Humidifier recommendations (Denver, Boulder: apartment, rental, house)

[MEMMOM]

Hi again,

What type of humidifier would you buy? My daughter has asthma (under control but this new climate could cause problems), so one for her bedroom is a must. Since we're renting I don't think a whole house is feasible but should I get one for each bedroom? And what brand etc.? I was thinking I could get us some cheap ones for immediate move-in and then invest in something later this summer. Thanks for your input.

[OhioToCO]

Do you know what relative humidity she needs to be comfortable? You know her condition, so you be the judge of whether or not whole house has to be at certain humidity level or not.
My son has eczema, and he is comfortable as long as his bedroom is at 30% or above during the night. He can be in pretty dry conditions during the day, and it doesn't bother him much if his skin can "replenish" some of the moisture during the night.
We have Amazon.com: Germ Guardian H4500 120 Hour Ultrasonic Humidifier: Health & Personal Care in his bedroom. His room is pretty small, probably about 10 x 10 feet and during the winter we can raise humidity from 16% to 30%+ in just an hour when humidifier is turned on full force. We then reduce the flow of steam to about one-third to one-fourth and it keeps humidity above 30% for the rest of the night.
Now, despite the fact that it is pretty dry outside (humidity is below 10% during the day), it goes up at night, so we just keep the window open. In fact, we haven't run humidifier in his room since April.
I would love to have a whole house humidifier, but we will rent at least one more year, so this is a project for when we buy our own house. In fact, I was asking a similar question a while ago, and Mike suggested this: General By-Pass Humdifier Model 1099-LH Product Photo
Here is the link to that thread: //www.city-data.com/forum/denve...-air-heat.html

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

I will chime in really quick with our experience regarding a whole house humidifier that is inline with the furnace -

Because we kept the temp on the lower side, we didn't feel it put enough humidity into the house. Unless we ran the blower constantly (expensive!), for us, it didn't work.

We got a whole house console and that has worked great for us.

[seethelight]

Originally Posted by MEMMOM

Hi again,

What type of humidifier would you buy? My daughter has asthma (under control but this new climate could cause problems), so one for her bedroom is a must. Since we're renting I don't think a whole house is feasible but should I get one for each bedroom? And what brand etc.? I was thinking I could get us some cheap ones for immediate move-in and then invest in something later this summer. Thanks for your input.

When we first moved to Boulder 7 years ago, I immediately developed a rather severe case of respiratory issues, non resolved when we moved a year ago. I was diagnosed and treated for asthma for four years, oral steroids etc., all the while I was insisting I didn't have asthma. I did get a humidifier, but you have to be really diligent cleaning them with bleach otherwise you will be spewing nasty bacteria into the room. I would go to McGuckins and take a look at the ones they have on display.

I finally went to National Jewish in Denver (the nation's top respiratory hospital) and had a pleuthora of tests which confirmed that I did not have asthma after all. I stopped taking the steroids and the issue was more stomach related which can mask the symptoms of asthma.

As for leaving the windows open at night. Don't. The allergens are much higher at night than during the daytime.

[MEMMOM]

Originally Posted by OhioToCO

Do you know what relative humidity she needs to be comfortable? You know her condition, so you be the judge of whether or not whole house has to be at certain humidity level or not.
My son has eczema, and he is comfortable as long as his bedroom is at 30% or above during the night. He can be in pretty dry conditions during the day, and it doesn't bother him much if his skin can "replenish" some of the moisture during the night.
We have Amazon.com: Germ Guardian H4500 120 Hour Ultrasonic Humidifier: Health & Personal Care in his bedroom. His room is pretty small, probably about 10 x 10 feet and during the winter we can raise humidity from 16% to 30%+ in just an hour when humidifier is turned on full force. We then reduce the flow of steam to about one-third to one-fourth and it keeps humidity above 30% for the rest of the night.
Now, despite the fact that it is pretty dry outside (humidity is below 10% during the day), it goes up at night, so we just keep the window open. In fact, we haven't run humidifier in his room since April.
I would love to have a whole house humidifier, but we will rent at least one more year, so this is a project for when we buy our own house. In fact, I was asking a similar question a while ago, and Mike suggested this: General By-Pass Humdifier Model 1099-LH Product Photo
Here is the link to that thread: //www.city-data.com/forum/denve...-air-heat.html

Thank you. It's funny that these little things are what really affect the move - I have no idea what her comfort level is; it's so humid here but we will soon learn. I will definitely go online and check this one out. Thanks again for your advice!

