Humidifier recommendations

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Humidifier recommendations

Armauk: Jun 23, 2021

With winter around the corner, the air in my place is dry as a bone. I read that a humidifier can help alleviate the issues related to dry air -- congestion, breathing, etc. -- and I'm in the market for two units:

1. For my bedroom (around 400 square feet)

2. For my work area (about 30 square feet).

I've read evaporative humidifiers are better but would like second opinions on that.

My budget is <$200 for each unit.

Any recommendations?

# ? Nov 30, 2021 16:13

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# ? May 23, 2024 03:54

Saukkis: May 16, 2003; Unless I'm on the inside curve pointing straight at oncoming traffic the high beams stay on and I laugh at your puny protest flashes.
I am Most Important Man. Most Important Man in the World.

This is way too late, but maybe it will help someone before next winter. I found this video from Technology Connections informative.

Humidifiers: Simpler is better?

# ? Jan 11, 2022 13:15

EssOEss: Oct 23, 2006; 128-bit approved

Yeah, I went through the process of using lovely humidifiers, being unhappy, and finally finding a proper one thanks to that video!

What I ended up with is a device often sold as "PCMH45" by various brands.

Why it is awesome:

It has a large output capacity, so it can bring my whole apartment up to desired humidity (the smaller units are really any good for just a single bedroom, barely moving the % if used in an open space).
The water tank lasts over 24 hours on low power, which is on par or better than the smaller units (and the output is way greater).
The device is very resistant to clogging up due to hard water. I had to deep clean my previous "boiler" style humidifier every 5 days, it just completely jammed up. "Ultrasonic" one I previously used did not jam up but did deposit the dust all over my room, which was not so good. With the smaller units, I had to use distilled water to have any chance of success. The PCMH45 I could probably leave untouched for a month and it would still work (although I do clean it every 1-2 weeks).
The device uses electricity to drive a fan and spinning wheel - very cheap to operate. With the boiler type unit, a big chunk of electricity was needed.
It is quiet enough on the low speed to not be noticed. Medium and high speeds are quite noisy but only needed to "bring the room up to spec" initially, low speed is enough to maintain the level in my entire apartment.

It does have one weakness: if left on "auto" mode it likes to stop and start too much - the triggers seem overly sensitive. I just leave it on "low" 24/7.

EssOEss fucked around with this message at 08:29 on Jan 16, 2022

# ? Jan 16, 2022 08:26

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Humidifier recommendations