Whole House Humidifier. Will it work?

[Augusto Orosco]

I am hoping to poke the collective brain regarding a humidity issue:

We have been having issues with low humidity this winter. With the heating running (forced hot air), the house feels too dry; to the point that we cough at nights, our skins dry considerably and sometimes wake up with bloody noses. After placing a portable humidifier in each of my daughters rooms, they seem to be doing much better. This made us contemplate the idea of installing a whole house humidifier. My HVAC provider can install one that will integrate seamlessly with my HVAC system, and would allow me to control humidity in each zone independently of the heating settings. In other words, if the house reaches the desired temperature but not the desired humidity, the blower will switch to low speed non heated air with moisture added to the flow via the humidifier. The proposed unit is a Honeywell TrueEase HE250 (manual: https://customer.honeywell.com/resources/techlit/TechLitDocuments/69-0000s/69-2414EF.pdf).

I am still undecided, because on cold and dry days, the zone controllers read relative humidity at 35-38 degrees, with some bedrooms usually 2 to 3 degrees below that. So, at nights, our bedrooms' humidity can droop as low 32 degrees (we keep the temp. around 67F at nights). Everywhere I read, it states that a comfortable indoor level during dry winter days is about 35 degrees; yet we seem to be having a hard time even when our bedrooms are at those levels (32-36 aprox). I have confirmed my measurements with more than one hygrometer, so I am confident they are good.

I would be able to take humidity to the upper 30's with the whole house unit, but I wonder if that would be enough? Beyond that it's not advisable, since condensation can occur, creating a mold risk. Also, I am having a hard time believing that 35 degrees is "comfortable" given what we are experiencing. Maybe we are simply a hyper sensitive family when it comes to dryness?. What gives?

[Myk Rian]

Zone controllers? I'm not too sure on that.
The Honeywell is no different than any other humidifier. We have a Bryant that works the same way.
It really needs heated air to properly vaporize the water, thus it only works when the furnace is firing.
All it needs is supply air from the outlet duct of the furnace fed to it, a 1/4" water line, and a humidity control on the return air duct.
Don't get sucked into spending more than you really need. These are very simple units.


Everywhere I read, it states that a comfortable indoor level during dry winter days is about 35 degrees
That would be % humidity. 35% is considered comfortable.
If the windows start to sweat, you turn the humidistat down a little at a time.

[phil harold]

In my house we make sure there are a decent amount of house plants.
when you water them, the release moisture into your house
here is a list of plants that remove toxins out of your air, win win deal!

http://www.mnn.com/health/healthy-spaces/stories/best-air-filtering-houseplants-according-to-nasa

There are other ways to get moisture into your house, like leaving bathroom door open and turn off you exhaust fan while showering

I had an april aire in my last house and it worked for about 5 years and then corroded away...

[Myk Rian]

The elements will corrode. Just need to replace them every 2-5 years. They also get plugged up with impurities in the water. Lime deposits. Salt from softeners. CLR will clean them, but they still corrode over time.

[phil harold]

The elements will corrode. Just need to replace them every 2-5 years. They also get plugged up with impurities in the water. Lime deposits. Salt from softeners. CLR will clean them, but they still corrode over time.
Yup that was the problem, Had replaced the filter a couple times, then I we went to radiant heat...

[Augusto Orosco]

Zone controllers? I'm not too sure on that.
The Honeywell is no different than any other humidifier. We have a Bryant that works the same way.
It really needs heated air to properly vaporize the water, thus it only works when the furnace is firing.
All it needs is supply air from the outlet duct of the furnace fed to it, a 1/4" water line, and a humidity control on the return air duct.
Don't get sucked into spending more than you really need. These are very simple units.


That would be % humidity. 35% is considered comfortable.
If the windows start to sweat, you turn the humidistat down a little at a time.

Yes, I meant 35%, sorry. Still can't see how 35 is considered comfortable; it's certainly not in my house!

Thanks for pointing out that heated air is needed to vaporize the water; it wouldn't be the first time the sales rep tells me something that is later refuted by the tech/install person!

[mark r johnson]

Yes, I meant 35%, sorry. Still can't see how 35 is considered comfortable; it's certainly not in my house!

Thanks for pointing out that heated air is needed to vaporize the water; it wouldn't be the first time the sales rep tells me something that is later refuted by the tech/install person!

What the sales rep told you is correct; at least that's the way mine works and I understand what you were told. If the heater as not run for a while then the fan and humidifier will run if additional moisture is needed. The fan runs at a very low speed. No heat will be running during that period. This mostly happens at night when the temp is set back in my case.

