powerful than needed, or during the swing season when it’s not that cold, the fan doesn’t run for very long. A bypass type only works when the furnace fan is running, and so we find ours to be worthless. On the other hand, people who run the fan all the time, for temperature uniformity or because their furnace is small, will report that the bypass humidifier is very effective. And people who have poorly insulated windows will get dripping windows faster than those who have good windows. Now it is true that the steam type will turn the fan on as needed (the bypass type won’t because it needs hot air to evaporate the water, so turning the fan on when the furnace isn’t on is not effective). I haven’t tried this type; locally there is no one who will install one of these. In principle this is a much better method, but such humidifiers are rare. The problem here is scale. Evaporation of cold water creates a fine powder; a lot of it stays in the disposable filter and the rest of it is flushed out through the drain. But in a steam type, which is just a tank with an immersion heater in it, the heating element gets a hard crust on it that is impossible to remove entirely. Plan on replacing the heating element every 1-2 years.
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I have a small house (1300 sq ft or so), and have found a free-standing console humidifier [with two block-like paper filters that cause minerals to plate out on the upstream side] to work very well. I can readily get 12-14 gallons into the air in a 24 hour period (which translates into 30% relative humidity or so, enough to keep static way down and to feel a lot warmer) and the motor is quiet (though the airflow is a tad noisy). It’s an Emerson, but AFAIK Sears models are identical–possibly made by Emerson. I treat it every couple of fills or so with a bacteriostat, and the filters last for one winter and are about $14 or so for a pair. — David M. Wood Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401 Phone: (303) 273-3853; Fax: (303) 273-3840
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I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on.
Doesn’t work well because the air needs to be hot to evaporate water off the filter.
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Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers.
The reason you will get different stories is that it depends on the home. Our house is well insulated. In such a case, or if you have a furnace that’s much more powerful than needed, or during the swing season when it’s not that cold, the fan doesn’t run for very long. A bypass type only works when the furnace fan is running, and so we find ours to be worthless. On the other hand, people who run the fan all the time, for temperature uniformity or because their furnace is small, will report that the bypass humidifier is very effective. And people who have poorly insulated windows will get dripping windows faster than those who have good windows. Now it is true that the steam type will turn the fan on as needed (the bypass type won’t because it needs hot air to evaporate the water, so turning the fan on when the furnace isn’t on is not effective). I haven’t tried this type; locally there is no one who will install one of these. In principle this is a much better method, but such humidifiers are rare. The problem here is scale. Evaporation of cold water creates a fine powder; a lot of it stays in the disposable filter and the rest of it is flushed out through the drain. But in a steam type, which is just a tank with an immersion heater in it, the heating element gets a hard crust on it that is impossible to remove entirely. Plan on replacing the heating element every 1-2 years.
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In Denver, 1960-64, and here near Las Vegas, 1964 to present, I have used an evaporative type attached to my hot-air furnace. These let hot air from the furnace bonnet blow over an evaporative element and return to the cool air intake. With the included humidistat in Denver I was able to maintain humidity at about 20 to 25%. Unit was capable of more but the single pane windows would sweat or frost rather heavily on the below-zero nights. Here in the desert with very dry outdoor air and nights seldom below 20 degrees, I am able to maintain winter humidity between 30% and 50%. One negative aspect is that dissolved solids in the water supply accumulate so that the unit needs to be cleaned periodically. With our water, 750 ppm of solids, I do that about once a month. If the unit is easily accessible, that is a small chore. This is a bit awkward here since the furnace is in a tight interior closet. In Denver, with lightly mineralized water and the furnace easily accessible in the basement maintenance was no chore at all. I should add that both houses were small, about 1300 square feet. Be sure to get unit or unit compatible with the area the furnace or furnaces serve. Sten – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Start out with-NO- to heated types. They create humidity at an elevated heat. When that warm, wet air becomes cooled by air at the ambient temp in the house, it will ‘rain’. I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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I have an Aprilaire 550 bypass type in my 3000 sq. ft. home in central Ohio, and if I turn up the humidistat I can make the windows drip within two hours . . . I’d go with the Aprilaire . .
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
Response:
What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
The explanation I was given was that ultrasound also atomises the dissolved minerals in the water. Breath those minerals in along with the water vapour and the minerals may cause lung injury. I never did come across any authorative source (science of medically based) that examined this subject. Kelvin Mok
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They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it. I also owned a Sears steam-type portable unit before I installed the Aprilaire, it was also a mess, as the minerals accumulate on all the wet surfaces and the heating element. It was a pain to fill twice a day, also. Rick – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
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I realize not everyone owns a distiller or reverse osmosis system, but if you do, use this water, and your fine dust problems will disappear! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are
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Having used many domestic (read under $200) humidifiers for my house, having serviced them at work for 30 years, I’ve settled on this one… http://www.humidity.com/products/index.html Expensive, but my family’s health has been better for it over the years, Dave
|They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, |not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up |as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are |evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh |water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing |dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once |a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it. |I also owned a Sears steam-type portable unit before I installed the |Aprilaire, it was also a mess, as the minerals accumulate on all the wet |surfaces and the heating element. It was a pain to fill twice a day, also.
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The best humidifiers are evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it.
Aha, a good design idea. I had turned off my revolving drum furnace mouted humidifier because of the immense mineral buildup (very hard municipal water supply) whose weight had stripped several drum motors already . There was also this yukky filamentous gunk on the drum reservoir. I can probably come up with a conversion to my humidifier to turn it into a drip type. Winter in-house breathing problems and asthma are quite common complaints. That gunk is probably fungal filaments that produce spores, gets blown into the hot air system, etc. There’s probably a stong health related link there. Kelvin Mok
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I used to have "moving belt with fan" humidifiers when I lived in a "soft water" city. Then I moved to "limestone soup" country and tried the ultrasonic units, but did not want to pay for distilled water or for the demineralizer cartridges sold by the humidifier manufacturer. I was also not interested in cleaning up the limestone dust which is the result of evaporating the "hard" water drops out of the ultrasonic humidifiers. I am currently using "wet towels" hanging from a wooden dowel and dunked into a 6 inch by 6 inch by 36 inch window box plastic tray purchased at a garden center. Supports at each end of the dowel keep it about 18 inches above the floor level. Osmosis moves water 12 or 15 inches up the towel [or I rotate the dowel until I soak the entire towel.] Towels get washed in hot water and vinegar [to dissolve accumulated limestone] at least once a month during the heating season. This also hopefully kills any molds which start to grow. I have baseboard hot water heat, so I just put my "low tech" rig on the floor next to the baseboard and let convection of hot air past the towel do the evaporating — no fans needed. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
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G’day all! I would not, under circumstance, install any type of humidifier that has a reservoir full of water. I have inspected hundreds of these (typically the evaporative-pad type, with a rotating drum) and they are nearly always full of microbial growth.
