Recommend A Good Cheap Humidifier?

[SDA]

What do you mean? North Carolina's winters are brutal!

[Aedryan Methyus]

Well speak of the devil... THE SAME DAY that I post about how my cheap little $30 humidifier has worked so great for 4 years, it developed a small leak in the plastic tank! I think it got overheated by my space heater too close by. Back to the drawing board. I'm going to get a bigger one that doesn't require constant filling.

Oh man! That sucks! And, how bizarre is that!? lol Definitely sorry about your luck, though... But, yeah... You may as well make your life a little easier and get a bigger one. It amazes me how fast mine blows through 9 gallons of water! You would think my whole house would be a tropical climate, but that's definitely not the case... It just started snowing here again (AAARGH!) and I just noticed the humidity in my snake room is clear up to 57% and 88% outside at the moment... Apparently, it must be that humidity rises while it's snowing then drops after it stops? If that's how it works, I never realized that...

What do you mean? North Carolina's winters are brutal!

Yeah, I suppose the more northern parts get their fair share of snow, eh? The winters here in Pittsburgh even pale in comparison to winters in Erie, PA just 100 miles north of here, where i'm from. We probably only get about 1 inch of snow for about every couple of feet that they get... lol

[Godzilla78]

Oh man! That sucks! And, how bizarre is that!? lol Definitely sorry about your luck, though... But, yeah... You may as well make your life a little easier and get a bigger one. It amazes me how fast mine blows through 9 gallons of water! You would think my whole house would be a tropical climate, but that's definitely not the case... It just started snowing here again (AAARGH!) and I just noticed the humidity in my snake room is clear up to 57% and 88% outside at the moment... Apparently, it must be that humidity rises while it's snowing then drops after it stops? If that's how it works, I never realized that...



Yeah, I suppose the more northern parts get their fair share of snow, eh? The winters here in Pittsburgh even pale in comparison to winters in Erie, PA just 100 miles north of here, where i'm from. We probably only get about 1 inch of snow for about every couple of feet that they get... lol

Well most of North Carolina is fairly warm. I live in the Appalachian mountain chain, its a few thousand feet altitude here, so its a bit chillier winter than the rest of the southeast.

[cchardwick]

I tried a humidifier for awhile but I found it was more trouble than it was worth. If you look at that 9 gallon humidifier and read the fine print it actually only holds 4.5 gallons of water and puts out 9 gallons of humidity per day. That means running it at full capacity you have to fill it twice a day using a five gallon bucket full of water. I got tired of all the heavy lifting just to fill the humidifier. If I ever did it again I'd have a reverse osmosis filter plumbed directly to the humidifier hooked up to my water line so it would automatically filter and fill the humidifier.

[Aedryan Methyus]

I tried a humidifier for awhile but I found it was more trouble than it was worth. If you look at that 9 gallon humidifier and read the fine print it actually only holds 4.5 gallons of water and puts out 9 gallons of humidity per day. That means running it at full capacity you have to fill it twice a day using a five gallon bucket full of water. I got tired of all the heavy lifting just to fill the humidifier. If I ever did it again I'd have a reverse osmosis filter plumbed directly to the humidifier hooked up to my water line so it would automatically filter and fill the humidifier.

When completely filled mine will run on high 24/7 for basically 2 days... But, yes... I guess you're right about it not actually holding 9 gallons of water. I believe the reason why it is referred to as a "recirculating" humidifier must be for exactly the reason you said. It must suck moisture back out of the air then pump it back out. So, basically, even though it only holds 4.5 gallons, it pumps out the equivalent of 9 gallons per day?

One REALLY bizarre thing about this humidifier that completely boggles my mind is, when you fill up the water jug completely it is clearly completely full to the rim. But, when you turn it back over to put it back in the unit it will only be 3/4 full??? Can someone PLEASE explain how that is possible??? I mean... I am a magician and I can't even figure this out! LOL!

[OhhWatALoser]

The unit itself holds quite a bit even without the jug. But without that, 9 gallons is the output per day, so in optimal conditions it could be filled twice a day and continue to put out. Recirculating means it moves the water so it doesn't just sit and grow things, it pumps it through a filter to keep it moving and filter the water at the same time. As for the magic jug, I think there a lot of space in the fill handle, but I found it odd also

[andrewross8705]

I've had the humidifier running since Friday evening and I'm feeling a difference already. Mainly in that there's very little static in the air. The only problem I've had so far is that when I go to put the tank but in the base, it will start leaking water around the plunger. It just drips a bit but that's not a big deal. It's much louder than I expected when I cranked it up to the max and have left it on the lowest setting since.

[Aedryan Methyus]

Are you trying to humidify your whole house, Andrew? If so, I would be very interested in seeing how high you can keep the humidity throughout the house with it. You should get a hygrometer if you don't already have one so you can actually see what your humidity is...

[artgecko]

Wanted to note that someone recommended to put the humidifier at an air intake if you are trying to humidify your house. I may try this and see if it works.

[andrewross8705]

Are you trying to humidify your whole house, Andrew? If so, I would be very interested in seeing how high you can keep the humidity throughout the house with it. You should get a hygrometer if you don't already have one so you can actually see what your humidity is...

I have the humidifier in the lower level by the air intake which is the same area where the reptiles are. I haven't been able to check the upper floors to see if there's much of a difference but I do plan to get a hygrometer this week so I can adjust the humidifier if needed.

Wanted to note that someone recommended to put the humidifier at an air intake if you are trying to humidify your house. I may try this and see if it works.

I did this when my ex and I were living with her mom before getting a new place. We noticed a slight difference and it probably would have been more effective if it weren't for the shoddy duct work throughout the house.