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Stand alone whole house humidifier?

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ChrisJ
ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,700
in THE MAIN WALL
We've all had discussions about these devices many times.
But I'm wondering if anyone makes a really good stand alone whole house humidifier.

Meaning, one I can control with my Honeywell Prestige, that fills it self etc, but doesn't need ductwork or a furnace.

While I do have ductwork, I suspect running a humidifier in the attic during the winter in ductwork that doesn't produce heat would be a nasty nightmare. Maybe not, I don't know.

Right now, I'm considering small warm mist aka, "micro steam boiler" type ones :smile: for each bedroom.


Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment

Comments

  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,700
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    Harvey Ramer said:

    Poke holes in your rad vents. :)

    I wouldn't expect anything less than someone who uses something other than a Weber grill. :p
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 5,841
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    I have a steam humidifier connected to the A/C only A/H in the attic. The ductwork is insulated on the outside of course. It feeds into the supply and brings on low speed fan on a humidity call. It's been there over 10 years, my ductwork is fine, and no static electricity shocks.
    It does have a stand alone humidistat in the hallway and an outdoor sensor.
  • ratio
    ratio Member Posts: 3,627
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    I've installed commercial-grade steam humidifiers before, they had a steam emitter with a temperature-controlled fan that basically shot the steam out into the space (multi-100K-computer repair center). modulating (2-10V) steam production, could be combined into a 100 gal/hour assembly if necessary. The only problem I noticed was an adamant refusal to do programmed maintenance. These things do fill up with minerals, they do need to be serviced regularly, they won't work if you don't, and it isn't covered under warranty. :)
    PC7060
  • Tim Potter
    Tim Potter Member Posts: 273
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    Have you looked at this?

    http://www.supplyhouse.com/Aprilaire-865-Residential-Steam-Humidifier-w-Model-850-Fan-Pack

    I'm on my 1st season of model 800, the version that mounts into the furnace, (midwest, very little hot water or radiant here) Its working great, it keeps the humidity right on the numbers while the furnace is heating, automaticly lowers the target humidity as the outside temp drops, & it does not have to run the humidifier in fan-only mode.

    Tim

    Winter Park, CO & Arvada, CO
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,539
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    I was going to say "remove your radiator vents" but @Harvey Ramer beat me to it as I was scrolling down.

    @ratio , with @ChrisJ , lack of maintenance would not be an issue!! :)
    MilanD1Matthias
  • ratio
    ratio Member Posts: 3,627
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    :lol:
  • MilanD
    MilanD Member Posts: 1,160
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    Growing up in the old country, we had these.

    https://ductless.ca/products/radiator-humidifiers/
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,700
    edited November 2017
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    MilanD said:

    Growing up in the old country, we had these.



    https://ductless.ca/products/radiator-humidifiers/

    When I ran a wick style humidifier for the whole house I was dumping 12-14 gallons a day into the air, I suspect those "imported from Europe so they must be good" humidifiers wouldn't even be noticeable.

    Also, filling one humidifier twice a day was annoying, so filling 5-10 of them isn't going to be better. :p

    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • RomanGK_26986764589
    RomanGK_26986764589 Member Posts: 229
    edited November 2017
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    @ChrisJ Then you will need a Maid-O'-Mist No. 95 Auto Vent Automatic Humidifier!

    From about 1939 'till perhaps 1965 Maid-o'-mist made this "Automatic Humidifier" which served as a single pipe air vent while spewing healthful humidity (boiler water) into the bedroom.

    And, if you had a cold, the instructions told you that you could add Menthol crystals to the asbestos filter cloth. You can even, it says, add perfume. Probably to cover up that boiler gack smell.

    There's a float, with an adjustable needle valve (via the knob on the bottom) which feeds a cup in which any condensate evaporates.

