About a month ago, the weather got really cold and dry. Consequently, the humidity in the air inside my house dipped down quite low. I bought a cheap hygrometer from Canadian Tire and it showed at one point that it was as low as 20%. Normal humidity I believe is supposed to be between 40 and 60%. I was also getting shocks upstairs where it is carpeted. Aside from the comfort level from the air being so dry, I was also concerned about the hardwood flooring. Too low of a humidity can cause separation.
So my problem solver comes in the form of a
Honewell TrueSTEAM humidifier. I saw it mentioned on the forums and did some quick research on it. What I like is that it operates independently of the HVAC system. It will simply turn on the furnace fan if it needs to circulate the steam. It's also low maintenance. There is no water or filter to change. It's piped into a cold waterline. It will also self flush out as needed. But they do recommend just cleaning the tank out once a season. Basically, you flush out the water, take the tank off, clean and then reassemble. Aside from that, it's pretty much a "set it and forget it" system. This system is pricier than other systems. Even though my installer didn't have much experience with them, he thinks it's a very good system and has heard other people raving about it as well. Good enough for me. :)
About a month ago, the weather got really cold and dry. Consequently, the humidity in the air inside my house dipped down quite low. I bought a cheap hygrometer from Canadian Tire and it showed at one point that it was as low as 20%. Normal humidity I believe is supposed to be between 40 and 60%. I was also getting shocks upstairs where it is carpeted. Aside from the comfort level from the air being so dry, I was also concerned about the hardwood flooring. Too low of a humidity can cause separation.
So my problem solver comes in the form of a Honewell TrueSTEAM humidifier. I saw it mentioned on the forums and did some quick research on it. What I like is that it operates independently of the HVAC system. It will simply turn on the furnace fan if it needs to circulate the steam. It's also low maintenance. There is no water or filter to change. It's piped into a cold waterline. It will also self flush out as needed. But they do recommend just cleaning the tank out once a season. Basically, you flush out the water, take the tank off, clean and then reassemble. Aside from that, it's pretty much a "set it and forget it" system. This system is pricier than other systems. Even though my installer didn't have much experience with them, he thinks it's a very good system and has heard other people raving about it as well. Good enough for me. :)
