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Posted by indago on December 20, 2006, 7:49 pm
I am very familiar with the commercial type humidifiers. To say that a
humidifier doesn't need any maintenance but once a year is to say that the
water in it is stale and not fit for circulation throughout the home, not to
mention the crust built up on the rotating "sponge". Some folks -- me
included -- are very sensitive to dry air in the home, and the relief that
warm, moist air brings is a blessing. I'm for changing the water in the
humidifier about once a week, and making sure that the sponges are kept up
so that the moisture circulates properly.
And as far as "don't trip over that water line from the sink", I don't. It
is not a permanent setup; just when I refill the water trays. A pitcher of
hot water would work also, pouring over the sponges and filling the trays.
And, it doesn't cost $250 or more, plus the cost of installation by a
"pro"...
061220 1129 - trader4@optonline.net posted:
> Great idea. Instead of a $250 system like Aprilaire that requires
> maintenance once a season, the way to go is this contraption that
> requires constant maintenance. Careful you don't trip over that water
> line from the sink. Or maybe you have and that's how you came up with
> the idea.
>
> indago wrote:
>> 061215 1238 - USguy posted:
>>
>>> I'm looking for suggestions on what home humidifier to get.
>>>
>>> Any helpful suggestions out there? Has anyone had experiences with
>>> the AprilAire or the York system?
>>>
>>> What should I look for in a humidifier to take care of a 1000 square
>>> foot house with forced air?
>>>
>>> Consumer reports was worthless on this issue. They didn't have
>>> ratings for any of them. I've gotten quotes as high as $800 for a
>>> model another vendor wants $500 for. Now it sounds like the model I
>>> was looking for is about as good as the next model down which is just
>>> $350 installed.
>>>
>>> Help -- looking for suggestions.
>>
>> About three years ago, the same discussion appeared on this particular
>> NewsGroup. I wrote:
>> -----------------------------------------------
>> A humidifier for home or apartment is not something that should be left
>> unmaintenanced for several months. For that reason, I don't purchase the
>> conventional humidifiers. In some of the homes and apartments I have been
>> in I use two Rubbermaid trays and four sponges. I have built a simple rack
>> to hold the trays and put them in front of one of the cold air return
>> registers in the apartments. Then, lean the sponges onto the register. Turn
>> the furnace on and then fill the trays with hot water. The moisture will
>> absorb into the sponge and the air moving over the sponge and into the cold
>> air return will circulate through the furnace and out the hot air registers.
>> If it has been dry before, there will be a noticeable change in the quality
>> of the air in the rooms. It is finally breatheable. I, like many others,
>> need the humidity in the air or my breathing apparatus will crack from the
>> dryness, and is, therefore, subject to all of the viruses that can attack.
>>
>> In a couple of apartments that I had inhabited, I built an aluminum angle
>> rack to hold the two trays, and the cold air return was up high -- the
>> furnace was downdraft. I had a short aluminum ladder to get up to the
>> humidifier to fill it with hot water. I have a small electric pump and
>> control system for my hand and a water tube that stretches from the kitchen
>> sink to the humidifier, which is only about 10' away. I fill a small bucket
>> with hot water and then, with the pump in the water, turn it on and the hot
>> water comes out of the small tubing into the humidifier trays, where I cover
>> the sponges with hot water while I am filling the trays. The furnace should
>> be running while this operation is performed so that the rooms will be
>> immediately filled with warm, moist air.
>>
>> On a home, a register could be cut into the cold air return on the furnace,
>> and an aluminum angle rack made to hold two of the Rubbermaid trays with the
>> four sponges. In this way the humidifier can be maintained properly and
>> filled when low on water. It should be filled with hot water while the
>> furnace is running to gain full advantage of the warm, moist air moving. The
>> trays usually need filling about once a month, or every two weeks when it
>> gets really cold out and the furnace runs a lot.
>>
>> With such a system, the quality of the moist air in the rooms is held at a
>> high standard. The four sponges will begin to crust a little at the top
>> where the moisture is mostly removed from but with the maintaining schedule
>> the sponges can be easily removed from the trays and cleaned and rinsed in a
>> sink.
>> --------------------------------------------------
>
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