So THAT'S Why You Need A Humidifier

[Suzu]

I have it plugged into an electric cord that's plugged into another power strip (I have lots of stuff to plug in on my side of the bed).

You really don't want to be sleeping so close to a power strip or any sort of motor.

[PaulConventionWV]

Thanks to this I'll refill my humidifier and start using it again. I've had a chapped lip for weeks now and it keeps splitting open again. I hate it.

[donnay]

I love my humidifier. Always put purified and or distilled water in.

If your house is too dry your wood furniture will dry up and crack too. Also keeping things moist less cold and flu's.

[opal]

there must be some sort of demarcation line on the map somewhere from the humidifier zone to the dehumidifier zone. I'm fairly sure I could go out and get a dehumidifier locally.. but a humidifier - I don't think so.. we rarely drop below 50%.. really rarely and have more concern about drying things out so they don't mildew or mold.. oh wouldn't it be a bitch if both were necessary.. egad

[Zippyjuan]

Keep an eye out for mold buildup in your humidifier too. That can end up making you sick.

[Suzanimal]

I love my humidifier. Always put purified and or distilled water in.

If your house is too dry your wood furniture will dry up and crack too. Also keeping things moist less cold and flu's.

I want it for my skin (super dry), sinuses, and static. When I'm upstairs, I get shocked every time I touch something.

[GunnyFreedom]

I want it for my skin (super dry), sinuses, and static. When I'm upstairs, I get shocked every time I touch something.

I boil water so I don't annoy the cats when I touch them. Snap. Crackle. Pop.

[ronpaulhawaii]

If you take hot showers, humidity can be added by leaving bathroom door open...

[Suzanimal]

If you take hot showers, humidity can be added by leaving bathroom door open...

I've noticed the boys bathroom keeps their rooms humidified but my bathroom has a vaulted ceiling and I don't think much moisture gets out of there. Seriously, my mirror doesn't even get fogged up. My bathroom is also too cold for me (Mr Animal says it's fine) and I have heat lamps running around the shower and a space heater going, as well. Ya think all the heaters going dries up the moisture?

[PaulConventionWV]

I just started running mine again, and it sure does help. My chapped lip was feeling much better in one night.

[Yieu]

I tried one of the Vicks warm mist humidifiers, and it increased the temperature of the bedroom to the point that I kept waking up and had to turn it off. It also accumulates a lot of hard minerals that need to be cleaned off about once a week or so. So I got a Honeywell cool mist evaporative humidifier that has a filter. The filter captures the hard minerals, which makes tap water more acceptable to use, so I don't need to refill two humidifiers as much as 1-2 times per day each with a gallon of distilled water and keep so many gallon jugs of the stuff around. The filter needs to be replaced every 3 months or so, it seems.

The ultrasonic and warm mist types can spread the minerals around the room and leave a white dust all over the place if you use tap water instead of distilled water, and I'm not sure if that might be less healthy to breathe while the minerals are in the air. I highly recommend the cool mist evaporative type of humidifier with a filter. The mist isn't really visible, but in my experience it puts more humidity in the air according to the meters I have, and doesn't mess with the temperature as directly as the warm mist type does.

[GunnyFreedom]

I tried one of the Vicks warm mist humidifiers, and it increased the temperature of the bedroom to the point that I kept waking up and had to turn it off. It also accumulates a lot of hard minerals that need to be cleaned off about once a week or so. So I got a Honeywell cool mist evaporative humidifier that has a filter. The filter captures the hard minerals, which makes tap water more acceptable to use, so I don't need to refill two humidifiers as much as 1-2 times per day each with a gallon of distilled water and keep so many gallon jugs of the stuff around. The filter needs to be replaced every 3 months or so, it seems.

The ultrasonic and warm mist types can spread the minerals around the room and leave a white dust all over the place if you use tap water instead of distilled water, and I'm not sure if that might be less healthy to breathe while the minerals are in the air. I highly recommend the cool mist evaporative type of humidifier with a filter. The mist isn't really visible, but in my experience it puts more humidity in the air according to the meters I have, and doesn't mess with the temperature as directly as the warm mist type does.