[MEMMOM]

Originally Posted by seethelight

When we first moved to Boulder 7 years ago, I immediately developed a rather severe case of respiratory issues, non resolved when we moved a year ago. I was diagnosed and treated for asthma for four years, oral steroids etc., all the while I was insisting I didn't have asthma. I did get a humidifier, but you have to be really diligent cleaning them with bleach otherwise you will be spewing nasty bacteria into the room. I would go to McGuckins and take a look at the ones they have on display.

I finally went to National Jewish in Denver (the nation's top respiratory hospital) and had a pleuthora of tests which confirmed that I did not have asthma after all. I stopped taking the steroids and the issue was more stomach related which can mask the symptoms of asthma.

As for leaving the windows open at night. Don't. The allergens are much higher at night than during the daytime.

Thank you!! I did run across something on McGuckins so will definitely check that out as well. We will likely rent for at least 2-3 years so I want something that lasts but that we can take with us. As for your sinus problem/stomach - are you better if you don't mind my asking? And did the climate actually accentuate your problems or totally unrelated?

[MEMMOM]

Originally Posted by jkcoop

I will chime in really quick with our experience regarding a whole house humidifier that is inline with the furnace -

Because we kept the temp on the lower side, we didn't feel it put enough humidity into the house. Unless we ran the blower constantly (expensive!), for us, it didn't work.

We got a whole house console and that has worked great for us.

Thanks so much - hopefully we'll be in the market for one in a couple of years when we're able to buy instead of rent.

Thanks again!

[seethelight]

Originally Posted by MEMMOM

Thank you!! I did run across something on McGuckins so will definitely check that out as well. We will likely rent for at least 2-3 years so I want something that lasts but that we can take with us. As for your sinus problem/stomach - are you better if you don't mind my asking? And did the climate actually accentuate your problems or totally unrelated?

Once we moved from Boulder to Maryland, my respiratory issues completely disappeared. I guess it was a combination of the very low humidity, different allergens, the high levels of dust, and the altitude that did me in.

I actually like the higher levels of humidity, although not all the time, like now when we are having an abnormal heat wave. But I feel back to normal, prior to moving to Boulder when I was very healthy.

[nelumbo]

I have bad sinus problems in dry conditions, and bought a portable swamp cooler to use in my rental apartment in Boulder. It was on wheels and could be moved between rooms, but I just left it in my bedroom. It seemed to work better than the smaller humidifiers, but was also noisier (fan driven) - mostly it just "took the edge off" so I didn't wake up with a headache every single morning. I ran it all year, for the humidifying properties, not for cooling. I bought it online for around $100 (including shipping), I think it was this one: AF-321 NewAir Portable Swamp Cooler With Remote Control - FREE GROUND SHIPPING!

[CruisingUSA]

Originally Posted by seethelight

As for leaving the windows open at night. Don't. The allergens are much higher at night than during the daytime.

I knew it! That's why I will be so happy they are installing this A/C in my apartment tomorrow.

Having to keep windows open with a fan in the window past few days has caused me to wake up with stuffy nose and literally sneezing blood every morning. I used to never wake up with bloody nostrils until I moved here.

It's just awful. Windows closed and fans off. That stuff just makes me sick. I also cannot run much around here because the air is too dry. When I lived in Florida I would only run during the Spring/Summer months when there was ample humidity. Otherwise I'd be wheezing up a storm.