Humidifiers

[brianc]

There's been some chattering in the past on this forum about the use of humidifiers.

A question for those of you that have actually bought & used them:

What brand & size would you recommend?

Thanks,

[Patrick D'Arcy]

D'Arcy enter stage left -

"You should get the ultrasonic kind if at all possible. It is silent. The others have fans in them that can clash with your drones. I use one like this http://www.lizmadison.com/housewares/Pr ... 0672000000"

D'Arcy, exit stage right.

[brianc]

Come on back out, Patrick, and take a curtain call.

Thanks very much!

This humidifier happens to be for the sake of my 8-month old daughter, not my pipes, so the recommendation is far more important. I hadn't considered the matter of fans, and electrostatic methods, but not having a fan will be a big plus.

Again, thanks for your help.

[No E]

I'm in lock-step with D'Arcy on this one. I use a Vicks-brand ultrasonic humidifier purchased at the local Rite-Aid. No noise, and the fine mist doesn't make the room feel like a steaming jungle. I think it's a 1-gallon resevoir, which will handle decent-sized bedroom for more than 6 hours.

No E

[Patrick D'Arcy]

I'm in lock-step with D'Arcy on this one.

You were last night anyway Larry! WHEY HEY!

The Dub and Sport were sounding great Larry

Patrick.

[fel bautista]

I unfortunately bought the impeller kind and the thrumy prop sound does some weird harmonic with my drones, kinda like a gurgley Leslie rotating speaker, wah, wah , wah, gurgle, wah, wah.....

[Jim McGuire]

ultrasonic

My allergist thinks that ultrasonic humidifiers should be outlawed. He recommends the other, more traditional kind.

Depending on where you live, the water that you use might make a difference. Water with high mineral content leaves a 'white dust' all over. Distilled water seems to be better.

[Tony]

I prefer the 'vaporizer' style that emits visable steam. Simple rinsing is all that's needed to clean the mineral deposits usually every 7-10 gallons of use.

[No E]

My humidifier has a filter in it that seems to take care of the white dust problem--no mean feat, as L.A. is notorious for it's hard water.

No E

PS-The kind words from Mr. D'Arcy are most appreiciated

[Royce]

Man, you have to talk to a Minnesotan about humidifiers. You get one that holds five gallons of water in a big trough that has a big wheel rotating through it. In the back of the unit is a fan sometimes two speed, sometimes with heat elements, and you blow air through the wheel's center, it comes out through the frame of gauz-like evaporation media, and blows out the top. You do the whole house, you don't do one room. You don't start it and stop it, it runs all winter or summer, whatever your dry season is.

Don't use the heat elements except in extreme situations. Run it on low, keep filling it every day. I blows naturally evaporated, humidified air all over the house. Don't try to sog up the place any more than is reasonable in your area.

Anyway, they're ugly and a bit noisey, but you do the house, you don't do the one room where you play.

Royce

(I suppose if you want to take one onstage that's a different job entirely.)

[Joseph E. Smith]

Man, you have to talk to a Minnesotan about humidifiers. You get one that holds five gallons of water in a big trough that has a big wheel rotating through it. In the back of the unit is a fan sometimes two speed, sometimes with heat elements, and you blow air through the wheel's center, it comes out through the frame of gauz-like evaporation media, and blows out the top. You do the whole house, you don't do one room. You don't start it and stop it, it runs all winter or summer, whatever your dry season is.

...a trip down memory lane. But I used to have two of these monsters...one one either end of the house.

[WannabePiper]

My humidifier is an extremely leaky basement. Less than ideal for everything else, but the pipes like it.

[bradhurley]

The Venta Airwasher is expensive, but really, really good. See the discussion here:

http://www.37signals.com/svn/archives/000929.php

[Royce]

Man, you have to talk to a Minnesotan about humidifiers. You get one that holds five gallons of water in a big trough that has a big wheel rotating through it.

...a trip down memory lane. But I used to have two of these monsters...one one either end of the house.

Yes, depends on how airtight your house is, how much pasta you boil, how many daughters/wives/kids you have running the shower all night and day, but you're right. You might even need two of them and it's better to run them on low with two operating than try to keep one working hard all the time. The thing about minerals is, with evaporative humidifying, it all stays in the tank, or with these units, after a while the water will run low before you fill it and a white film of chalk-like mush will start filming it all over, eventually filling the medium pad. Then you have to get out the vinegar, phosphoric bowl cleaner or whatever to clean it all off.

So you're in the shower with this big electrical monster (if the tank doesn't detach which is the case in older ones) and you're spraying this thing down all over the toilet and walls and everywhere a couple of times a season or more...

Royce

[fancypiper]

I prefer the 'vaporizer' style that emits visable steam. Simple rinsing is all that's needed to clean the mineral deposits usually every 7-10 gallons of use.

Soaking in vinegar will loosen heavy mineral deposits off the electrodes.