Microbial growth which causes allergies and asthma. In my experience there’s no such thing as a _working_ whole house humidifier. If the air feels dry this is usually caused by particles and chemical irritants. — _/_/_/ – Den vor Herre giver et embede fratar han ogsaa forstanden.
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Why not just stick a tea-kettle on the wood-stove? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Eric, I would not, under circumstance, install any type of humidifier that has a reservoir full of water. I have inspected hundreds of these (typically the evaporative-pad type, with a rotating drum) and they are nearly always full of microbial growth. Most of the time, after the nozzle has clogged, the unit malfunctions, either by leaking into the furnace or by ceasing to operate. The only central humidifier unit that I have found to be free of significant microbial growth is the trickle-type Aprilaire, with the aluminum mesh evaporative pad. In these units, water flows down the mesh pad and evaporates into the hot air flow from the furnace. Excess liquid water must be drained from the bottom tray into a condensate pump and discharged; in one installation, there was no drainage and unevaporated water leaked continuously into the furnace! The humidified air is drawn into the return air so no duct condensation occurs. If you install a steam system, make sure that there is an observation window at the misting unit so you can watch the operation and check it regularly. Be sure that there is a clean tray under the unit in the event of leakage. All humidification equipment should be checked weekly, cleaned at least monthly if type needs it. An important component of this system will be the furnace filter, as you will want to be sure that there is no dust in which mold can grow. Do not use inexpensive fiberglass filters or washable filters of any type. Use only a media filter (minimum 40% efficiency), preferably four or six inches deep, such as an Aprilaire or Air Bear; these require installation of housings. (Electronic filters require too frequent cleaning, at least monthly.) Until you can install the deeper filter, use a one-inch media filter. Be sure to look at my book "My House is Killing Me! The Home Guide for Families with Allergies and Asthma," just published by Johns Hopkins University Press. The books has lots more tips for heating and cooling systems as well as the whole house. Jeffrey C. May J. May Home Inspections, Inc. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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Familiar with your area…we installed many a system in Colorado Springs to be exact…and the one home that we did that we were particularly proud of was a nice place down on the south side of Academy that was 13,000 SF…we used only two units, and it was more than enough to keep the home at a comfortable level, normally in the 45 to 50% RH range. After that..we were in the deserts of California…and dry…..well..Colorado was like a lake compared..LOL First, you must keep in mind that a humidifier needs to be maintained. You will hear from people that say, "I hate it..its always got a cruddy pad in it" and the like. SURE it will…its like ANY OTHER part of your heating and cooling system..it must be taken care of, or it WILL be a bitch to run, if it will at all. First thing is home size..ok..we know that now. Second…you need to pick a brand..why? Simple….sold them all…Honeywell’s to Skuttle, and after several years we have narrowed it down to two brands that work, and work well…as designed, WHEN INSTALLED CORRECTLY. Skuttle and AprilAire. You can get a unit from AprilAire that can be mounted in the cold air return, or the warm air supply side, or, everyone’s units can be mounted on the warm air side…and all the readings you will be hearing about gallons of water per day output, is based on an air temp of 120F. Now…do you want a power humidifier, a drum style, by-pass, flow through, or steam? That will depend in part, on what TYPE of heat you have…is it fuel, like gas, or a heat pump? What is the tonnage of the air handler, and what is the CFM of the air flow in the unit? What is your duct construction? If it is ductboard, you just eliminated a spray type…and pretty much steam…. HW HE420? Looking at the newest catalog mine stops at HE360A, rated at 19 gallons a day….more than enough for your home….provided that the unit is installed correctly, and with a humidistat. The units will come with one….hope either way, hes not charging you more than $200-250 for the unit itself… I am partial..depending on the need and application…location..etc, to the Skuttle S2002…also rated at 19 gallons a day, and has a power fan in increase evaporation…its a flow through type, that works well..easy to maintain….and not as expensive as the Honeywell…to maintain, run, or buy. Even with steam, you are looking at about only 17 gallons a day…you are looking at more parts to go bad..like the element, the flushing timer…the chlorine filter.. With spray types…they are the most customizable units..you can take one machine…start out at 0.37 gallons per hour, up to 2.0 gallons per hour. the drawbacks to that are, you can get piddling in the duct….adjust the spray wrong with metal duct, and you have, or can have rust..put it in a ductboard unit and you have a bacteria and mold issue… This trade, is like any other….ask one question to 50 different techs, and get at least 40 different answers. You need to talk to more than one contractor, and see what they offer…ask for people that have similar homes to yours, built about the same time that they built yours, preferably in the same area…if they are smart, they will contact some people and allow you to contact them, and ask how it has been for them. Granted..before someone flames me…sure…I sell them….but, unless you have a particular brand in mind….or have shopped and finally picked out a model..its not as easy as saying…give me one of those…it may or may not work for you. I sold one to my cousin (of all people) in Kansas City KS today….but I have been to his home, know how large it is…how new it is…number of people in it at a given time…etc…plus, his dad was in the trade for many years…so, he had a pretty good idea of what he wanted….but we STILL talked about it for over 2 hours before we packed his order up… his is the same problem many people are asking about them for….allergies and how the home feels in the winter….He ended up with a different model than I have talked about, and a Hepa whole home filter, with UV assembly. We will have those results from him in about 2 weeks, since I will be in California for a week installing another unit for an old client of mine. We are trying out one of the HEPA filters now….and so far, the wife, who is allergic to everything it seems…loves it..:) Shes the best critic of what we carry….she gets to try it out first and if it does not work well…..we stop keeping it in many cases.. At anyrate…keep asking…and contact the makers direct…it can help in many cases. Really…and dont be afraid to ask lots of questions to the guys that are trying to sell you a product….be informed…and corner them if you know they are BS’n you. Many salesmen for some HVAC companies dont have a clue what they are selling….only that when they sell it, they make money…..find one that will take time…and do the homework. Other comments below in original. — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree.
