Ultrasonic Humidifiers

Tom_80

try to google stulz. They make ulrasonic units that use D I water that eliminates white residue

Constantin

So... are any out there that you like?

Looking over how many hours my Nortec likes to run vs. the cost of electricity, vs. the cost of replacing the bottle every fall, I wonder if there are better ways to humidify a home than steam humidifiers. 2kW of heating elements does add up quickly to a whopping electrical bill.

For example, I was surprised to see the latest honeywell steam humidification gear bill itself as ecologically sensitive due to its lower water usage... then again, most people have a harder time visualizing a kWh vs. a gallon of water, I suppose.

Ideally, the replacement system for my home would be residential in size and could run in conjunction with an air handler I have in the basement. All T-stats can have the requisite "humidification" relays.

Unknown

Humidifiers

Hi, Constantin. Nice to hear from you. Ultrasonic humidifiers are usually single room type units. They must be VERY carefully cleaned and maintained, and there are chemicals you can add to the water to keep the "white dust" problem down. Personally, I have found them to be a stopgap at best. I am no longer associated with Honeywell, but I think their TrueSteam humidifiers are winners. Very easy to install, manintain and very stingy with water use. They come packaged with your choice of humidistats, basic manual, TrueIAQ, or the VisionPro IAQ stat with the built-in sensor. They cover 3 different gallon/day sizes, and can be remote mounted, with the available kit. They do not need a call for heat to provide humidification, so they can be used in stand alone applications, with a fan and well-insulated ductwork. Electric consumption varies with the climate location of the home, and generally, humidification only is used in the winter, and then not all the time. I'm not aware of any whole-house sized ultra sonics, but I would be very concerned with the droplets coalescing again further down the ducts. Remember, you are dealing with liquid-phase water still.

The older style bypass and fan powered models use lots more water, require a call for heat to operate, and need careful maintenance. IMHO, they are obsolescent. I hope you found this useful.

Constantin

Thanks for the reply!

I am considering the ultrasonics simply because I am not too happy with the operating costs of the Nortec - between replacing the plastic bottle annually and the cost of running the thing (2kW!), I have to think that there are other solutions out there. That said, if the steam approach is the only way to do it, oh well!

The Stulz units look very interesting. I will have to research them further.

Howard_8

Ultrasonic Humidifiers

Another thing to consider with ultrasonic humidifiers is that they will create a cooling effect, requiring more heat to compensate. This is great for something like a computer room, less desirable for a residence.

Howard_8

Ultrasonic Humidifiers

Another thing to consider with ultrasonic humidifiers is that they will create a cooling effect, requiring more heat to compensate. This is great for something like a computer room, not desirable for a residence.

Unknown

Good point

Remember that in any case, heat is necessary to change liquid water to vapor. Whether the heat comes directly from an electric heater, or indirectly from the air via the heating system, you still have to add heat one way or another to evaporate water.

Jean-David Beyer

Advantage of boiler type humidifiers...

There are supposed to be two advantages of the boiler type humidifiers.



The first is that bacteria are alleged to reproduce less well in a boiler type than in the ultrasonic type. I am not positive this is true, but it certainly could be.



The second is that all the crud in the water is deposited inside the humidifier instead of all over the house, the inside of your lungs, etc. True, it is a nuisance to clean the thing, but it is easier than cleaning the whole house.