Post: #1

I live at altitude in a wooden house.

This winter so far has been very cold and the humidity in my house is down to about 20%. This makes for sinus problems and difficulty sleeping.

I bought a humidifier but it doesnt seem to help much.

Do any rvfers have any other solutions that work?

Post: #2

Buy another one, then another one. However many you need.

I lived in NE China where its bone dry, plus Mad Max end of the world pollution.

In my bedroom I had 3 medium sized humidifiers going, plus a very large HEPA filter cleaning the air. It was a lot of BS filling things up a couple times a day but it really made the different. Otherwise my sinuses would also get dry and crack, easy to get infected which is horrible.

Post: #3

Thanks for the info.

Did you only have them in your sleeping rooms or did you put them in all of the living areas of the house?

Post: #4

I was living in a studio apartment so it was the same deal. If I were you, I'd move them from bedroom to living room after you wake up, or at least in the evening when you are in your living room the most.

For me though, the most important thing was when sleeping. I really needed that long shower at night with hot humid air cleaning out my throat, nose and sinuses, then going into an extremely humid room and sleeping. Kept everything good for the workday away from that.

I will say though that I seriously damaged my floor below the humidifiers with all that wet air on them 8-10 hours a day. Not all that water goes into the air, some falls to the floor and beads up.

Post: #5

I have the same issues each winter, part of the reason I have been sick all week. My bedroom humidity was at 15% the past few nights. I bought a medium sized humidifer but that is not enough, and it is loud as hell when I sleep.

Post: #6

If you have a radiator running, just place a bowl of water on it. The water will evaporate at the steady required rate to saturate and humidify the air in your room.

Post: #7

(12-30-2017 06:52 PM)I DIDNT KILL MY WIFE Wrote:  If you have a radiator running, just place a bowl of water on it. The water will evaporate at the steady required rate to saturate and humidify the air in your room.

I tried this, it doesn't work very well. There just isn't enough heat to evaporate enough water to saturate the room.

OP: I decided to buy a humidifier this year, and I'm kicking myself for not buying one sooner. These things are great. I just move it from room to room as needed. I'll move it to my bedroom about 30-45mins before I sleep to get the humidifying started so it's well on its way to a good humidity by the time I hit the sack.

Get a hot mist humidifier vs a cool mist humidifier. A hot mist humidifier is essentially just a modified kettle that boils water, but the boiling helps eliminate bacteria and mold vs a cool mist one.

Post: #8

I don't have tips, but can validate that low humidity fucks with your health. I was getting these annoying rashes and dry skin on the hands for years until I went to a dermatologist and he was like, "you have really dry skin. Take this coupon for free over-the-counter moisturizer." From there, I connected the worst instances of it to winter months, and then to the dry indoors.

Thing is I love winter in coll climates but the downside is indoor heating makes for dry skin and sinuses.

There has long been the question in medical circles as to why cold and flu outbreaks tend to happen in the winter. A prominent theory that I buy goes that central heating dries everyone's protective barriers out and so the viruses can incubate more effectively.

(Another cultural joke in North America is the handing out of Purel alcohol gel in the winter, when that only kills bacteria, and colds and flu are all viral. People just doing shit for no good reason because Johnson & Johnson or whoever told them through marketing it would keep them healthy. People would do well to wash with soap every time they go to the bathroom or before they eat, but that takes more than three seconds so people don't do it. Also hand-washing with soap dries your skin out, as does hot water/hot showers, so you got all that working against itself.)

Post: #9

Can you install a whole-house system like they do in the desert?

If you have central ductwork, you should be able to blast humidified air directly out of the system.

I live in the nearly-subarctic parts of the American northeast so I can sympathize. I find it's most important to keep the humidity up in the bedroom, where you're literally just laying there drying out all night. If you wake up with inflamed sinuses, you're doomed.

Post: #10

Just bought a second humidifier. They are a fucking godsend. The first is a little personal one I keep by my desk, the second is a larger one that I run through the night while I sleep - makes a huge difference.

Post: #11

Dry house = poorly insulated house.

The long term fix is to do a major insulation & air-sealing upgrade on your place (I am assuming you own it). Don't use fiberglass insulation.. that stuff is worthless. As an added bonus, your utility costs to heat and cool will drop dramatically.

When or if you want to do it, I can give you a game plan (building envelope stuff is a specialty of mine..).

After you fix up your place, you may have the opposite problem.. too much moisture in teh air (easy problem to address).

Post: #12

Ski pro, you could supplement your main humidifier with a diffuser right beside your bed.

They can run on a timer, and you can put essentials oils in them as well.

Makes for a really nice sleep, and helps clear the sinuses a little bit:
http://www.saje.com/ca/ultrasonic-diffusers/

Post: #13

(12-31-2017 07:28 PM)Hell_Is_Like_Newark Wrote:  Dry house = poorly insulated house.

The long term fix is to do a major insulation & air-sealing upgrade on your place (I am assuming you own it). Don't use fiberglass insulation.. that stuff is worthless. As an added bonus, your utility costs to heat and cool will drop dramatically.

When or if you want to do it, I can give you a game plan (building envelope stuff is a specialty of mine..).

After you fix up your place, you may have the opposite problem.. too much moisture in teh air (easy problem to address).

