Do You Use Humidifiers in Phoenix? (Payson: home, purchase, living in)

[LBTRS]

Originally Posted by Serenity1944

Be careful with humidifiers as it could cause mold. I loved it when I had AC and swamp cooler as the swamp brought up the humidity. Good range is 40-60. A friend of mine says she puts a slow cooker filled with water on a little table to relieve the dryness. I have been looking for a small metal or one with ceramic to put a slow cooker on. I have a moisture meter, would use that if I run a slow cooker to monitor the humidity.

Mold is not an issue here...even with humidifiers I can't get it above 30% humidity in our house.

[Montanama]

Originally Posted by stevek64

Besides for people, I think it's important to humidify certain times of the year if you have something made of wood that's worth some $ that you don't want splitting/cracking. I have a grand piano that I play often and use a cool mist humidifier for it(small portable unit) that I place near the piano and use a small humdiity gauge on the floor under the piano soundboard to monitor the humidity. A piano can become a non-musical piano shaped object in a few short years in our desert climate that will have all the tuning pins failing, sound board possibly cracking, etc. if it's not properly kept around 40% for the most part. Surprisingly, this little Crane cool mist humidifier pushes humidity pretty far around the house. Can easily get humidity in the 40% range in a good size room. Doesn't seem to care if the water is right out of the tap with all the minerals and such...no problems clogging or anything though I flush it with vinegar on occasion to keep the mold and I'm sure the mineral buildup at bay.

DampChaser makes a unit that installs directly on the piano. I have one on mine (in MT where it's also quite dry) & it works great. Also keeps the piano in better tune with a consistent humidity level in the instrument. But it looks a little ugly with the cord coming off the bottom of the piano...

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by Montanama

DampChaser makes a unit that installs directly on the piano. I have one on mine (in MT where it's also quite dry) & it works great. Also keeps the piano in better tune with a consistent humidity level in the instrument. But it looks a little ugly with the cord coming off the bottom of the piano...

Very good suggestion and I've read that is a great product. I know what you mean about the cord. We need wireless electricity!

[CheyDee]

We use the Bionare W6 Whole House Cool Mist Humidifier. It's a free standing unit on wheels, with two very large water tanks. The unit is not hard-wired into anything and requires both refilling and adding a small amount of bacteriocidal solution to, (which I buy at Home Depot). Since the tanks are large they do not need to be refilled daily, however, when we're down as low as 11% humidity, I do have to refill both tanks approximately every two to three days. We keep the thermostat set at 35%, which we find comfortable.

Sometimes when we're also running heat we struggle to maintain 35%, so we use a small, portable unit at night in our bedroom then too.

[CheyDee]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

Mold is not an issue here...even with humidifiers I can't get it above 30% humidity in our house.

I think the mold being referred to is in the humidifier itself. Bacteria and algae can also grow in there. We add a small amount of this to each tank of water, which you can buy at the big box hardware stores or Amazon.

[PoppySead]

Yep, and yep.
If you don't you could get a bloody nose. While you're at it purchase a couple of air cleaners.

[LBTRS]

Originally Posted by CheyDee

I think the mold being referred to is in the humidifier itself. Bacteria and algae can also grow in there. We add a small amount of this to each tank of water, which you can buy at the big box hardware stores or Amazon.

I may be wrong but he said to be careful because humidifiers "could cause mold" which is different than saying a humidifier may grow mold and bacteria in itself. Causing mold isn't a big concern here with our low humidity level.

[Valley Native]

I use three humidifiers in my house ... one in the dining area, one in the living room, and another in the bedroom. I go through distilled water so often that I buy six gallons nearly every week and keep all the humidifiers running most of the time. May & June are (on average) the two months with the lowest humidity, so humidifiers are necessary this time of year. Even during the winter months, they are a good to use because even though the humidity is usually higher, the colder temperatures have a way of actually making the air feel drier. People with Sjogrens Syndrome should always use humidifiers, especially in this climate!

[azriverfan.]

I do know people who use humidifiers but they only use them in the winter when it becomes very dry. Most physicians discourage the use of humidifiers. They can lead to mold and dust mite growth. Most people who have them don't empty and clean them out daily like they should. And if they do clean them, they often don't clean them properly.

People will use them in the winter to cause less discomfort to their nasal and respiratory passage ways. You can use daily saline mist or rinses in the winter. Drink plenty of water. There are even saline gels that you can use to coat your nostrils to reduce the dryness. Also take steam showers. If you have really bad asthma or COPD, then maybe a humidifier is necessary at night. However, just make certain to empty the water and clean them well with bleach so that they don't grow bacteria and mold. You may even consider just replacing them every year as most are inexpensive now.

[cmw0829]

Thanks for the additional replies.