Installing a whole house humidifier

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nkwak
Posts: 650
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:55 pm
Location: Pittsburgh PA suburbs

Re: Installing a whole house humidifier

Post by nkwak »

Thanks to you and your husband again, Diane. I'd take pictures but my workmanship is suspect. The tweaks mostly involve figuring out where the drips are coming from. Whoever installed the furnace did a lousy job with the PVC. I have triple checked the waterline I installed and managed to stick my head in the duct to determine that my contributions are not to blame. I bumped up the thermostat to check things but it's programmable so it's not set to run as much during the day. It may take some time to really notice anything.
~ Neil
nkwak
Posts: 650
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:55 pm
Location: Pittsburgh PA suburbs

Re: Installing a whole house humidifier

Post by nkwak »

I'm noticing that it's not as painful to breathe this year, but the effects aren't as noticeable as I'd hoped. I'm attributing that to the fact that I had to install the unit on the return side; the hot air is being forced into the unit from the supply side and cycling back through the furnace. It can't be helped though; there is absolutely no room on the supply side to mount the unit. Other than that it's operating as it should so I'm happy, even if the RH is still in the low 30s. That's at least a 15% increase from last year. The fact that I haven't had a sinus infection yet makes it a worthwhile expense, but as for woodworking I'm going to just concentrate on cleaning up clutter, making jigs and sharpening my tools. FWIW I bought some spruce late this summer that is stickered and stacked on a shelf in my basement and so far it's still not "potato chipping!"
~ Neil
Diane Kauffmds
Posts: 3246
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: Installing a whole house humidifier

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

Most houses are set up at 35% humidity. It sounds like you're close to this, so you should notice a difference. As far as your health is concerned, and as a fellow individual who suffers from sinus infections, I have 2 tips:

1. Get a decent warm mist humidifier for your bedroom and run it at night. Don't get an ultrasonic type, because the filter can break down and become problematic. I have a Crane humidifier.

2. Use a sinus rinse system like the Neilmed Sinus Rinse system. There are other systems, some elaborate, but the Neilmed was recommended the most by doctors when I did my clinical rotations. Since using it, I've not had a single sinus infection. When my sinuses start feeling bad, I use it daily, until symptoms subside, usually 3-4 days. I also rinse my sinuses after sanding a lot of wood.

It's extremely important to use distilled water.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
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