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Thread: Whole house humidifier recommendation

  1. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by The_Penguin View Post
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    Yes, it's all about condensation. You can get some serious window issues if you don't keep in in check.
    Many humidistats have a chart saying recommended humidity settings based on outdoor temps.
    It varies dramatically from house to house, and from floor to floor.

    Our newer low E, not cheap, double panes get almost zero condensation - even with 40% in -30c

    Our cheap vinyl, previous owner-installed windows, just freeze up regardless of % inside the house, once temps fall below -10c. Condensation is not an issue - LOL.

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    Quote Originally Posted by revelations View Post
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    I am starting to get deposits already (enough that you can feel it on the tray when running your finger inside) so I upped the flush to every 8 hours and 1 minute as it takes less than 1 min to drain like you said.
    Ya, that's what I have it set on too. The drum still gets nasty so in January I give it a bath in vinegar and clean out the tray.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rocket1k78 View Post
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    I didnt know this but i talked to my home inspector and he said in the winter time you're supposed to turn the humidity down as it gets colder.
    I turn down the dial to what the low is forecasted to be for the night. It slows the drum down so less is humidity is produced.

    When it's cold I turn on our ceiling fans and point fans at our other windows that aren't in those rooms so they don't freeze up (my wife gets mad when the humidity gets too low for her...).

    Better windows than the double panes we have are on the to do list...
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  3. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rocket1k78 View Post
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    I didnt know this but i talked to my home inspector and he said in the winter time you're supposed to turn the humidity down as it gets colder.
    They make thermostats that do that for you these days.
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    So my turn on this subject.

    Looking at putting a humidifier into our place as well as right now we just have a "box" with a pad in it and no actual humidity control.

    I see that everyone is recommending the Desert Spring and Canadian Tire has it right now for $299.

    Just curious if there are other options which are as good but may not as costly?

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    Quote Originally Posted by firebane View Post
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    So my turn on this subject.

    Looking at putting a humidifier into our place as well as right now we just have a "box" with a pad in it and no actual humidity control.

    I see that everyone is recommending the Desert Spring and Canadian Tire has it right now for $299.

    Just curious if there are other options which are as good but may not as costly?
    First of all, Desert Springs are a rip off and all drum humidifiers are disgusting. Buy a regular flow through type, adjust the water supply to greatly reduce or eliminate any water waste and buy a Honeywell humidistat that uses an outdoor temperature sensor. It will adjust the humidity target in your house according to how cold it is outside your actual house. Live the good life!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Darell_n View Post
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    First of all, Desert Springs are a rip off and all drum humidifiers are disgusting. Buy a regular flow through type, adjust the water supply to greatly reduce or eliminate any water waste and buy a Honeywell humidistat that uses an outdoor temperature sensor. It will adjust the humidity target in your house according to how cold it is outside your actual house. Live the good life!
    What setup do you use? You seem pretty opinionated on the DS stuff lol.

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    Quote Originally Posted by firebane View Post
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    What setup do you use? You seem pretty opinionated on the DS stuff lol.
    I don’t even know what brand I have at home. Sorry to sound like I’m sounding off, just that Desert Springs has good advertising koolaid and floor installers make a lot of profit pushing them as the best humidifiers invented. Any type of pad humidifier will work well enough for winters in Calgary, get one that is maintenance free and doesn’t cost a fortune like DS.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Darell_n View Post
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    I don’t even know what brand I have at home. Sorry to sound like I’m sounding off, just that Desert Springs has good advertising koolaid and floor installers make a lot of profit pushing them as the best humidifiers invented. Any type of pad humidifier will work well enough for winters in Calgary, get one that is maintenance free and doesn’t cost a fortune like DS.
    I changed out my drum humidifier for a pad humidifier back in ~2012 and didn’t notice any change in humidity level or water bills. The pad type is much lower maintenance which is nice. I considered DS (IIRC they were cheaper back then) but the consensus I got from talking to people and looking up reviews online was that it was overpriced for what you get and that certain parts would fail and need replacing.

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    I've gone from pad -> cheap drum -> desert spring.

    Reason I switched from pad is that it does not provide nearly enough humidity in the home during sub zero conditions in our older (2x4 wall) home. Newer homes might not have this issue.

    I went from ~20% with pad to ~30% with drum. Ideal would be 40% but thats not reasonable without serious improvements elsewhere.

    Agree that the cheap drums are disgusting but I would spend the money on the DS unit simply because a) its better built than cheap drum units b) the collector disks can be thrown in a dishwasher c) comes with auto-flush (65$).

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    Update:

    Just did my (a bit late) annual humidifier maintenance. Wow, the Desert Spring was gnarly. I should have taken pictures.
    That said it scraped out without much trouble. A bit of CLR on the stubborn spots and all is well.
    The drum discs cleaned up with just running water, and bare hands.

    I still haven't added an autoflush, but it's working well.

    One thing I did (not sure if I mentioned it before) is powered it from the furnace, so that the motor only runs when the humidistat calls for humidity AND the furnace is on.
    I think that's where some complaints come from (motor failing) due to it spinning even when the furnace is off.

    That's one thing sadly lacking on the DS, a temp sensor. The Wait 5000 has a sensor that activates when it senses heat from the furnace.

    On that note, we still have a Wait 5000 on the basement furnace. The solenoid/valve failed (again) and nobody seems to carry the original part. Everyone (even AMRE) carries a "universal" one for $98.00!!!

    I got one from Amazon for $28.00, problem solved for another couple of years.

  11. #51
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    I don't recommend the autoflush. Mine started leaking shortly and I took it off. I saw similar looking timer valve on Amazon. I think they might be the same product.
    My main problem has been the float valve. They just don't last and I would end up with a puddle underneath. I have since put a generic humidifier solenoid to feed water to the float valve when the furance powers the humidifier. The float valve is more like a regulator now and I don't care if it doesn't close.

  12. #52
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    Old GeneralAire pad unit here. House is stuck around 30% this week. New pad made no difference. It's mounted on the furnace side which seems like the better option because the air doesn't have a chance to lose any heat before it hits the pad? I did check the manual and it says either way is fine. The way everything is laid out it wouldn't be possible to fit it on the return side anyway.

    The interesting bit was that the manual also says you can get 30% more performance out of it if you plumb it to a hot water source. I'm reading mixed opinions about whether that's actually a good idea. Thoughts?
    dv/dt

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