Again…ask 50 different people…get many many different answers… I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years.
Possible…did he bother to check your duct to see if it was capable of that? Second…steams not that bad, its the SPRAY ones to worry about if set up wrong. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted).
Actually….240VAC. And the AprilAire 600 is only a 0.70 gallon per hour unit…if your home is REAL tight….maybe… Its a good unit…but I think you would soon find its not what you want. Its a by-pass type, and excellent in design….might well be the best in its class…just too small.. Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers.
Normally……and thats NORMALLY, they buy one that is too small. Thats the reason that the one that we keep on the online store, is rated at up to 14 gallons per hour…with a humidistat…so if you need it…its there.. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%.
LOL..been there…done that…great state…now if I could just finish getting the hail damage fixed from a few years ago….:) So what’s the real story?
See that book I wrote way above this.. I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers.
Dont really need to, but you DO need to find a contractor out there that will work with you..and not one that will say..HERE…THIS works…anyone can take your money…and will.. Its just like buying a car…or a new heating system…you never buy the first one presented to you….unless its after you looked at the rest. Good luck. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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You dont understand the evap process very well for that type of application…all the air has to be is dry…dry air sucks up moisture like a sponge…the ONLY time you want a humidifier on is when the air is being heated, so of COURSE it works better..however.. What do you think an evaporative cooler is?? Hint…its one big humidifier.. — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on. Doesn’t work well because the air needs to be hot to evaporate water off the filter.
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Jeeez….I hope you are not in the HVAC trade… — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. The reason you will get different stories is that it depends on the home. Our house is well insulated. In such a case, or if you have a furnace that’s much more powerful than needed, or during the swing season when it’s not that cold, the fan doesn’t run for very long. A bypass type only works when the furnace fan is running, and so we find ours to be worthless. On the other hand, people who run the fan all the time, for temperature uniformity or because their furnace is small, will report that the bypass humidifier is very effective. And people who have poorly insulated windows will get dripping windows faster than those who have good windows. Now it is true that the steam type will turn the fan on as needed (the bypass type won’t because it needs hot air to evaporate the water, so turning the fan on when the furnace isn’t on is not effective). I haven’t tried this type; locally there is no one who will install one of these. In principle this is a much better method, but such humidifiers are rare. The problem here is scale. Evaporation of cold water creates a fine powder; a lot of it stays in the disposable filter and the rest of it is flushed out through the drain. But in a steam type, which is just a tank with an immersion heater in it, the heating element gets a hard crust on it that is impossible to remove entirely. Plan on replacing the heating element every 1-2 years.
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I have a small house (1300 sq ft or so), and have found a free-standing console humidifier [with two block-like paper filters that cause minerals to plate out on the upstream side] to work very well. I can readily get 12-14 gallons into the air in a 24 hour period (which translates into 30% relative humidity or so, enough to keep static way down and to feel a lot warmer) and the motor is quiet (though the airflow is a tad noisy). It’s an Emerson, but AFAIK Sears models are identical–possibly made by Emerson. I treat it every couple of fills or so with a bacteriostat, and the filters last for one winter and are about $14 or so for a pair. — David M. Wood Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401 Phone: (303) 273-3853; Fax: (303) 273-3840
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I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on.
Doesn’t work well because the air needs to be hot to evaporate water off the filter.
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Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers.
The reason you will get different stories is that it depends on the home. Our house is well insulated. In such a case, or if you have a furnace that’s much more powerful than needed, or during the swing season when it’s not that cold, the fan doesn’t run for very long. A bypass type only works when the furnace fan is running, and so we find ours to be worthless. On the other hand, people who run the fan all the time, for temperature uniformity or because their furnace is small, will report that the bypass humidifier is very effective. And people who have poorly insulated windows will get dripping windows faster than those who have good windows. Now it is true that the steam type will turn the fan on as needed (the bypass type won’t because it needs hot air to evaporate the water, so turning the fan on when the furnace isn’t on is not effective). I haven’t tried this type; locally there is no one who will install one of these. In principle this is a much better method, but such humidifiers are rare. The problem here is scale. Evaporation of cold water creates a fine powder; a lot of it stays in the disposable filter and the rest of it is flushed out through the drain. But in a steam type, which is just a tank with an immersion heater in it, the heating element gets a hard crust on it that is impossible to remove entirely. Plan on replacing the heating element every 1-2 years.
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In Denver, 1960-64, and here near Las Vegas, 1964 to present, I have used an evaporative type attached to my hot-air furnace. These let hot air from the furnace bonnet blow over an evaporative element and return to the cool air intake. With the included humidistat in Denver I was able to maintain humidity at about 20 to 25%. Unit was capable of more but the single pane windows would sweat or frost rather heavily on the below-zero nights. Here in the desert with very dry outdoor air and nights seldom below 20 degrees, I am able to maintain winter humidity between 30% and 50%. One negative aspect is that dissolved solids in the water supply accumulate so that the unit needs to be cleaned periodically. With our water, 750 ppm of solids, I do that about once a month. If the unit is easily accessible, that is a small chore. This is a bit awkward here since the furnace is in a tight interior closet. In Denver, with lightly mineralized water and the furnace easily accessible in the basement maintenance was no chore at all. I should add that both houses were small, about 1300 square feet. Be sure to get unit or unit compatible with the area the furnace or furnaces serve. Sten – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Start out with-NO- to heated types. They create humidity at an elevated heat. When that warm, wet air becomes cooled by air at the ambient temp in the house, it will ‘rain’. I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
I have an Aprilaire 550 bypass type in my 3000 sq. ft. home in central Ohio, and if I turn up the humidistat I can make the windows drip within two hours . . . I’d go with the Aprilaire . .
