Humidification in winter

[MillWeld]

We used to humidify our home with a Bemis Water Wheel console type humidifier which consisted of a porous non-woven filter which rotated on a drum picking up water in a reservoir and a fan to blow air to evaporate it. Since we are on well water we had to clean the reservoir and wash the filter about once a week and refill it. It worked great for many years, but since it was made of sheet metal it finally succumbed to rust and we had to replace it with a Holmes wick type unit. That was too bad because the wick-type humidifiers which replace the rotating drum type simply do not have the capacity of the filter type. The portion of the wick out of the water becomes hard with salt (from our softener) in about a week and stops humidification. Rinsing the wick is only partially effective as its wicking ability is apparently reduced. (So is turning it upside down.) Subsequent rinsing causes the wick to disintegrate. They are clearly made for mineral-free (city water) and do not hold up to reuse. I want to replace it but the only drum types available are made to fit in the main air duct limiting access for cleaning. I have toyed with making my own but I really don稚 want that project. The Bemis Water Wheel filters are still available because this was apparently a popular unit. Any ideas that don't involve replacing the wick so frequently?
Bob

 

[deerseeker001]

we have a sears model that have filters that lay in the bottom and have two containers that contain 2-3 gallons each works good.

 

[bandaidmd]

I had one of those mounted to the furnace ones and when it crapped out i just went to one of the stand alone units . With hot air heat its definatly something that's needed.

 

[newbury]

I drink lot's of tea and make soups, letting them simmer a long time. I keep the tea pot (basically just boiling water) on 24/7. Basically any cooking that put's heat and moisture into the air I try and do in the winter.

I also used to try and put up about 5 to 10 batches of beer during the winter.

 

[Looking4new]

I put a pot full of water on the wood stove and keep it full.

 

[rekees4300]

Any ideas that don't involve replacing the wick so frequently?

Have one installed on your furnace. No wicks, filters, carrying water, etc.

 

[s219]

We have an April Aire steam humidifier mounted to our HVAC ductwork (just downstream of the blower). I have no idea how the steam models perform with minerals in the water, but there are no mold/filter/clogging issues like you have with the wicking or drum types. It works amazingly well. It's got a replaceable heater element just like a hot water heater.

 

[CalG]

For all of you that "put a pot on the stove"

Have you got a hygrometer in the house?

That method does just about NOTHING. NO measurable change in the RH inside a "typical" home . (super tights have other issues)

All this warning As the kettle simmers on the wood stove now ;-)

But I do have a hygrometer hanging on the wall, Warm air is the surest humidifier.

 

[newbury]

That method does just about NOTHING. NO measurable change in the RH inside a "typical" home . (super tights have other issues)

All this warning As the kettle simmers on the wood stove now ;-)

But I do have a hygrometer hanging on the wall, Warm air is the surest humidifier.

How does going thru several gallons a day of water on the stove differ from any other method?
In my case the static goes away and the windows fog up. The rooms we don 't use we close the door and they get less humidity. We are heating the house anyways so I'm pretty sure the heat balances out.

 

[Loadstar]

For all of you that "put a pot on the stove"

Have you got a hygrometer in the house?

That method does just about NOTHING. NO measurable change in the RH inside a "typical" home . (super tights have other issues)

All this warning As the kettle simmers on the wood stove now ;-)

But I do have a hygrometer hanging on the wall, Warm air is the surest humidifier.

Huh? How is evaporating water on a stove different then out of an aprilair, a true steam, or the old squeaky water wheel? A hygrometer hanging on the wall is not really that acurate. Humidity can be different 10ft away. Play with a sling psychrometer for a little while.

 

[Cpjlube]

I used a stand alone unit for several years. Eventually, it died. Then I installed an Aprilair 600 on the furnace. I'm not an hvac guy but the install went quick (2hrs). I don't miss pouring gallons of water into the standalone unit everyday. It works great. The water panels are replaceable and cheap, 10 bucks each, and are good for quite a while.

 

[MillWeld]

Thanks for the replies. For those who have humidified successfully I have a question: are you doing it with mineral-laden water? Most any humidification system would be trouble free for years if the water has no minerals. Otherwise, evaporation will leave behind crusty minerals requiring frequent access for cleaning and/or replacement.

