What type of humidifier do you use?

[polkanut]

With the winter heating season well upon us, I thought I'd ask the question.  We use a mid 1970's West Bend Waterwheeler humidifier.  It has a faux woodgrain cabinet that is in great shape , and doesn't look gawdy in the least.  It is model: 4032.  I like it so much better than the wick type we first had.  We use Whink Humidifier Helper to help keep the limescale, and bacteria to a minimum.

 

[petek]

I have two,, one of those waterwheel types in the faux woodgrain without all the appliques and a big plastic Bionaire wick type which is a bit of a pain having to keep buying new wicks each year and getting harder to find. I'm going to ditch it and pick up another new (2nd) had waterwheel type next time one shows up at the habitat Restore,, they do quite often.

 

[retro-man]

We have an April air humidifier built into the furnace. Its a constant water usage type so no standing water. The water comes in the top and goes over a weaved metal and "stone" filter. It works very well. It has an adjustable humidistat and has a probe that goes outside to consider the temp and humidity outside so as not to oversaturate the house. Need to get a new stone for this season.
Jon

 

[petek]

We have hot water heating, hence no furnace to hook up a central unit. The April Aire sounds like the Kenmore mom has on her furnace with that odd metalwire, stone like wick. In our other houses with furnaces we had Lennox's with the rotating pad

 

[polkanut]

We have the Skuttle brand on our furnace, and our furnace man said to not use it.  Apparently they really allow for bacteria build-up, and are prone to over humidifying a house.  We've been using a stand-alone humidifier for about 10yrs, and we're very satisfied.

 

Our West Bend holds 6 1/2 gallons, and each fill is good for about 1 week.  We have the humidistat set right about in the middle.  I also use 7 capfuls of solution per fill.  I let the reservoir get completely empty before refilling.

 

I have also found that the pad that goes around the wheel can be washed in the washer, and it really gets clean.  I do rinse it by hand in clear water, and then toss it in the dryer.  It does shrink a little in the dryer, but not enough to make it unusable,  

 

[mattl]

sounds like I have the same Aiprilaire humidifier as Jon.  The thing I like about it is the outdoor sensor, with that option it;s set and forget.  The unit automatically adjusts the humidity level based on the outdoor temp., something most have to do manually.

 

One interesting twist.  Mine is installed on the cold air return since the air conditioning coil is in the plenum and space was limited.  The furnace guy said the only way it would work well is if it was fed hot water.  Can't say he's wrong.  If I want I can turn the house into a tropical rain forest, with 60%+ humidity, I generally keep it in the 45-50% range, that keeps the house  comfortable even at the low temps I keep it at.

 

[henry200]

I had an Aprilaire unit installed with the new furnace in the last house and was very happy with it.  In this house I was already over-budget with the cost of the new furnace and ac so I've been using a Lasko portable unit which seems to work well-enough.  The Best-Air brand replacement filter pads are readily available and inexpensive at Menard's.   The tank holds about 2 1/2 gallons and I fill it once per day when it's running.

 

[goatfarmer]

We have a Bemis that's about 12 years old, still works great!

 

[retro-man]

Mattl:
Mine is installed on the return side also, but it does have heat input into the unit from the output side. I guess the heat makes the water dissapate faster into the air. The water is also from the hot water heater which is like 5 feet from the furnace. Yes you can get as much moisture into the house if needed. I like it though with the probe you set it once in the start of the season and thats it.
Jon

 

[whirlcool]

When I was growing up we had a Sears humidifier on the gas forced air furnace in the house. I don't think it ever worked right. It usually leaked water on the floor, or didn't have water in it from time to time. I don't think it made a difference in the humidity level at all. It got so dry in Chicago in the winter in forced air heated homes.
But I don't think my parents took care of it properly either. They never touched it after it was installed.

 

[polkanut]

When I set up our humidifier (West Bend water wheel type) in Nov. I noticed a note on the package for the new belt that said that the belt was not to be washed.  I've always washed mine 1 or 2 times in the washer during the winter, then dried it in the dryer, and never any issues with it afterwards.  Can anyone shed some light on why this note would be on the package?  I add vinegar to the rinse water instead of fabric softener to prevent any waxy build-up on it.

 

[washman]

Vornado Evap1

 

[abcomatic]

I have the same as in reply number 2. It works great and is hooked up to the hot water heater so that it will humidify better.

 

[powerfin64]

older model..

Holmes Model HM-2060 W, 2 gallon tank.
Bought it used from a thrift store.

 

[brucelucenta]

I have a Honeywell unit that has been added on to the central heat and air system. Works quite well.

 

[johnb300m]

Aprilaire, always and forever. Built into the HVAC.
They're pricey but super reliable.
I have the 700 series with its own fan. It doesn't rob any air from the furnace discharge.

As for single room humidifiers, I've been using a Vornado unit for 5'ish years.
It uses two large wick filters and a powerful yet silent fan to do a darn good job moistening a whole bedroom. And it's been extremely durable with reliable electronics.
Many people hate the paper wicks, but I've come to like them because they suck up all the water impurities and the humidifier unit itself needs almost no cleaning most of the time.
It just needs new wick filters every six weeks.

 

[mayguy]

I have Honeywell HE220 on my furnace. controlled by Honeywell IAQ T-stat w/ an outdoor sensor.

*On a few post about it being on Return vs Supply side don't matter! The best spot is on the return as the A-Coil from the A/C can be in the way, PVC venting, and also don't water source above the funace with the controls in them now. Hot air will always be drawn out of the supply side into the return, so the heated air will always pass over the pad.

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

I have 2 Air-O-Swiss and one Honeywell. The Air-O-Swiss are the BEST I've ever had.

 

[dustin92]

We have an Aprilaire on our furnace, it didn't work when we moved in here because it was clogged up (fine mesh filter in the water line) and hadn't worked in years. I cleaned it out and got it going, new filter pad (metal mesh) and we used it for part of one winter. Caused lots of sinus problems. It stopped working again and we've made no effort to fix it. We have a Honeywell tower humidifier that does the job if we use it, but it hasn't been cleaned or filled yet this winter. It's been pretty fragile though, I've repaired the tank twice after cracking it while filling it in the kitchen sink, which caused it to leak and spray water all over. Goes through at least one filter pad a season because we have rock hard water. At $12 each it gets expensive! So far this year I've just vented the downstairs dryer inside through an old sock to collect the excess lint. Free heat and moisture.