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
I used to have "moving belt with fan" humidifiers when I lived in a "soft water" city. Then I moved to "limestone soup" country and tried the ultrasonic units, but did not want to pay for distilled water or for the demineralizer cartridges sold by the humidifier manufacturer. I was also not interested in cleaning up the limestone dust which is the result of evaporating the "hard" water drops out of the ultrasonic humidifiers. I am currently using "wet towels" hanging from a wooden dowel and dunked into a 6 inch by 6 inch by 36 inch window box plastic tray purchased at a garden center. Supports at each end of the dowel keep it about 18 inches above the floor level. Osmosis moves water 12 or 15 inches up the towel [or I rotate the dowel until I soak the entire towel.] Towels get washed in hot water and vinegar [to dissolve accumulated limestone] at least once a month during the heating season. This also hopefully kills any molds which start to grow. I have baseboard hot water heat, so I just put my "low tech" rig on the floor next to the baseboard and let convection of hot air past the towel do the evaporating — no fans needed. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
Response:
The best humidifiers are evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it.
Aha, a good design idea. I had turned off my revolving drum furnace mouted humidifier because of the immense mineral buildup (very hard municipal water supply) whose weight had stripped several drum motors already . There was also this yukky filamentous gunk on the drum reservoir. I can probably come up with a conversion to my humidifier to turn it into a drip type. Winter in-house breathing problems and asthma are quite common complaints. That gunk is probably fungal filaments that produce spores, gets blown into the hot air system, etc. There’s probably a stong health related link there. Kelvin Mok
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Having used many domestic (read under $200) humidifiers for my house, having serviced them at work for 30 years, I’ve settled on this one… http://www.humidity.com/products/index.html Expensive, but my family’s health has been better for it over the years, Dave
|They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, |not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up |as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are |evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh |water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing |dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once |a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it. |I also owned a Sears steam-type portable unit before I installed the |Aprilaire, it was also a mess, as the minerals accumulate on all the wet |surfaces and the heating element. It was a pain to fill twice a day, also.
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I realize not everyone owns a distiller or reverse osmosis system, but if you do, use this water, and your fine dust problems will disappear! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are
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Why not just stick a tea-kettle on the wood-stove? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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Eric, I would not, under circumstance, install any type of humidifier that has a reservoir full of water. I have inspected hundreds of these (typically the evaporative-pad type, with a rotating drum) and they are nearly always full of microbial growth. Most of the time, after the nozzle has clogged, the unit malfunctions, either by leaking into the furnace or by ceasing to operate. The only central humidifier unit that I have found to be free of significant microbial growth is the trickle-type Aprilaire, with the aluminum mesh evaporative pad. In these units, water flows down the mesh pad and evaporates into the hot air flow from the furnace. Excess liquid water must be drained from the bottom tray into a condensate pump and discharged; in one installation, there was no drainage and unevaporated water leaked continuously into the furnace! The humidified air is drawn into the return air so no duct condensation occurs. If you install a steam system, make sure that there is an observation window at the misting unit so you can watch the operation and check it regularly. Be sure that there is a clean tray under the unit in the event of leakage. All humidification equipment should be checked weekly, cleaned at least monthly if type needs it. An important component of this system will be the furnace filter, as you will want to be sure that there is no dust in which mold can grow. Do not use inexpensive fiberglass filters or washable filters of any type. Use only a media filter (minimum 40% efficiency), preferably four or six inches deep, such as an Aprilaire or Air Bear; these require installation of housings. (Electronic filters require too frequent cleaning, at least monthly.) Until you can install the deeper filter, use a one-inch media filter. Be sure to look at my book "My House is Killing Me! The Home Guide for Families with Allergies and Asthma," just published by Johns Hopkins University Press. The books has lots more tips for heating and cooling systems as well as the whole house. Jeffrey C. May J. May Home Inspections, Inc. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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G’day all! I would not, under circumstance, install any type of humidifier that has a reservoir full of water. I have inspected hundreds of these (typically the evaporative-pad type, with a rotating drum) and they are nearly always full of microbial growth.
Microbial growth which causes allergies and asthma. In my experience there’s no such thing as a _working_ whole house humidifier. If the air feels dry this is usually caused by particles and chemical irritants. — _/_/_/ – Den vor Herre giver et embede fratar han ogsaa forstanden.
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What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
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What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
The explanation I was given was that ultrasound also atomises the dissolved minerals in the water. Breath those minerals in along with the water vapour and the minerals may cause lung injury. I never did come across any authorative source (science of medically based) that examined this subject. Kelvin Mok
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They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it. I also owned a Sears steam-type portable unit before I installed the Aprilaire, it was also a mess, as the minerals accumulate on all the wet surfaces and the heating element. It was a pain to fill twice a day, also. Rick – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
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Familiar with your area…we installed many a system in Colorado Springs to be exact…and the one home that we did that we were particularly proud of was a nice place down on the south side of Academy that was 13,000 SF…we used only two units, and it was more than enough to keep the home at a comfortable level, normally in the 45 to 50% RH range. After that..we were in the deserts of California…and dry…..well..Colorado was like a lake compared..LOL First, you must keep in mind that a humidifier needs to be maintained. You will hear from people that say, "I hate it..its always got a cruddy pad in it" and the like. SURE it will…its like ANY OTHER part of your heating and cooling system..it must be taken care of, or it WILL be a bitch to run, if it will at all. First thing is home size..ok..we know that now. Second…you need to pick a brand..why? Simple….sold them all…Honeywell’s to Skuttle, and after several years we have narrowed it down to two brands that work, and work well…as designed, WHEN INSTALLED CORRECTLY. Skuttle and AprilAire. You can get a unit from AprilAire that can be mounted in the cold air return, or the warm air supply side, or, everyone’s units can be mounted on the warm air side…and all the readings you will be hearing about gallons of water per day output, is based on an air temp of 120F. Now…do you want a power humidifier, a drum style, by-pass, flow through, or steam? That will depend in part, on what TYPE of heat you have…is it fuel, like gas, or a heat pump? What is the tonnage of the air handler, and what is the CFM of the air flow in the unit? What is your duct construction? If it is ductboard, you just eliminated a spray type…and pretty much steam…. HW HE420? Looking at the newest catalog mine stops at HE360A, rated at 19 gallons a day….more than enough for your home….provided that the unit is installed correctly, and with a humidistat. The units will come with one….hope either