    Here's the link from 1941 Hygeia journal, page 1009

    https://books.google.com/books?id=TpAXAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1009&lpg=PA1009&dq=Maid-O'-Mist+No.+95+Auto+Vent+Automatic+Humidifier&source=bl&ots=WNwFT2pxHh&sig=ny4QjX1T_Cw16B3uJsQaBumz6oQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwil5q6KyabXAhVC5SYKHWs5D5wQ6AEIWDAD#v=onepage&q=Maid-O'-Mist No. 95 Auto Vent Automatic Humidifier&f=false
    STEVEusaPA
  • MilanD
    MilanD Member Posts: 1,160
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    Well, then get a half dozen of these and you'll be set!

    https://m.bedbathandbeyond.com/m/product/mypurmist-hands-free-accessory/1042781295
  • alozcarney
    alozcarney Member Posts: 1
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    A good source is http://humidifiermentor.com/ has great information out there about the whole house humidifier.
    I found this one very helpful for me.
  • sibellc
    sibellc Member Posts: 14
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    I have one of these:
    https://aprilaire.com/whole-house-products/humidifier/model-350
    It goes in the basement (or I suppose, a utility closet), and while not strictly ductless, it just requires one small run of flex to one register in the main floor.
  • Gordy
    Gordy Member Posts: 9,546
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    Run it off the air handler. If you think about it your ductwork is insulated. You’re pulling dry air through the ductwork. You should only be needing 30-35% humidity. Monitor it with some sensors in the supply ducts for dew point.
  • ratio
    ratio Member Posts: 3,627
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    @juliafarnandas, if you want to advertise here, why not sign up? I, and many others, often direct people to the Find a Contractor page. It's a great resource to contractors and homeowners alike.
    SuperTechErin Holohan Haskell
  • Tooth_Fairy
    Tooth_Fairy Member Posts: 1
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    I use not very power hungry heater for my living room (the space is cooling faster from here) and still it caused me no problems. Check out the link https://cosyhousehold.com/best-electric-tankless-water-heater/
  • Derheatmeister
    Derheatmeister Member Posts: 1,544
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    Most of the systems that we work on do not have duct work(radiant infloor)
    We use the Aprilaire 865 which has a Fanpack...Just keep in mind that these Humidifiers work better with 220 Volt and we never install them unless the outdoor reset is enabled..
    Hope this helps.
  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 5,704
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    Build a small steam engine model and run it 24/7 to generate electricity and humidity!
    NJ Steam Homeowner. See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el
    CLamb
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,700
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    ethicalpaul said:

    Build a small steam engine model and run it 24/7 to generate electricity and humidity!

    A proper steam engine has a condenser.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 5,704
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    Then make an improper one!
    NJ Steam Homeowner. See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,700
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    ethicalpaul said:

    Then make an improper one!

    Request denied.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • Constantin
    Constantin Member Posts: 3,796
    edited December 2022
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    I used to have a Nortec residential model here. Badly installed, etc. I fixed some of the most egregious issues but finally gave up. Between the electric company sending me an assortment of expensive cheeses and wine platters every winter, and the annual bottle replacements (several hundred bucks ea) I had enough.

    I built my own system, using inexpensive industrial ultrasonic emitters, a blower, and a RODI water supply. The RODI is strictly there to limit dust production in the ductwork. Mine blows into the main return, the home AC system then circulates it around the house. Each of the 4 TStats can call for humidity, each zone can be served individually.

    If the system is set up right, the mist will turn into water vapor in a few feet with little to no water accumulation unless you impinge on a nearby surface. I have a last line of defense in the duct, if the RH goes over 50%, then the system is shut down.

    There was a lot of trial and error getting this set up and a small micro-controller on a PCB I designed and assembled controls it all. The MCU also illuminates the intake to the main return duct with a RGB light strip which pulses and changes color based on what the system is doing. As more and more zones call for humidity, the color changes, allowing me to see at a glance what the system is doing, that it is operating normally (i.e. pulsing), and if I see red pulsing, I know something unhappy is going on.

    I am not quite yet there re: monitoring the performance of the two sets of ultrasonic emitters to detect failures and notify me. Thats WIP. Another issue is growth of stuff in the chamber, i.e. requiring shocking, draining, and refilling the camber occasionally (even with a air filter). Not something for the average HO who just wants to set and forget. But it works well enough for me and our home.

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