I'm curious what you'd recommend. Looking at buying my first house sometime later this year, making it winterproof is a top priority.

Post: #14

Thanks all.

Currently experimenting with a warm humidifier and it's working very well. I think I'll get another one so that there is one in ours and one in the childs room.

I've slept through the night for the last 3 nights which is a good start.

Post: #15

Thank you for sharing

Post: #16

(01-01-2018 01:57 AM)Alpharius Wrote:  I'm curious what you'd recommend. Looking at buying my first house sometime later this year, making it winterproof is a top priority.

The goal is to create an 'air barrier' that minimizes air infiltration into your home. Winter outdoor air carries very little moisture. So when that air is heated to room temp, the relative humidity can drop into the single digits. If you cut down on infiltration (hence, reduce the number of air changes per hour) you will not have the dry house problem.

The reason I don't like fiberglass is that air passes through it too easily, which greatly reduces its effectiveness.

The better insulators such as cellulose and Icynene (open cell foam) generally are not used in new construction because they cost builders more. Home buyers look at surface stuff (kitchens, bathrooms, granite counter tops, hardwood floors, etc.). The quality of what is behind the walls normally doesn't factor, so builders go cheap there.

Even commercial with well funded clients of my employer balk at doing stuff right the first time, instead opting to spend more down the road to fix the eventual energy issues.

There is a whole science to building energy efficient buildings and would probably need an entire thread dedicated to it. There are resources online to learn about it, unfortunately the info like the subjects of climate and diet is polluted with FUD from groups with an agenda. The one I deal with in my job is insulation companies claim their competitor's product will give you cancer.

Post: #17

(12-31-2017 06:39 PM)Alpharius Wrote:  Just bought a second humidifier. They are a fucking godsend. The first is a little personal one I keep by my desk, the second is a larger one that I run through the night while I sleep - makes a huge difference.

which one did you buy? I need a bigger one and don't wanna chance randomly ordering one off Amazon/WalMart

Post: #18

I'm considering buying a whole-house humidifier. Anyone use one of those? I've heard solid reports.

https://www.thespruce.com/home-humidifier-types-4072878

Post: #19

(01-01-2018 03:04 PM)treypound Wrote:  

(12-31-2017 06:39 PM)Alpharius Wrote:  Just bought a second humidifier. They are a fucking godsend. The first is a little personal one I keep by my desk, the second is a larger one that I run through the night while I sleep - makes a huge difference.

which one did you buy? I need a bigger one and don't wanna chance randomly ordering one off Amazon/WalMart

I got whatever one was being sold for $60 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

Post: #20

For Americans who want a good introductory humidifier, I've had this guy set up in my bedroom every winter since I moved to the area:

https://www.target.com/p/vicks-warm-mois...A-10403765



I'm on number two, the first one lasted a good eight years. Cheap-ass thing outlives the power light LED every time. Available wherever cheap-ass things are sold.

If you're thinking about going whole-house, talk to a reputable HVAC guy in conjunction with a real contractor. Some duct systems, especially older ones, that weren't designed and properly insulated for it, won't carry the moisture as expected and you can get some strange mold/rot/corrosion issues. Some older homes don't even have ducts and just force hot air up through a void between two studs, and if you're pushing moisture up against a chilly wallboard, what happens next?



The LTR had one installed when she re-did her furnace, then I had to have my guy disconnect it for her. It's still the best thing to have if you can do it, though.

Post: #21

Damn this thread makes me wonder what an RVF designed house would be like.

Post: #22

Something like Frank Lloyd Wright places, cos he was the ultimate alpha architect and last great genius of the premier art form.

Post: #23

(01-04-2018 11:14 PM)TooFineAPoint Wrote:  Something like Frank Lloyd Wright places, cos he was the ultimate alpha architect and last great genius of the premier art form.

If you ever get a chance to check out Taliesin West, Wright's "winter palace" in Arizona, the drafting room is pretty clever: purpose-built to block the harsh desert sun but bring in a maximum of indirect natural daylight.





His concept for the Arizona state capitol would have been just as well suited to a Mormon colony on Mars. Wright designed it for free after becoming convinced that the other proposals were simply too terrible to ignore. Only the spire was ever built, as a monument at his old office.







(Is there a FLW thread for this? Not intending to hijack a good humidifier thread.)

Post: #24

(01-01-2018 01:57 AM)Alpharius Wrote:  

(12-31-2017 07:28 PM)Hell_Is_Like_Newark Wrote:  Dry house = poorly insulated house.

The long term fix is to do a major insulation & air-sealing upgrade on your place (I am assuming you own it). Don't use fiberglass insulation.. that stuff is worthless. As an added bonus, your utility costs to heat and cool will drop dramatically.

When or if you want to do it, I can give you a game plan (building envelope stuff is a specialty of mine..).

After you fix up your place, you may have the opposite problem.. too much moisture in teh air (easy problem to address).

I'm curious what you'd recommend. Looking at buying my first house sometime later this year, making it winterproof is a top priority.

When my Dad bought his new pump I was looking through the catalog and they had a optional humidifier that was connected to the air handler and a water line would be connected to it so you don't have to fuck around and fill it up all the time.

That would be a good option depending on your setup. I haven't researched it myself but I'm sure there are plenty of similar kits that you could buy yourself and add to your existing setup if it's forced air.