way, hes not charging you more than $200-250 for the unit itself… I am partial..depending on the need and application…location..etc, to the Skuttle S2002…also rated at 19 gallons a day, and has a power fan in increase evaporation…its a flow through type, that works well..easy to maintain….and not as expensive as the Honeywell…to maintain, run, or buy. Even with steam, you are looking at about only 17 gallons a day…you are looking at more parts to go bad..like the element, the flushing timer…the chlorine filter.. With spray types…they are the most customizable units..you can take one machine…start out at 0.37 gallons per hour, up to 2.0 gallons per hour. the drawbacks to that are, you can get piddling in the duct….adjust the spray wrong with metal duct, and you have, or can have rust..put it in a ductboard unit and you have a bacteria and mold issue… This trade, is like any other….ask one question to 50 different techs, and get at least 40 different answers. You need to talk to more than one contractor, and see what they offer…ask for people that have similar homes to yours, built about the same time that they built yours, preferably in the same area…if they are smart, they will contact some people and allow you to contact them, and ask how it has been for them. Granted..before someone flames me…sure…I sell them….but, unless you have a particular brand in mind….or have shopped and finally picked out a model..its not as easy as saying…give me one of those…it may or may not work for you. I sold one to my cousin (of all people) in Kansas City KS today….but I have been to his home, know how large it is…how new it is…number of people in it at a given time…etc…plus, his dad was in the trade for many years…so, he had a pretty good idea of what he wanted….but we STILL talked about it for over 2 hours before we packed his order up… his is the same problem many people are asking about them for….allergies and how the home feels in the winter….He ended up with a different model than I have talked about, and a Hepa whole home filter, with UV assembly. We will have those results from him in about 2 weeks, since I will be in California for a week installing another unit for an old client of mine. We are trying out one of the HEPA filters now….and so far, the wife, who is allergic to everything it seems…loves it..:) Shes the best critic of what we carry….she gets to try it out first and if it does not work well…..we stop keeping it in many cases.. At anyrate…keep asking…and contact the makers direct…it can help in many cases. Really…and dont be afraid to ask lots of questions to the guys that are trying to sell you a product….be informed…and corner them if you know they are BS’n you. Many salesmen for some HVAC companies dont have a clue what they are selling….only that when they sell it, they make money…..find one that will take time…and do the homework. Other comments below in original. — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree.
Again…ask 50 different people…get many many different answers… I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years.
Possible…did he bother to check your duct to see if it was capable of that? Second…steams not that bad, its the SPRAY ones to worry about if set up wrong. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted).
Actually….240VAC. And the AprilAire 600 is only a 0.70 gallon per hour unit…if your home is REAL tight….maybe… Its a good unit…but I think you would soon find its not what you want. Its a by-pass type, and excellent in design….might well be the best in its class…just too small.. Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers.
Normally……and thats NORMALLY, they buy one that is too small. Thats the reason that the one that we keep on the online store, is rated at up to 14 gallons per hour…with a humidistat…so if you need it…its there.. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%.
LOL..been there…done that…great state…now if I could just finish getting the hail damage fixed from a few years ago….:) So what’s the real story?
See that book I wrote way above this.. I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers.
Dont really need to, but you DO need to find a contractor out there that will work with you..and not one that will say..HERE…THIS works…anyone can take your money…and will.. Its just like buying a car…or a new heating system…you never buy the first one presented to you….unless its after you looked at the rest. Good luck. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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Jeeez….I hope you are not in the HVAC trade… — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. The reason you will get different stories is that it depends on the home. Our house is well insulated. In such a case, or if you have a furnace that’s much more powerful than needed, or during the swing season when it’s not that cold, the fan doesn’t run for very long. A bypass type only works when the furnace fan is running, and so we find ours to be worthless. On the other hand, people who run the fan all the time, for temperature uniformity or because their furnace is small, will report that the bypass humidifier is very effective. And people who have poorly insulated windows will get dripping windows faster than those who have good windows. Now it is true that the steam type will turn the fan on as needed (the bypass type won’t because it needs hot air to evaporate the water, so turning the fan on when the furnace isn’t on is not effective). I haven’t tried this type; locally there is no one who will install one of these. In principle this is a much better method, but such humidifiers are rare. The problem here is scale. Evaporation of cold water creates a fine powder; a lot of it stays in the disposable filter and the rest of it is flushed out through the drain. But in a steam type, which is just a tank with an immersion heater in it, the heating element gets a hard crust on it that is impossible to remove entirely. Plan on replacing the heating element every 1-2 years.
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In Denver, 1960-64, and here near Las Vegas, 1964 to present, I have used an evaporative type attached to my hot-air furnace. These let hot air from the furnace bonnet blow over an evaporative element and return to the cool air intake. With the included humidistat in Denver I was able to maintain humidity at about 20 to 25%. Unit was capable of more but the single pane windows would sweat or frost rather heavily on the below-zero nights. Here in the desert with very dry outdoor air and nights seldom below 20 degrees, I am able to maintain winter humidity between 30% and 50%. One negative aspect is that dissolved solids in the water supply accumulate so that the unit needs to be cleaned periodically. With our water, 750 ppm of solids, I do that about once a month. If the unit is easily accessible, that is a small chore. This is a bit awkward here since the furnace is in a tight interior closet. In Denver, with lightly mineralized water and the furnace easily accessible in the basement maintenance was no chore at all. I should add that both houses were small, about 1300 square feet. Be sure to get unit or unit compatible with the area the furnace or furnaces serve. Sten – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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I have a small house (1300 sq ft or so), and have found a free-standing console humidifier [with two block-like paper filters that cause minerals to plate out on the upstream side] to work very well. I can readily get 12-14 gallons into the air in a 24 hour period (which translates into 30% relative humidity or so, enough to keep static way down and to feel a lot warmer) and the motor is quiet (though the airflow is a tad noisy). It’s an Emerson, but AFAIK Sears models are identical–possibly made by Emerson. I treat it every couple of fills or so with a bacteriostat, and the filters last for one winter and are about $14 or so for a pair. — David M. Wood Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401 Phone: (303) 273-3853; Fax: (303) 273-3840
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You dont understand the evap process very well for that type of application…all the air has to be is dry…dry air sucks up moisture like a sponge…the ONLY time you want a humidifier on is when the air is being heated, so of COURSE it works better..however.. What do you think an evaporative cooler is?? Hint…its one big humidifier.. — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on. Doesn’t work well because the air needs to be hot to evaporate water off the filter.
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I have an Aprilaire 550 bypass type in my 3000 sq. ft. home in central Ohio, and if I turn up the humidistat I can make the windows drip within two hours . . . I’d go with the Aprilaire . .
