Drum, flow-through or mist humidifier?

[engwar]

We're going to have a whole-house humidifier installed. We don't want to go through another winter with cracked skin and static electricity. We have a 1970's-era two story house of perhaps 2000 square feet plus a basement.

We were given a Honeywell Enviracaire elite HE225 flow-through humidifier by family members who used to have installed on their furnace. They used it rarely and said they had trouble adjusting it to a good setting. Not sure if it was user error or just a mediocre model.

We have a drain as well as electric close to our furnace so we can install just about any model.

Anyone have any experience with the different types?

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Tried all 3 types. Our water is very hard. Now I ended up with Aprilaire flow-thru and IMO, this is the best type. B4 season starts, I clean the pad with CLR. Humidity is very well maintained per humidistat setting. Wonder if that Honeywell one has a water flow regulating orifice mismatched?

[ransley]

April Air has a model with an outdoor thermometer, you set the control in the house to just below the point of condensation on glass and it will maintain the correct amount of humidity by tracking outside temp, its a set and forget unit. Without this feature you will be constantly adjusting humididty.

[Jim Elbrecht]

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An Aprilaire 600a is my first whole house humidifier- but after years of messing with dozens of room humidifiers, I have to second Tony's recommendation.

We just completed one season with it- but our water is super hard but it worked well all season and I see no signs of calcium on the unit itself.

Jim

[trader4]

Agree with Ransley and the others that have recommended Aprilaire. I have the 760 and it was trouble free for 12 years until I dropped it during servicing. Doh! Now I have the 760A which is the new version. All I ever did was change the evaporator panel about every

2-3 years.

As Ransley said, it has an outdoor temp probe that automatically reduces the humidity level as the temp outside drops. Really nice feature. Given that you can get this top of the line unit for $220 or so and the work of installing it, IMO it doesn't make sense to fool around with some hand me down unit. Suppose you cut a hole for it, then it doesn't work. Different unit will likely have a diff size opening, etc.

[Stormin Mormon]

When I worked for Sears, my trainer told me that the rotating drum types are a breeding ground for bacteria. Warm, wet, and stagnant pond of water. I can see that.

The Aprilaire flow through types I like them. They do waste a bit of water, but that's life. Use hot water from near the top of the water tank, cause you get a lot better evaporation.

Mist types, I have no experience with them.

[RickH]

The mist injector types are more prone to cause corrosion and dripping/ runoff inside the ductwork. Not familiar with drums, but would say it adds too many moving parts and would be "pooling" water for the drum which can be a source for bacteria. The flow through types (Aprilaire) dont have these issues. In all cases dont let the installer use a damn saddle valve, have him sweat in a proper soft copper fitting with a good quality ball valve.