Re:The health benefits of better air
by shlant on Wednesday April 28, 2021 @07:40AM
(#26968237)
is there a downside to just using an evaporative humidifier?
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Re:The health benefits of better air
by Someone1234 on Wednesday April 28, 2021 @11:23AM
(#26970418)
They have mold/bacterial growth problems (and use more electricity).
But both types have easy solutions to their respective problems:
- Use distilled water in the ultrasonic.
- Regularly clean/replace wick in your evaporative (or use a water stabilization agent).
Even the article at the top says they measured "0" particles when distilled water was used.
Until reading this thread I thought using distilled water in them was common knowledge. I believe that is what the manual with mine even said.
Ultrasonic one is my first, only started paying attention to all this stuff because of 2020 and went all in, just trying to make my home a less crummy place.
Watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHeehYYgl28
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Re:The health benefits of better air
by probablypower on Wednesday April 28, 2021 @07:55AM
(#26968310)
I literally just have some planting trays with a half-inch of gravel that I pour water into every couple of days.
Works wonders, is cheap, and easy to clean. Evaporation happens for free if you let it.
Maybe works for one small location, but that doesn't put nearly enough water in the air for common humidifier use cases of a gallon a day or more.
This seems crazy to me. I have to dehumidify my home to keep it at 35%. Humidity is a constant battle. I couldn’t imagine paying to dump water in my air and promote mold.
This is very climate dependent. New Orleans or Miami will have much more natural humidity than Boulder or even Boston in the winter.
Dry mucus membranes makes you more susceptible to a number of respiratory problems. If you have mold, everyone does to some extent, drying it out will just make the health problems worse as it aerosolizes the mold. Mold aside, for optimal health a level between 40-60% is advised. Allergy sufferers are especially sensitive to this.
The recommended humidity level is 40-60%.
The power draw at the humidifier will be larger, but the net power cost is about the same assuming a constant indoor air temperature. I always use filtered water for the US humidifier, but I'm reconsidering it now.