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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Start out with-NO- to heated types. They create humidity at an elevated heat. When that warm, wet air becomes cooled by air at the ambient temp in the house, it will ‘rain’. I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers.
The reason you will get different stories is that it depends on the home. Our house is well insulated. In such a case, or if you have a furnace that’s much more powerful than needed, or during the swing season when it’s not that cold, the fan doesn’t run for very long. A bypass type only works when the furnace fan is running, and so we find ours to be worthless. On the other hand, people who run the fan all the time, for temperature uniformity or because their furnace is small, will report that the bypass humidifier is very effective. And people who have poorly insulated windows will get dripping windows faster than those who have good windows. Now it is true that the steam type will turn the fan on as needed (the bypass type won’t because it needs hot air to evaporate the water, so turning the fan on when the furnace isn’t on is not effective). I haven’t tried this type; locally there is no one who will install one of these. In principle this is a much better method, but such humidifiers are rare. The problem here is scale. Evaporation of cold water creates a fine powder; a lot of it stays in the disposable filter and the rest of it is flushed out through the drain. But in a steam type, which is just a tank with an immersion heater in it, the heating element gets a hard crust on it that is impossible to remove entirely. Plan on replacing the heating element every 1-2 years.
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I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on.
Doesn’t work well because the air needs to be hot to evaporate water off the filter.
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I used to have "moving belt with fan" humidifiers when I lived in a "soft water" city. Then I moved to "limestone soup" country and tried the ultrasonic units, but did not want to pay for distilled water or for the demineralizer cartridges sold by the humidifier manufacturer. I was also not interested in cleaning up the limestone dust which is the result of evaporating the "hard" water drops out of the ultrasonic humidifiers. I am currently using "wet towels" hanging from a wooden dowel and dunked into a 6 inch by 6 inch by 36 inch window box plastic tray purchased at a garden center. Supports at each end of the dowel keep it about 18 inches above the floor level. Osmosis moves water 12 or 15 inches up the towel [or I rotate the dowel until I soak the entire towel.] Towels get washed in hot water and vinegar [to dissolve accumulated limestone] at least once a month during the heating season. This also hopefully kills any molds which start to grow. I have baseboard hot water heat, so I just put my "low tech" rig on the floor next to the baseboard and let convection of hot air past the towel do the evaporating — no fans needed. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
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The best humidifiers are evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it.
Aha, a good design idea. I had turned off my revolving drum furnace mouted humidifier because of the immense mineral buildup (very hard municipal water supply) whose weight had stripped several drum motors already . There was also this yukky filamentous gunk on the drum reservoir. I can probably come up with a conversion to my humidifier to turn it into a drip type. Winter in-house breathing problems and asthma are quite common complaints. That gunk is probably fungal filaments that produce spores, gets blown into the hot air system, etc. There’s probably a stong health related link there. Kelvin Mok
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Having used many domestic (read under $200) humidifiers for my house, having serviced them at work for 30 years, I’ve settled on this one… http://www.humidity.com/products/index.html Expensive, but my family’s health has been better for it over the years, Dave
|They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, |not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up |as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are |evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh |water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing |dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once |a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it. |I also owned a Sears steam-type portable unit before I installed the |Aprilaire, it was also a mess, as the minerals accumulate on all the wet |surfaces and the heating element. It was a pain to fill twice a day, also.
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I realize not everyone owns a distiller or reverse osmosis system, but if you do, use this water, and your fine dust problems will disappear! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are
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Why not just stick a tea-kettle on the wood-stove? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Eric, I would not, under circumstance, install any type of humidifier that has a reservoir full of water. I have inspected hundreds of these (typically the evaporative-pad type, with a rotating drum) and they are nearly always full of microbial growth. Most of the time, after the nozzle has clogged, the unit malfunctions, either by leaking into the furnace or by ceasing to operate. The only central humidifier unit that I have found to be free of significant microbial growth is the trickle-type Aprilaire, with the aluminum mesh evaporative pad. In these units, water flows down the mesh pad and evaporates into the hot air flow from the furnace. Excess liquid water must be drained from the bottom tray into a condensate pump and discharged; in one installation, there was no drainage and unevaporated water leaked continuously into the furnace! The humidified air is drawn into the return air so no duct condensation occurs. If you install a steam system, make sure that there is an observation window at the misting unit so you can watch the operation and check it regularly. Be sure that there is a clean tray under the unit in the event of leakage. All humidification equipment should be checked weekly, cleaned at least monthly if type needs it. An important component of this system will be the furnace filter, as you will want to be sure that there is no dust in which mold can grow. Do not use inexpensive fiberglass filters or washable filters of any type. Use only a media filter (minimum 40% efficiency), preferably four or six inches deep, such as an Aprilaire or Air Bear; these require installation of housings. (Electronic filters require too frequent cleaning, at least monthly.) Until you can install the deeper filter, use a one-inch media filter. Be sure to look at my book "My House is Killing Me! The Home Guide for Families with Allergies and Asthma," just published by Johns Hopkins University Press. The books has lots more tips for heating and cooling systems as well as the whole house. Jeffrey C. May J. May Home Inspections, Inc. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
G’day all! I would not, under circumstance, install any type of humidifier that has a reservoir full of water. I have inspected hundreds of these (typically the evaporative-pad type, with a rotating drum) and they are nearly always full of microbial growth.
Microbial growth which causes allergies and asthma. In my experience there’s no such thing as a _working_ whole house humidifier. If the air feels dry this is usually caused by particles and chemical irritants. — _/_/_/ – Den vor Herre giver et embede fratar han ogsaa forstanden.
