Humidifier? what type?

Hi Folks, just wondering is folks here us a humidifier. recently the humidity here in Philippines is in the low 40s so i am thinking if i need to get one? if so what type and brand to cover a 15sm room?

I just bought a sunbeam quicksteam. Works great, has 3 output settings, digital setting. Think it was under $100, good for med to lrg rooms.

I second the sunbeam recommendation. All that matters is that it is a steam humidifier and not a cool most humidifier as the cool must type will grow all sorts of bacteria and other lovely critters in them.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

I second the sunbeam recommendation. All that matters is that it is a steam humidifier and not a cool most humidifier as the cool must type will grow all sorts of bacteria and other lovely critters in them.

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I am curious about this. Not that I doubt what you're saying, but how would a cool mist humidifier harbor more bacteria than a hot steam one? My thought process is that bacteria thrive in warm and moist environments, which would lead me to believe a hot steam humidifier would be worse.

The reason I'm asking is because I've been running a cool mist one in my snake room for about a month. I wash the water basin once a week and I have already changed the filter once and will continue to do so once a month. I personally debated between cool mist or warm steam before I bought one and couldn't find any advice or recommendations either way...

Warm Mist Humidifiers

These humidifiers actually boil the water which causes a distilled steam to be expelled into the room. This steam is like a gentle spray of warm water, as opposed to a vapor, and this is concentrated in the area closest to the humidifier.
This warm mist is easier to breathe in a cool room. These units are often also used for steaming medications.

They are a little quieter than cool mist humidifiers, and are sold in small portable units. They require more frequent cleaning due to the warm water which encourages bacteria growth in the unit.

Cool Mist Humidifiers

Cool mist models are slightly noisier, though some models have a 'silent' feature for operating in bedrooms. They pass the water over a wick and expel a vapor, that cools down the room temperature and makes it easier to breathe. They vary in size, from units that can be circulated through the house's heating system, floor console units, or room size models.

All humidifiers require regular cleaning to reduce the risk of bacteria, and some models have filters which require changing to maintain performance levels.

Although they both can create bacteria. The cool mist if it is not kept clean will spray the bacteria all over the room.

Where from my knowledge the warm mist do not.

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Originally Posted by Inknsteel

I am curious about this. Not that I doubt what you're saying, but how would a cool mist humidifier harbor more bacteria than a hot steam one? My thought process is that bacteria thrive in warm and moist environments, which would lead me to believe a hot steam humidifier would be worse.

The reason I'm asking is because I've been running a cool mist one in my snake room for about a month. I wash the water basin once a week and I have already changed the filter once and will continue to do so once a month. I personally debated between cool mist or warm steam before I bought one and couldn't find any advice or recommendations either way...

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What jdouglas said.

While both build up bacteria, the boiling action of the steam humidifiers keeps the bacteria out of the air.

I have an aierco whole house humidifier hooked up on the ducts that go to my snake rooms. Works great. It took some good ole southern engineering but the unit itself was only like 300 bucks

Also I do use an ultra sonic cool mist humidifier. But its completely dish washer safe so every weekend I just stick it in the dishwasher and let it run.

I have used both cool mist and steam based humidifiers and both will work. I prefer the steam ones but I have entirely moved away from them now since I got a misting system.