First, always use distilled water for a humidifier. Second, it doesn't really hold heat as much as it makes the existing heat way, way more efficient. One of the reasons I boil water when it gets cold is to make the existing heaters work better.

[Yieu]

First, always use distilled water for a humidifier. Second, it doesn't really hold heat as much as it makes the existing heat way, way more efficient. One of the reasons I boil water when it gets cold is to make the existing heaters work better.

I know distilled water is better to use because it has fewer hard minerals and is cleaner, but is it absolutely necessary if the humidifier has an additive item that kills bacteria, mold, fungi, and algae, the humidifier itself kills microbes with UV treatment, and hard minerals are removed through an anti-microbial wicking filter?

Also, I meant the difference between the warm mist and cool mist humdifiers is that the warm mist type modify the room temperature due to the mist they put out being warm, whereas the cool mist humidifiers put out a cool mist that doesn't interfere with the existing temperature as much. But yes, humidity does make heating more efficient.

[GunnyFreedom]

I know distilled water is better to use because it has fewer hard minerals and is cleaner, but is it absolutely necessary if the humidifier has an additive item that kills bacteria, mold, fungi, and algae, the humidifier itself kills microbes with UV treatment, and hard minerals are removed through an anti-microbial wicking filter?

A huge part of the scale that is left behind in humidifiers are dissolved solids, like minerals held in salts. Filters bigger than reverse osmosis membranes are just not going to remove that material. When it comes to boiling water on a stovetop, I have an old 5 gallon pot that is already scaled up and so I don't care, I'll just use plain tap water for that, but if I'm running an actual proper humidifier of any kind, then I'm either going to run distilled water, reverse osmosis water, or nothing.

Also, I meant the difference between the warm mist and cool mist humdifiers is that the warm mist type modify the room temperature due to the mist they put out being warm, whereas the cool mist humidifiers put out a cool mist that doesn't interfere with the existing temperature as much. But yes, humidity does make heating more efficient.

I am sure that there is a very minor amount of heat added to a room from warm mist humidifiers vs cool mist humidifiers, but the amount of heat is a direct proportion to the energy input, usually measured in BTU's. The amount of added heat from warm mist vs cool mist is just not enough to really account for any significant difference in perceived temperature. There is probably a tiny difference, certainly, but the real heat is coming from your actual heaters cranking out mass BTU's, and the perception of difference the result of the higher humidity leading to more efficient convection and conduction of said heat.

If you had 2 identical rooms with identical heating methods, and in one put a warm mist humidifier and in the other put a cool mist vaporizer, then within 30 minutes the perceived temperature difference would probably be at most around 1°. I'm not going to say there is no difference vis warm mist vs cool mist, because there are in fact actual BTU's coming out of the warm mist humidifier. However the warm mist humidifier is probably putting out like 10 BTU, whereas a proper heater is going to put out more like 1000 BTU. At best, a warm mist humidifier will be 1% to maybe as much as 2% of the generated heat in a room. If we are extra generous and assume 2%, and we rais the temp from 50° to 70°, then we can argue that the warm humidifier would be responsible for 2% of those 30°. IE six tenths of one degree.

[GunnyFreedom]

It is possible I suppose that warm mist will raise the overall humidity faster than cool mist, on account of warm air will hold more moisture than cool air, which could then lead to the convection/conduction efficiency of your normal heaters rising faster on account of higher humidity, which could thus lead to a perception of warm mist increasing perceived temps faster than cool mist.

[PaulConventionWV]

I've always used tap water and haven't had any problems, and I still noticed a positive change in my skin health and hydration. Not sure what the big deal is. No white film or anything like that. Mine is a cool mist one, don't know if it has a filter or anything.

[Suzanimal]

I've always used tap water and haven't had any problems, and I still noticed a positive change in my skin health and hydration. Not sure what the big deal is. No white film or anything like that. Mine is a cool mist one, don't know if it has a filter or anything.

Might depend on your water. We have hard water so I think distilled would be a better bet for us.

[Seraphim]

Lubriderm extra dry skin formula. Works wonders.