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What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
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What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
The explanation I was given was that ultrasound also atomises the dissolved minerals in the water. Breath those minerals in along with the water vapour and the minerals may cause lung injury. I never did come across any authorative source (science of medically based) that examined this subject. Kelvin Mok
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They are a mess to use and maintain. Since they spray water into the air, not evaporate it on the surface, the minerals are dispersed also, and end up as a fine, gritty dust settling everywhere. The best humidifiers are evaporative that do not use a pool of stagnant water. Aprilaire flows fresh water across a screen and it goes into the drain. When it is off, the thing dries out and there is no standing water to get yukky. Replace the pad once a year. Uses more water, but it is worth it. I also owned a Sears steam-type portable unit before I installed the Aprilaire, it was also a mess, as the minerals accumulate on all the wet surfaces and the heating element. It was a pain to fill twice a day, also. Rick – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What are the health issues with ultrasonic humidifiers? -thanks
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Familiar with your area…we installed many a system in Colorado Springs to be exact…and the one home that we did that we were particularly proud of was a nice place down on the south side of Academy that was 13,000 SF…we used only two units, and it was more than enough to keep the home at a comfortable level, normally in the 45 to 50% RH range. After that..we were in the deserts of California…and dry…..well..Colorado was like a lake compared..LOL First, you must keep in mind that a humidifier needs to be maintained. You will hear from people that say, "I hate it..its always got a cruddy pad in it" and the like. SURE it will…its like ANY OTHER part of your heating and cooling system..it must be taken care of, or it WILL be a bitch to run, if it will at all. First thing is home size..ok..we know that now. Second…you need to pick a brand..why? Simple….sold them all…Honeywell’s to Skuttle, and after several years we have narrowed it down to two brands that work, and work well…as designed, WHEN INSTALLED CORRECTLY. Skuttle and AprilAire. You can get a unit from AprilAire that can be mounted in the cold air return, or the warm air supply side, or, everyone’s units can be mounted on the warm air side…and all the readings you will be hearing about gallons of water per day output, is based on an air temp of 120F. Now…do you want a power humidifier, a drum style, by-pass, flow through, or steam? That will depend in part, on what TYPE of heat you have…is it fuel, like gas, or a heat pump? What is the tonnage of the air handler, and what is the CFM of the air flow in the unit? What is your duct construction? If it is ductboard, you just eliminated a spray type…and pretty much steam…. HW HE420? Looking at the newest catalog mine stops at HE360A, rated at 19 gallons a day….more than enough for your home….provided that the unit is installed correctly, and with a humidistat. The units will come with one….hope either way, hes not charging you more than $200-250 for the unit itself… I am partial..depending on the need and application…location..etc, to the Skuttle S2002…also rated at 19 gallons a day, and has a power fan in increase evaporation…its a flow through type, that works well..easy to maintain….and not as expensive as the Honeywell…to maintain, run, or buy. Even with steam, you are looking at about only 17 gallons a day…you are looking at more parts to go bad..like the element, the flushing timer…the chlorine filter.. With spray types…they are the most customizable units..you can take one machine…start out at 0.37 gallons per hour, up to 2.0 gallons per hour. the drawbacks to that are, you can get piddling in the duct….adjust the spray wrong with metal duct, and you have, or can have rust..put it in a ductboard unit and you have a bacteria and mold issue… This trade, is like any other….ask one question to 50 different techs, and get at least 40 different answers. You need to talk to more than one contractor, and see what they offer…ask for people that have similar homes to yours, built about the same time that they built yours, preferably in the same area…if they are smart, they will contact some people and allow you to contact them, and ask how it has been for them. Granted..before someone flames me…sure…I sell them….but, unless you have a particular brand in mind….or have shopped and finally picked out a model..its not as easy as saying…give me one of those…it may or may not work for you. I sold one to my cousin (of all people) in Kansas City KS today….but I have been to his home, know how large it is…how new it is…number of people in it at a given time…etc…plus, his dad was in the trade for many years…so, he had a pretty good idea of what he wanted….but we STILL talked about it for over 2 hours before we packed his order up… his is the same problem many people are asking about them for….allergies and how the home feels in the winter….He ended up with a different model than I have talked about, and a Hepa whole home filter, with UV assembly. We will have those results from him in about 2 weeks, since I will be in California for a week installing another unit for an old client of mine. We are trying out one of the HEPA filters now….and so far, the wife, who is allergic to everything it seems…loves it..:) Shes the best critic of what we carry….she gets to try it out first and if it does not work well…..we stop keeping it in many cases.. At anyrate…keep asking…and contact the makers direct…it can help in many cases. Really…and dont be afraid to ask lots of questions to the guys that are trying to sell you a product….be informed…and corner them if you know they are BS’n you. Many salesmen for some HVAC companies dont have a clue what they are selling….only that when they sell it, they make money…..find one that will take time…and do the homework. Other comments below in original. — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree.
Again…ask 50 different people…get many many different answers… I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years.
Possible…did he bother to check your duct to see if it was capable of that? Second…steams not that bad, its the SPRAY ones to worry about if set up wrong. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted).
Actually….240VAC. And the AprilAire 600 is only a 0.70 gallon per hour unit…if your home is REAL tight….maybe… Its a good unit…but I think you would soon find its not what you want. Its a by-pass type, and excellent in design….might well be the best in its class…just too small.. Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers.
Normally……and thats NORMALLY, they buy one that is too small. Thats the reason that the one that we keep on the online store, is rated at up to 14 gallons per hour…with a humidistat…so if you need it…its there.. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%.
LOL..been there…done that…great state…now if I could just finish getting the hail damage fixed from a few years ago….:) So what’s the real story?
See that book I wrote way above this.. I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers.
Dont really need to, but you DO need to find a contractor out there that will work with you..and not one that will say..HERE…THIS works…anyone can take your money…and will.. Its just like buying a car…or a new heating system…you never buy the first one presented to you….unless its after you looked at the rest. Good luck. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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Jeeez….I hope you are not in the HVAC trade… — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. The reason you will get different stories is that it depends on the home. Our house is well insulated. In such a case, or if you have a furnace that’s much more powerful than needed, or during the swing season when it’s not that cold, the fan doesn’t run for very long. A bypass type only works when the furnace fan is running, and so we find ours to be worthless. On the other hand, people who run the fan all the time, for temperature uniformity or because their furnace is small, will report that the bypass humidifier is very effective. And people who have poorly insulated windows will get dripping windows faster than those who have good windows. Now it is true that the steam type will turn the fan on as needed (the bypass type won’t because it needs hot air to evaporate the water, so turning the fan on when the furnace isn’t on is not effective). I haven’t tried this type; locally there is no one who will install one of these. In principle this is a much better method, but such humidifiers are rare. The problem here is scale. Evaporation of cold water creates a fine powder; a lot of it stays in the disposable filter and the rest of it is flushed out through the drain. But in a steam type, which is just a tank with an immersion heater in it, the heating element gets a hard crust on it that is impossible to remove entirely. Plan on replacing the heating element every 1-2 years.
