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So I asked this about 10 years ago, and here we are again. I read in that old thread that the heated ones (vs cold) are better as they retard bacteria growth and also keep the room warmer. Costco has some that get good reviews, but I'd like to hear what the great minds here say. My requests:
1. Needs to be easy to clean
2. Needs to have large tank so I can run for at least a couple 2-3+ evenings before refill
3. Needs to be quiet
I've had the little heated Vicks Wal-mart jobs in the past, they get terrible scale/calcium and become progressively harder to clean and thus useless for heat function. I guess you have to use distilled water to avoid the calcium deposits? Any thoughts (on any of this) are appreciated. Costco, Menards...? Brands, models? Thanks.
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Have you considered getting a whole-house humidifier? Won't be quiet, but can be placed wherever your furnace/AC is, so you might not be bothered by it.
Even though I live in a fairly humid environment (FL), I run the AC about 9 months of the year, which drops the humidity level in my house. Not a big problem usually, but I have guitars, and sustained low humidity levels can ruin the guitar, causing it to crack. After years of humidifying each guitar separately (water beads in a soapbox... great cheap method), I finally got an evaporative humidifier for the music room. It holds 5 gallons, and uses a filter that wicks the water, and a fan distributes the humid air. During summer, when the AC is running full blast, I have to refill it every other day. Without it, the RH in the room hovers in the high 20's/low 30's. Using the humidifier brings it up to 40-43%.
Right now, with the weather cooling outside, the room has stayed in the high 30's to low 40's without the humidifier. Whenever it gets cool enough to run the heat in the house, I'll probably have to run the humidifier again.
I have to add about an ounce of anti-bacterial stuff every time I refill the unit, and you're supposed to change the filter every few months (it is starting to smell funky). But I don't need to use distilled water, and I don't have to worry about the fine mineral powder all over the room that a mist humidifier would leave. Also, it's not exactly quiet, even on the lowest setting. I turn it off when I'm playing the guitar or watching TV.
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In my shop I use a Honeywell Warm Mist unit. I leave it switched on and connected to a Willhi humidity controller ($40). Downside of the humidifier is that if it runs out of water, it has to be power-cycled before it starts again. I don't know if that's the case with others or not, but it's a bit of a bother since it needs to be turned off for several minutes before it works after refilling. The Willhi works like a charm.
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Bernie has what might be the best solution. Get an undersink Reverse Osmosis system for about $150 and use it to fill the humidifier. That will hopefully end the mineral deposits. You don't have to mount it under a sink, just some place in the house that has space for the system and a way to tap into the water supply.