As for humidity, mine runs between 32 and 37% depending on the outside temp. 20deg outside gives me 32% and 45degs gives me about 37%. Mine is set to shut off at 40% though I've never been that high. Your numbers will vary depending on your house construction, window type (mine are triple pane), and the humidifier size. 35% is okay, but when it's been 0degs outside then I'll run an extra room model to get the humidity back up to where I feel good. You program the humidity on the Honeywell thermostat just like you do the temp.

The AprilAire humidifier is 20+ years old with all the original parts except for the water pad which I replace every other year. They still make the same model. Replacing the pad will depend on the hardness of your water. The furnace and thermostat (Honeywell) were replaced a couple of years ago. It works great and you'll love it if the size everything correctly.

You will also notice the furnace fan running without heat every now and again. That may depend on the furnace you have but the idea is to equalize the temp in different areas of you house. It will take the hot air on the south side of our house and move it north in the winter. The fan is almost always on at one speed of another moving existing air, adding humidity, or heating.

[Lloyd Robins]

I really like my Honeywell. We live in the Mojave desert and just had some family from Virginia here for the holidays. They usually think that the house is way too dry, but they were comfortable with the humidifier. You do have to be careful to keep the filter changed, or it can cause the unit to leak which can cause quite a mess. Good luck.

[Brian Elfert]

There is a school of thought that says not to install whole house humidifiers at all. The reason why is because the level of humidity that makes humans feel comfortable can be bad for your house in cold climates. Condensation on windows and such can cause mold and rot. I've thought off and on about getting one because the skin can get so dry in the winter here. I would need to do something special since I have a whole house air exchanger.

My parents installed a whole house humidifier recently and I noticed condensation on the windows even when it was 30 degrees outside.

[Stephen Tashiro]

I don't have a commercial whole house humidifer. I built a big wooden box, upon which sits my furnace. The box holds a large furnace filter. Over the filter is a shelf where I set pans of water. It requires a manual refill every few days.

Based on my experience with tank type room humidifiers, I have the following suggestions.

1. Consider whether increased dust (due to dry air) is what's affecting your nose. Improve your air filtration. Use the "Filtrete" type of filter in the furnace and change it monthly during winter. My return ducts are in the floor and I find it is helpful to put coarse filters in them since dust from the floor naturally gets pulled in.

2. If you have hard water, consider whether the whole house humidifier will be on any water purifiying system that you have or will it have to use hard water. My forecast is that you will have problems if it uses hard water.

3. When you can, mop instead of vacuum.

4. I don't recommend the typical portable floor unit filter fans. They pull up dust that would normally settle and blow it back up in the air. Your floors will be less dusty if you use them, but your air will be worse.

[Stephen Tashiro]

here is a list of plants that remove toxins out of your air, win win deal!

http://www.mnn.com/health/healthy-spaces/stories/best-air-filtering-houseplants-according-to-nasa

I like that idea. Do you know which of those plants are safe to cats and dogs?

[Augusto Orosco]

Thanks everyone for all your responses, they are all very helpful! I'll soak in on this information and try to come up with a solution that works for us.

[Greg Portland]

My wife and I get itchy skin in the winter and we had a whole house humidifier installed. It did not resolve the itchy skin but helped with the coughing and nasal issues. There has been some mild condensation on the inside of our windows... it's definitely something to keep an eye on. Allowing air to flow in those areas helps.

[Jason Roehl]

Everything I've ever seen is that 40-60% RH in a house is what is comfortable. I try to shoot for 40-50%. Our furnace has an old whole-house humidifier attached, but it is toast. A friend of mine who used to do industrial HVAC, and still does residential HVAC on the side, told me not to bother replacing it. He said they're nothing but trouble--maintenance nightmares that just don't last. So, we keep doing what we do now--a small vaporizer, and we don't run the bathroom fans in the winter during/after showers to help get some extra moisture in the air.

Condensation on the windows isn't necessarily a bad thing in terms of the amount of moisture in the air. It may just be that your windows aren't as effective as they could be. Put plastic over them. I do whatever I can to keep the humidity up in the winter or I'm miserable from nose bleeds and sinus infections. No way I could ever live in the dry Southwest.

[phil harold]

I like that idea. Do you know which of those plants are safe to cats and dogs?
cats and dogs are toxins in my house
;o)


http://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/dogs-cats-houseplants/

[Myk Rian]

Augusto;
What sq. ft. home do you have?
That's an important factor.