Whole House or Portable Humidifier?


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Old 01-10-10, 03:27 PM
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Whole House or Portable Humidifier?

I have a 1940s 2 story (1,000sq ft each floor) home with one forced air system for both floors. The previous owner replaced all windows, doors and lights but I still feel drafts by them so I installed that foam insulation around the windows and covered the outside doors with those door pads. It helped but did not completely seal all the drafts probably not enough insulation inside window frames. I bought a bunch of temp/humidity readings and placed them all over the house and the humidity on the 1st and 2nd floor is 20%. I have a newborn about 2 weeks old and his skin is very dry. I know I need a humidifier but I dont know which one to get.

I saw a portable Honeywell Humidifier in Costco that says whole house for $89.99. I know that portable ones require more maintenance and are loud. Plus, I hear you should place portable ones on the 1st floor but I really dont have a good spot for this size humidifier.

A local Aprilaire dealer is having a special for a fully installed Aprilaire humidifier for $500 that ends in February.

Does whole house humidifiers really work? I like the $500 special but I dont want to spend that if it will not higher my humidity. Which Aprilaire humidifier would be best in my situation? I've seen some posts where owners have installed whole house humidifiers and still could not raise the humidity so they had to buy portable ones.

Please help! With the new baby, I cannot afford to make the wrong choice. Thank you!
 
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Old 01-10-10, 09:15 PM
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Congrat on the new born!

For the baby's room, I'd for a small unit for now till you get something going.

For the size of your home, I'd say the duct mount should do just fine. The Aprilaire 500 or 600 can do the job. I would make sure the dealer does the outdoor sensor for your home.

As for the draft, very normal for that age of a home to have little or not isulation in the walls.

I had a free standing unit for the whole house, and it was a pain to keep it filled with water.. On a good cold snap, we had to fill it twice a day!
 
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Old 01-11-10, 12:27 PM
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Thank you!

The baby sleeps in our high ceiling bedroom and the small humidifier we have is too undersized for that room that it does not do anything.

I spoke with an Aprilaire dealer about the outdoor sensor and they said they dont recommend it. It's causing too many problems with newer furnace systems. He said that the manual method is the better method.

So, is it true that it is too much work to maintain a portable humidifier?
 
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Old 01-11-10, 01:00 PM
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I have a portable unit from Honeywell. It was around $100. Think it can do 4 gallons per day. I think it is great. As far as maintance I fill it with water and replace the pad once a year. That is it. I like to be able to see it so if mold starts growing I can fix it. On a HVAC system you would have to take it apart just to look at it.
 
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Old 01-11-10, 01:19 PM
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Huh? I can't understand why the Outdoor sensor be an issue with newer furnaces?

I have it on mine (honeywell) and have no issues.. With odler homes with no or little insulation in the walls, you are going to get cold spots that may become wet if the humidity is not adj to the outdoors temps.
 
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Old 01-11-10, 02:41 PM
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airman.1994 - What portable model do you have? How big of an area are you trying to deal with?

Jay11J - The Aprilaire dealer says there were problems with the outdoor sensor for the Aprilaire model. Since you are not having problems with your Honeywell, what Honeywell model do you have and do you mind sharing how much it costs?
 
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Old 01-11-10, 05:20 PM
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This is the model Honeywell QuietCare HCM-6009 9 Gallon Console Humidifier with Air Washing Technology by Kaz Inc. - Honeywell - Honeywell Central I have about 2500 square feet. Home built in 63. My home would be tighter than yours and we have three showers a day and one bath. I only have to run this about 3 days a week.
 
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Old 01-11-10, 06:23 PM
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Originally Posted by MikeyBoy
Jay11J - The Aprilaire dealer says there were problems with the outdoor sensor for the Aprilaire model. Since you are not having problems with your Honeywell, what Honeywell model do you have and do you mind sharing how much it costs?
My parents has the Trane (made by Aprilaire) and had it for 5 years and no issues. And with my time here, I have not had anyone having issues with it as well.. So that's why am like Huh?

I have the Honeywell VisionPro IAQ t-stat that does a lot.
-Two stage heat
-A/C
-Dehumidify
-Humidifier
-Fresh Air
 
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Old 01-11-10, 06:48 PM
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airman - That is the same humidifier that they are selling at Costco that says whole house. Is your house 2 stories? Where do you place it? Is it hard to maintain? What are the humidity ranges in your house as a result?
 
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Old 01-12-10, 04:46 AM
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One story with basement. I have mine in the basement beside the return grille. Basment 42% main floor 48%. I just fill it with water nothing hard about that.
 
 

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