Living here in the high desert the winter heating season brings on some really dry conditions in the house. Static electricity on steroids. Anyone have any recent experience with the whole house humidifiers that are inserted into the heating system. (not talking the stand alone items) I think we had one that might have been "Aprilaire" when we lived in NW Indiana. Seems like it was kind of a PITA on "filter" replacements. I'd really like something that didn't require a lot of maintenance. I realize that what I wish for may not exist.
October 16, 2025, 10:27 AM
ridewv
I'd be very careful about raising humidity in a house by adding a lot of moisture through ductwork.
I have a small 1,700' house and in heating season have been able to keep humidity from dropping too low with tricks like leaving the bathroom door open when showering, not using the range hood when boiling, opening the dishwasher door, hanging laundry up still almost wet, and keeping the kettle on the wood stove filled with water.
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October 16, 2025, 10:34 AM
nhtagmember
I just had a new furnace and AC system installed in my home about 2 weeks ago. I am getting a whole house system installed shortly. It’s commercial grade unit not attached to the air system directly, uses a cartridge filter and has a 20 year life. I expect the quote in a few days and I’d be happy to pass along the make and model number.
I will also need to upgrade my remote thermostat to be able to transmit humidity settings as well so that’s an additional cost to my system.
October 16, 2025, 10:43 AM
Powers77
quote:
Originally posted by nhtagmember: I just had a new furnace and AC system installed in my home about 2 weeks ago. I am getting a whole house system installed shortly. It’s commercial grade unit not attached to the air system directly, uses a cartridge filter and has a 20 year life. I expect the quote in a few days and I’d be happy to pass along the make and model number.
Please do. Can you add the Manufacture and Model please? I'll do some searching from that end as well. TIA.
I will also need to upgrade my remote thermostat to be able to transmit humidity settings as well so that’s an additional cost to my system.
October 16, 2025, 10:59 AM
TMats
I had some winter itching issues on my lower legs, not to mention some guitars that I value. I had an AprilAire whole house humidifier installed a couple years ago. It took me about 20 minutes to change out the filter and clean it, just a week or so ago. Maybe there’s something that requires NO annual maintenance, but I can’t imagine what it would look like.
_______________________________________________________ despite them
October 16, 2025, 11:03 AM
PASig
We had a boiler and radiator heat in our previous home and I hated having to run standalone humidifiers all winter here as it can get VERY dry in the winter but when we bought our current home we had a forced air system and after we got a new one I specified I wanted a whole house humidifier so they added an Aprilaire 600 unit which has been great and I turn it on every November or so and turn off every April.
Maintenance is not hard, it takes a metal mesh water pad that you change out every season. Clean the water pad frame and inside of the unit as needed if you have hard water buildup. For me I just do this at the water pad change.
Mine is plumbed into cold water but for some reason my FIL who has the same exact unit and setup is plumbed into the hot. I'd rather have cold water going to it than hot which seems wasteful.
We keep our home at around 45-50% humidity level in the winter and it works really well and helps with no dried out sinuses or getting shocked all the time.
October 16, 2025, 12:57 PM
smlsig
quote:
Originally posted by TMats: I had some winter itching issues on my lower legs, not to mention some guitars that I value. I had an AprilAire whole house humidifier installed a couple years ago. It took me about 20 minutes to change out the filter and clean it, just a week or so ago. Maybe there’s something that requires NO annual maintenance, but I can’t imagine what it would look like.
This is what we installed in our custom homes. Yes there is a small bit of maintenance but the ability to keep your humidity at a decent level is unsurpassed.
------------------ Eddie
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October 16, 2025, 02:38 PM
tatortodd
Powers,
The key to the whole house humidifier is spending the extra $35-50 for the automatic controller. It has an outdoor temperature probe and it automatically adjusts the system for the perfect amount in the house without condensation on the windows. Also, insist the technician hooks up the outdoor thermometer (this is what makes the automatic controller function properly and my technician in Alaska tried to get out of the 15 minutes work). This makes it automatic and it’s always at the perfect humidity without condensation on windows. Condensation on windows can cause toxic mold as well as rot out window sills.
