I'm curious as to how they keep mold from forming in the ducts. Perhaps if one needs a humidifier the dryness in the space keeps mold from forming. Betsy
At 08:21 PM 12/30/2008, you wrote: >doesn't the whole house unit introduce humidity into the ducting? Is >ducting stainless? >I'm worried that I'd get some kind of moisture related problems in the >ducting with it? >What do they do to avoid that? > >On Tue, 30 Dec 2008, Scott Howell wrote: > > > Well I'll tell you that whoever made that statement that the furnace- > > mounted units do not work well is quite wrong. I've used both the > > portable units and I currently have a furnace-mounted or whole house > > unit. I would gladly spend the money and purchase the whole-house unit > > again should mine ever break. First it does depend upon what model you > > purchase and the one I have is made by April Air and costs about $400. > > Now that may seem like a lot, but considering I've gone through a > > couple of the portable models, I probably spent that much and did not > > accomplish what the whole-house unit has and can. My unit sits off the > > output side of the furnace and there is a piece of duct that runs from > > the intake side to the humidifier and puts moysture into the air. The > > unit has a valve that is electrically controlled to feed water through > > the system. It has no fan or other moving parts so is very easy to > > maintain, really little to go wrong with it, and is pretty easy to > > take care of. Matter of fact, you just replace the filter once a > > season or so and possibly more if it's really needed. Now yes, you do > > need somewhere for the excess water to go as it drips through the > > system. You can dump this into a sink or wherever you dump the water > > from the AC. Ok, this got rather lengthy, but the point I'm making > > here is the portable units can cover only so much area and I'd argue > > the efficiency of these units based on the square footage they claim > > to cover. If this is an open area with no walls etc. it would probably > > do a pretty good job. The whole-house systems can put moysture in the > > air that flows to each vent in the home, thus covering a larger area > > more effectively. SInce I've used both,, I found the whole-house > > systems to work very efficiently and I didn't have to keep filling > > them up or cleaning them regularly. I used to clean the portable units > > no less than once a week or they would surely start to stink and get > > all nasty inside. So, as far as programming, not having a clue what > > you got to work with, most if it's a digital unit will start at about > > 45 or 50 percent humidity. You may very well be fine with this, but > > understand that most only measure the humidity of the air in the > > immediate area and not measuring what is coming in to the overall > > system. You will find nearly all portable units blow cold air because > > the water is cold. The whole-house unit I have is connected to the > > hotwater side and thus the air is warmed a bit as a result and that is > > a really good thing. Oh btw, no, we don't get any mist or white powder > > etc on our stuff as a result of using the unit and some have > > complained about this. That is do to the type of unit and I forget > > what those are. > > So, back to your problem. You might try turning the fan down to help > > with the noise and cold feeling of the air. However, as far as the > > controls, not sure what to say without knowing more about the unit. > > Hope that rambling bit was of some value. > > > > On Dec 30, 2008, at 1:43 PM, Jo Taliaferro wrote: > > > >> Hi everybody, > >> I have a humidifier that's supposed to work for up to 700 square > >> feet of > >> space. First, I can't see to program the thing, second, the fan blew > >> cold > >> air out all night, and third, does anyone know whether there's some > >> way for > >> me to know what the humidity is in my house? I'm in snow country in > >> MN, > >> right now and even though we're having a winter storm, the air feels > >> dry as > >> a bone. We have a gas furnace and I'm told that humidifiers attached > >> to the > >> furnace don't work very well. My husband and I are both blind and he > >> has no > >> idea what brand we have. The thing is unwieldy to manage and I don't > >> know > >> at what level to set the thing for comfort. Our sighted assistant > >> just left > >> for Florida...RATS!!! Where can I go for info? Guess who does the home > >> repair and maintenance in this household? No, he doesn't!!! I just > >> need > >> some guidance. Thanks to all the men and women on this handy list! > >> > >> Jo Taliaferro, empowering people to live with their choices > >> > >> > >> > > > > Scott Howell > > <mailto:s.howell%40verizon.net>[email protected] > > > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
