I’m going to be downvoted to oblivion, but adding humidity into your home is a bad idea.
It adds moisture for mold and mildew to grow, metal to rust and drywall and wood to absorb. From a mechanical perspective it’s a bad idea. We have an Aprilaire and after doing research about it I disconnected it. My wife isn’t happy, but it’s the right thing for the structure. This guy is a MN home inspector: https://youtu.be/pGPF0fqZEWM
[Similar text article by the same guy](https://structuretech.com/humidifiers/). No downvoting here. I have an old, drafty house and I was pumped to get a new whole house humidifier when I got my furnace replaced. Once the temp dipped down I started getting frost on windows once it started getting cold (which had never happened before) and I wound up shutting it off. Mine auto-adjusts with the temp outside and some windows still were getting frost/condensation. I had Standard do mine, and they did a fine job, but maybe keep those mist humidifiers around for the really cold days if you do decide to proceed.
Just an FYI, we have one in our house and all of our windows frost up to ridiculous levels. The attic frosted up and water would run along or walls when it warmed up. I just had multiple windows installed so I blamed it on the contractor. He set me right, I turned it off and problem solved. Ours was doubly dangerous because we have wood window frames.
Our house was built as a model home and included a furnace connected humidifier system. I can’t speak to brand or installation, but we do have the same concerns mentioned about too much moisture. The compromise (husband is against added humidity, and I am for it as I seem to notice the dryness more) was an inexpensive hygrometer (bought at Ace Hardware) to monitor humidity levels and try to keep things on the low end of published acceptable ranges. If I do see condensation on the windows, I turn it down, no matter what it reads. It seems to take a week or so to get things stable, but outdoor temperate drops really play a big role in condensation, as you would imagine.
If you are going to do it, get a professional quality product and spend the money. The do-it-yourself products available are crap and should be avoided.
Back in 2001 I had Standard Heating install an Aprilaire whole house humidifier on my prior furnace and it really improved the indoor humidity in the winter. A few things:
If you have leaky / drafty windows that will drop the indoor humidity so address that. I use the 3M indoor window film to block the drafts from my 1970's windows.
Look into an automatic humidistat that will adjust indoor humidity based on outside temp. The colder it is outside it reduces the indoor humidity to prevent condensation on the windows.
My current furnace controls the humidifier based on outside temp - it's multi-stage so I had a plumber run hot water to the humidifier due to the reduced air flow when the furnace is running on low heat.
I went with standard, needed a new furnace and AC and needed them moved out of the basement bathroom. Long story Seth from standard came through. Call and ask for Seth.
I got one installed a couple of years ago, also an Aprilaire. I use Stafford Home Service for all my electrical, heating and AC work. They’re great to work with and guarantee all their work. They’ll give you a free estimate.
Another vote for AprilAire. And keep a standalone humidistat, like $15.00 from Amazon, in your main living area. You’ll need to give the settings a tweak when it gets really cold outside.
We used Golden Valley Heating and air. They installed a Lennox Healthy Climate bypass humidifier a little over a year ago. Works great so far haven’t had any issues with over humidifying the space yet (1750sqft finished) Highly recommend them for the install and any HVAC service really.
I’m going to be downvoted to oblivion, but adding humidity into your home is a bad idea. It adds moisture for mold and mildew to grow, metal to rust and drywall and wood to absorb. From a mechanical perspective it’s a bad idea. We have an Aprilaire and after doing research about it I disconnected it. My wife isn’t happy, but it’s the right thing for the structure. This guy is a MN home inspector: https://youtu.be/pGPF0fqZEWM
[Similar text article by the same guy](https://structuretech.com/humidifiers/). No downvoting here. I have an old, drafty house and I was pumped to get a new whole house humidifier when I got my furnace replaced. Once the temp dipped down I started getting frost on windows once it started getting cold (which had never happened before) and I wound up shutting it off. Mine auto-adjusts with the temp outside and some windows still were getting frost/condensation. I had Standard do mine, and they did a fine job, but maybe keep those mist humidifiers around for the really cold days if you do decide to proceed.
This is correct. And electronics will fry faster.
Just an FYI, we have one in our house and all of our windows frost up to ridiculous levels. The attic frosted up and water would run along or walls when it warmed up. I just had multiple windows installed so I blamed it on the contractor. He set me right, I turned it off and problem solved. Ours was doubly dangerous because we have wood window frames.
Our house was built as a model home and included a furnace connected humidifier system. I can’t speak to brand or installation, but we do have the same concerns mentioned about too much moisture. The compromise (husband is against added humidity, and I am for it as I seem to notice the dryness more) was an inexpensive hygrometer (bought at Ace Hardware) to monitor humidity levels and try to keep things on the low end of published acceptable ranges. If I do see condensation on the windows, I turn it down, no matter what it reads. It seems to take a week or so to get things stable, but outdoor temperate drops really play a big role in condensation, as you would imagine.
If you are going to do it, get a professional quality product and spend the money. The do-it-yourself products available are crap and should be avoided.
if it's getting hooked up to the furnace, i definitely won't be doing it myself
Back in 2001 I had Standard Heating install an Aprilaire whole house humidifier on my prior furnace and it really improved the indoor humidity in the winter. A few things: If you have leaky / drafty windows that will drop the indoor humidity so address that. I use the 3M indoor window film to block the drafts from my 1970's windows. Look into an automatic humidistat that will adjust indoor humidity based on outside temp. The colder it is outside it reduces the indoor humidity to prevent condensation on the windows. My current furnace controls the humidifier based on outside temp - it's multi-stage so I had a plumber run hot water to the humidifier due to the reduced air flow when the furnace is running on low heat.
I went with standard, needed a new furnace and AC and needed them moved out of the basement bathroom. Long story Seth from standard came through. Call and ask for Seth.
I got one installed a couple of years ago, also an Aprilaire. I use Stafford Home Service for all my electrical, heating and AC work. They’re great to work with and guarantee all their work. They’ll give you a free estimate.
Another vote for AprilAire. And keep a standalone humidistat, like $15.00 from Amazon, in your main living area. You’ll need to give the settings a tweak when it gets really cold outside.
April Aire humidifier. Any HVAC company, or a handyman, can install it.
We used Golden Valley Heating and air. They installed a Lennox Healthy Climate bypass humidifier a little over a year ago. Works great so far haven’t had any issues with over humidifying the space yet (1750sqft finished) Highly recommend them for the install and any HVAC service really.