 

[Loadstar]

Thanks for the replies. For those who have humidified successfully I have a question: are you doing it with mineral-laden water? Most any humidification system would be trouble free for years if the water has no minerals. Otherwise, evaporation will leave behind crusty minerals requiring frequent access for cleaning and/or replacement.

Like the previous poster has, an aprilair 600 takes bad water like a champ. Basically if it finally loads up you simply throw away the water panel and soak the guts in vinegar. It is one of the most simple setups there is. There really is no good way around a humidifier loading up unless the incoming water is treated. Be glad you are just small scale humidifying. The big jobs are high dollar and turn themselves into a ball of concrete exceptionally fast.

 

[chim]

I haven't been able to find a Bemis Waterwheel to replace the one we had. We did pick a freestanding cabinet model up at Sears several years ago that takes 4 pads at a time. They aren't cheap and it usually takes 2 or 3 sets per heating season. Bad thing is this one doesn't do the job like the Bemis did. We have hard water and cleaning the humidifier takes either CLR or if it gets real heavy, muriatic acid.

We also tried a couple different duct-mounted humidifiers that didn't work very well. The only good thing about the duct-mounted humidifiers was that one became a "donor" for the cabinet unit we have. It's located in the dining room and I ran a 1/4" water line to it. Using the float valve from the duct unit allows it to fill automatically. I cut an electrical outlet box in the wall, fished the tube from the basement and trimmed it with a telephone plate. The tube comes out through the 3/8" hole in the plate and there's a 1/4 turn valve in the basement. In Summer we can turn it off and disconnect it.

 

[Coyote machine]

If you're getting salty buildup from treated water put into a humidifier then chances are your treatment system isn't working properly. Salt is what's used in the brine solution/media that functions to trap and send excess minerals to drain in a softener system. Properly softened water should be essentially salt free. See below for one example:



http://www.waterboss.com/watersoftenermyths.shtml:

"Although many people believe that water from a water softener contains too much sodium for consumption, most do not realize how little sodium is in soft water. The average amount of sodium in a quart of water from a properly working water softener is 75 to 100mg as opposed to 120 mg in a slice of white bread."

BTW, my wife worked for a water treatment firm for nearly 15 years, and our water is very high in iron. We have softened water, reverse osmosis drinking water, and oxygenated water to treat high levels of seasonal sulfur odor.

 

[hr3]

Thanks for the replies. For those who have humidified successfully I have a question: are you doing it with mineral-laden water? Most any humidification system would be trouble free for years if the water has no minerals. Otherwise, evaporation will leave behind crusty minerals requiring frequent access for cleaning and/or replacement.

Yes we have well water too and use "Sunbeam humidifier liquid treatment" and seems to work great

 

[MillWeld]

If you're getting salty buildup from treated water put into a humidifier then chances are your treatment system isn't working properly. Salt is what's used in the brine solution/media that functions to trap and send excess minerals to drain in a softener system. Properly softened water should be essentially salt free.

We think our hardness changes over time. Sometimes the softener regenerates too early and sometimes too late so it is difficult to select a hardness value. We have it set at 10 which seems to be the best all around choice. There are times when we get excess soap suds which may appear as a malfunctioning softener but is probably due to hardness variation. That's my best guess. An accurate way to measure hardness would be great but the strips I have seen can't see the difference in 20 and 100 grains/gal. I want to measure it many times over many months. Our well has 2 sources: 6 gpm at 60' and a total of 25 gpm at 160'.

 

[MillWeld]

Like the previous poster has, an aprilair 600 takes bad water like a champ. Basically if it finally loads up you simply throw away the water panel and soak the guts in vinegar. It is one of the most simple setups there is. There really is no good way around a humidifier loading up unless the incoming water is treated. Be glad you are just small scale humidifying. The big jobs are high dollar and turn themselves into a ball of concrete exceptionally fast.

That sounds good but I want my unit in the house so I don't have to negotiate an unforgiving crawl space.

 

[MillWeld]

I haven't been able to find a Bemis Waterwheel to replace the one we had.

I think humidifier manufacturers figured out they can make a lot more money of they offer only wicks that are not reuseable instead of filter belts. The Bemis filter belt lasted us until the unit rusted apart.

 

[aczlan]

How about hooking up a Reverse Osmosis filter before your water softener and using that to supply water to the humidifier? That should cut WAY down on how much junk builds up on the filters.

Aaron Z