Here is a chart from Honeywell that depicting outdoor temp vs indoor humidity which shows why with weather fluctuations the automatic works orders of magnitude better than having to remember to manually adjust:
I had the Aprilaire bypass filter installed on a 2800 sq ft 2-story home in Alaska and the automatic controller always kept it perfect humidity without condensation on windows. I had it serviced annually (more than just a pad swap) plus did a pad swap halfway through the 9 month long winter. If a properly sized and maintained Aprilaire bypass humidifier can keep up in Alaska then a properly sized and maintained Aprilaire bypass humidifier can keep up in Utah.
Contrast this to the Generalaire bypass humidifier with manual humidity control on the place I rented in Calgary, AB. It was a similar sized 2-story home to Alaska, but the manual adjustment was on furnace in the basement. In other words, I wasn’t going down there often to adjust setting. Additionally, I was a renter and the landlord wouldn’t spend money on having HVAC serviced so it was pad swapped only.
Automatic controller:
Outdoor temperature probe for Automatic controller:
Manual controller: This message has been edited. Last edited by: tatortodd,
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October 16, 2025, 06:14 PM
FenderBender
The desert may not suit you.
-FenderBender in Reno.
_____________________________________________ Proverbs 3:31 "Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways."
October 16, 2025, 07:14 PM
Powers77
Thanks TT, that's some great information. Fender Bender, spent 10 years in Vegas and actually really like most aspects of the Desert climate. Just want to fine tune our Winter in house environment.
October 16, 2025, 07:59 PM
wrightd
Get the stand alone hallway units even though you don't like them, because if you put one into your hvac system, imagine the hassle of cleaning and maintaining that sucker, it's a pita even with a hallway unit on wheels.
I had a hallway unit for a few winters in a particularly dry winter house, and it was a life saver, but only when I kept on top of it with cleaning and replacing media before it reached end of life.
It was definitely worth it for me.
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October 16, 2025, 09:17 PM
ZSMICHAEL
quote:
Originally posted by wrightd: Get the stand alone hallway units even though you don't like them, because if you put one into your hvac system, imagine the hassle of cleaning and maintaining that sucker, it's a pita even with a hallway unit on wheels.
I had a hallway unit for a few winters in a particularly dry winter house, and it was a life saver, but only when I kept on top of it with cleaning and replacing media before it reached end of life.
It was definitely worth it for me.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I echo those statments. Dry itchy skin, sinus infection etc. With proper humidifcation you can lower the temperature and be comfortable, Fine furniture is damaged by how hunidity as well. A portable unit sucks. It likes to grow mold and has to be cleaned on a regular basis. I went to Colorado couple of summers ago and the lack of humidity caused by lips to crack. That really sucked. If you clean the portable unit its ok,but you have to be dilligent.
October 16, 2025, 09:43 PM
FenderBender
quote:
Originally posted by Powers77: Thanks TT, that's some great information. Fender Bender, spent 10 years in Vegas and actually really like most aspects of the Desert climate. Just want to fine tune our Winter in house environment.
Then you know about all the mold that you'll get.
_____________________________________________ Proverbs 3:31 "Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways."
October 17, 2025, 07:39 AM
6guns
quote:
Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
quote:
Originally posted by wrightd: Get the stand alone hallway units even though you don't like them, because if you put one into your hvac system, imagine the hassle of cleaning and maintaining that sucker, it's a pita even with a hallway unit on wheels.
I had a hallway unit for a few winters in a particularly dry winter house, and it was a life saver, but only when I kept on top of it with cleaning and replacing media before it reached end of life.
It was definitely worth it for me.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I echo those statments. Dry itchy skin, sinus infection etc. With proper humidifcation you can lower the temperature and be comfortable, Fine furniture is damaged by how hunidity as well. A portable unit sucks. It likes to grow mold and has to be cleaned on a regular basis. I went to Colorado couple of summers ago and the lack of humidity caused by lips to crack. That really sucked. If you clean the portable unit its ok,but you have to be dilligent.
Me too...even though this isn't what you want. For the short season that I use mine, it's not a big deal for me. Fill it once a day and change the filter in it yearly...I've even gone two seasons with one filter. (It's not really a filter, though it looks like one. It's a pleated paper element that gets saturated and the moisture is wicked off it by the fan.)
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October 17, 2025, 08:53 AM
Skins2881
quote:
Originally posted by FenderBender:
quote:
Originally posted by Powers77: Thanks TT, that's some great information. Fender Bender, spent 10 years in Vegas and actually really like most aspects of the Desert climate. Just want to fine tune our Winter in house environment.