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In Denver, 1960-64, and here near Las Vegas, 1964 to present, I have used an evaporative type attached to my hot-air furnace. These let hot air from the furnace bonnet blow over an evaporative element and return to the cool air intake. With the included humidistat in Denver I was able to maintain humidity at about 20 to 25%. Unit was capable of more but the single pane windows would sweat or frost rather heavily on the below-zero nights. Here in the desert with very dry outdoor air and nights seldom below 20 degrees, I am able to maintain winter humidity between 30% and 50%. One negative aspect is that dissolved solids in the water supply accumulate so that the unit needs to be cleaned periodically. With our water, 750 ppm of solids, I do that about once a month. If the unit is easily accessible, that is a small chore. This is a bit awkward here since the furnace is in a tight interior closet. In Denver, with lightly mineralized water and the furnace easily accessible in the basement maintenance was no chore at all. I should add that both houses were small, about 1300 square feet. Be sure to get unit or unit compatible with the area the furnace or furnaces serve. Sten – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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I have a small house (1300 sq ft or so), and have found a free-standing console humidifier [with two block-like paper filters that cause minerals to plate out on the upstream side] to work very well. I can readily get 12-14 gallons into the air in a 24 hour period (which translates into 30% relative humidity or so, enough to keep static way down and to feel a lot warmer) and the motor is quiet (though the airflow is a tad noisy). It’s an Emerson, but AFAIK Sears models are identical–possibly made by Emerson. I treat it every couple of fills or so with a bacteriostat, and the filters last for one winter and are about $14 or so for a pair. — David M. Wood Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401 Phone: (303) 273-3853; Fax: (303) 273-3840
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You dont understand the evap process very well for that type of application…all the air has to be is dry…dry air sucks up moisture like a sponge…the ONLY time you want a humidifier on is when the air is being heated, so of COURSE it works better..however.. What do you think an evaporative cooler is?? Hint…its one big humidifier.. — www.carolinabreezehvac.com www.ebaystores.com/id=19893971
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on. Doesn’t work well because the air needs to be hot to evaporate water off the filter.
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I have an Aprilaire 550 bypass type in my 3000 sq. ft. home in central Ohio, and if I turn up the humidistat I can make the windows drip within two hours . . . I’d go with the Aprilaire . .
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
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Start out with-NO- to heated types. They create humidity at an elevated heat. When that warm, wet air becomes cooled by air at the ambient temp in the house, it will ‘rain’. I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Hi, I’ve been looking at getting a whole house humidifier that works for my application. We have a large house (6,500 sf) on the Colorado Front Range (REALLY dry). I’ve read old postings and they don’t answer my questions. So far all I have is conflicting stories from various salesman and friends. All these people are from my geographic area so they should be able to agree. I’ve heard about the health issues with ultrasonic types and didn’t consider them. One salesman pushed a "steam type" humidifier since our house was so big. He quoted the Honeywell HE420 which has the ability to turn on the blower fan on its own. It’s 1,500 watts for the heating element. That sounded good until… I talked to another salesman who claimed that you don’t want the steam type since they’re so effective it would corrode your duct work and furnace in a few years. He pushed a "bypass type" quoting the Aprilair model 600. I guess this type simply takes hot water and trickes it over a sponge in your duct where it evaporates. He also stated that if you really need a steam type then you want a 220V model anyway (not the 110V that I was quoted). Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers. Keep in mind how dry it is here in Colorado. I just looked at a weather site and it’s quoting the current outside humidity at 20%. So what’s the real story? I just want something that works and don’t want to earn my PhD in humidifiers. Thanks, Eric Rentschler
Response:
Unfortunately a friend of mine has a "bypass type" and reports that he’s unable to get much of an increase in humidity at his house at all with this system and is unsatisfied. I have also heard other people complain about not getting enough humidity with "bypass type" humidifiers.
The reason you will get different stories is that it depends on the home. Our house is well insulated. In such a case, or if you have a furnace that’s much more powerful than needed, or during the swing season when it’s not that cold, the fan doesn’t run for very long. A bypass type only works when the furnace fan is running, and so we find ours to be worthless. On the other hand, people who run the fan all the time, for temperature uniformity or because their furnace is small, will report that the bypass humidifier is very effective. And people who have poorly insulated windows will get dripping windows faster than those who have good windows. Now it is true that the steam type will turn the fan on as needed (the bypass type won’t because it needs hot air to evaporate the water, so turning the fan on when the furnace isn’t on is not effective). I haven’t tried this type; locally there is no one who will install one of these. In principle this is a much better method, but such humidifiers are rare. The problem here is scale. Evaporation of cold water creates a fine powder; a lot of it stays in the disposable filter and the rest of it is flushed out through the drain. But in a steam type, which is just a tank with an immersion heater in it, the heating element gets a hard crust on it that is impossible to remove entirely. Plan on replacing the heating element every 1-2 years.
Response:
I suggest a humidifier linked to the fan switch on your furnace. So that when overall humidity drops below preset level, fan comes on to distribute it throughout the system. Regardless of furnace heat being on.
Doesn’t work well because the air needs to be hot to evaporate water off the filter.
Response:
Rick 
Categories: Furnace Condensate Pump | 
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All: I recently had a plumber come out to look at my toilet because of poor flushing. (I live in the Boston Area) More often than not, it wouldn’t completely flush. He ran a snake down the drain and pulled up this stringy material like part of a mop. I’m have no idea where this came from. He relpaced the flapper valve that didn’t need replacing. In fact I had to put the old one back because the one he put in didn’t seat correctly and the toilet tank wouldn’t fill. I was charged $85.00 for the service call and $20.00 for the flapper. I’m not sure what I should do. Should I complain about the bad flapper? If he comes out again he will probsbly charge me again. On the one hand, It is a dirty job to have to go into someone’s home and repair the toilet; therefore it is probably worth the money spent. I would do it myself but since I have only one bathroom with a wife and daughter, I didn’t want to risk screwing it up. This guy told me if I contine to have problems then I should replace the toilet ($475 installed) because the problem may be the china seal between the tank and the bowl. Does this sound right? Any advice is greatly appreciated. This guy came highly recommended, but now I’m not so sure.