Clients want a humidification system added to their two story home. Is one system better than another, ie. drum vs. constant loss vs atomizer. Do the systems really work. Is a separate controlling humidistat de rigeur. Merci.
Let’s not confuse the issue with facts!
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If they need it (have the done all the weatherization yet?) go with the evaporative drip. April =aires are popular in my area.
Forget the drum type - too much maintenance and they get disgusting fast.
I rarely see the atomizer and don't have any real experience with them.
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Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace
Yep, in general a unit like the Aprilaire is best, where the water runs continuously over a "medium" and waste water comes out the bottom. These are relatively simple (the only mechanical part is the water valve) and they are relatively simple to maintain (change the "medium" once a year).The Aprilaire humidistat is nice -- includes an outside thermistor sensor so that the unit automatically adjusts humidity with outside temps to minimize window condensation, etc.The one thing I've done over and above a "standard" installation is to rig the unit with hot water (I believe only Aprilaire allows this) and rigged the furnace fan to come on when the humidistat is calling for moisture. This helps out a lot in the spring/fall when the furnace normally doesn't run enough on its own to keep the humidity up.I previously (for about 15 years) had an atomizer unit. It worked fairly well, but created "white dust" and once malfunctioned and filled the duct with water.
I agree with Bob Walker -- who needs a humidifier anymore if they've done the weatherization thing they should have done? Got a priceless Steinway in the living room? Most houses now need humidity mitigation. My experience, though limited and subject to memory loss, is that humidifiers in the HVAC system were never able to be adequately controlled for the whole house need. I'd opt for area humidifiers if they're absolutely necessary.
Thanx for all the input
Let's not confuse the issue with facts!