AIRCARE - EP9800

Consider a pedestal style "whole home" evaporative humidifier, placed on the first floor of the house as close to your HVAC intake as practical. I have this Aircare one- AIRCARE 3.5 gal. Evaporative Digital Pedestal Humidifier ep9800 https://share.google/ZD9XGkl2WaXMk7GDk It's too large to store during the "off" season, but it functions like an end table or plant stand so I find that being unable to store it doesn't bother me. I prefer exaporative over cool or warm mist versions for two reasons. First, it's basically speeding natural evaporation with a giant fan rather than making a mist, so it can't really make your home *too* humid. Or leave puddles that I sometimes got with the mist models. Second, it's totally fine to use tap water, and that won't damage the thing. Tap water crusts up the wick/filter requiring more frequent replacement of that component, so I do tend to use water from filter pitchers to extend the life of the wick. Like heat, humidity tends to rise. So putting it on your first floor helps ensure that both levels benefit. Putting it near your HVAC intake = same idea (more evenly dustributed through both levels). The lower settings are barely audible. The highest setting in pretty loud, and IMO necessary this time of year when air is SO DRY. But it's a white noise kind of sound that I've gotten used to, and it muffles sounds transfer between spaces when my spouse and I both work from home (I don't hear his calls, he doesn't hear mine).

I used this for three years with good results. Nine different fan speeds and I could tolerate speed #2 noise levels. [https://www.amazon.com/EP9-800-Whole-House-Pedestal-Style-Evaporative/dp/B00I9YFXSS/ref=ast\_sto\_dp\_puis](https://www.amazon.com/EP9-800-Whole-House-Pedestal-Style-Evaporative/dp/B00I9YFXSS/ref=ast_sto_dp_puis)

This one did a good job for us for a few years. [https://www.amazon.com/EP9-800-Whole-House-Pedestal-Style-Evaporative/dp/B00I9YFXSS](https://www.amazon.com/EP9-800-Whole-House-Pedestal-Style-Evaporative/dp/B00I9YFXSS) It has wheels on it that make it easy to roll around. The fan noise is bad at the high settings but level 2 kept my guitars happily hydrated and a tolerable noise level. Awhile back I replaced it with a Trane humidifier which mounts on my heat pump air handler. It gets the water from my hot water heater and incorporates with the Trane thermostat. A great investment for us. Keeps the house at 40% no matter how hard the heat pump works, never need to lug gallons of water around and it only requires service once a year when I have an annual maintenance completed.

We added a whole house humidifier to our Trane heat pump. It mounts on the air handler and a small water line supplies the unit with hot water from the water heater. It works great, is controllable from the thermostat, and there's no noise inside the home. Before that we had a [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I9YFXSS?ref\_=ppx\_hzsearch\_conn\_dt\_b\_fed\_asin\_title\_4](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I9YFXSS?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_4) which works well, but is noisy. Before that we had a couple of ultrasonic models which emit way too much toxic (too us) white dust. Love the humidity at 40%.

I trade semi professionally an have a ton. This sucker is evaporating and if you really want to dial it up get two. Evaporators are good in small spaces. All that ultrasonic mist is uneven for walls and anything else. A luthier friend uses the same one. Also use bacteriastat. Virtually no cleaning I just Change filter a couple time a season. https://a.co/d/fDp8S6T

I don’t think that will be big enough. I could use more than the 4,2 gallons mine gives. The pedestal is nice. It holds stuff too like books and picks etc. but yeah the color is eesh. Edit, sorry. Looks like the same size reservoir. The size makes me wary still….

Well, the Essick Air EP9800 will do it. Probably overkill, and if it’s way too big there are similar smaller options I’m sure.

https://a.co/d/0eUTfBZM I bought this one after I saw it in a local music shop's acoustic guitar room. It works great. I change the filter every couple of months.

Just regular water. Distilled would be better, but it takes quite a bit of water to fill it. I do clean it out good when I swap the filter.

There are a few high end brands that might be superior, but most are very similar, within their categories. No BIFL humidifiers, and better ones will be costly. For longevity, evaporative seems to be the best type. I suggest you narrow it down to what will work for you and check reviews online. I wanted to add one lower priced gallon size evaporative model for my kitchen area and concluded they all suck and don't last too long. I'm guessing you're looking for a room size, vs whole house. First consider the type: warm mist, ultrasonic, evaporative. Warm mist will cost the most to operate. Ultrasonic often leaves a white dust on surfaces. Evaporative can be noisy due to the fan. Ease of use is key - filling and cleaning, lugging to sink, capacity. Every stinking plastic contraption that deals with air has a ridiculous amount of nooks, crannies, and fins that can be impossible to clean. Check consumables for cost of replacement wicks, filters. I use two whole house evaporative humidifiers along with water additives to inhibit bacteria. One is twenty years old, a Bemis hamper style, now AirCare. In winter they run 24/7 along with woodstoves. Wicks need cleaning or replacing monthly, $25 each. Some can hold up to a vinegar soak to give it another month.

my dumb whole house humidifier is on all the time. to make it smart, this video helped [AIRCARE Large Evaporative Whole House Humidifier is good. but here's how to make it great!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qp7Ak0-T2M) basically, a smart plug to monitor energy. if power is low, the unit stopped, time to fill it with more water.

I used to love our evaporative humidifier by Aircare. It's just a bin of cold water, a filter to wick up the water, and a fan to pull the moisture out and blow it into the room. The fan has a nice drone to it to create a white noise effect.

They are, but I have had two running for multiple years between them. I had a large Air Care - i’m not sure why - but the fan mechanism leaked all of its lubricant and corroded badly. I assume user error haha. But even it lasted 3 years! Now I have my ~5yo Air Care running in our upstairs, and we got a new Vissani 6 gal this past year.

I’ve had the best luck with evaporative humidifiers for big rooms. Ultrasonics are quiet, but most just can’t keep up in a large living room. If you want something that actually moves the needle: AirCare / Essick evaporative models not pretty, but they work. Can handle large spaces, no white dust, and the fan noise is more like steady white noise (no gurgling). Downside: big footprint. Venta LW series (used or on sale) very quiet and dead simple to clean, great overnight. Expensive new, but worth it if noise + maintenance matter more than max output. Levoit LV600S solid if you really want ultrasonic; quiet and convenient, but you’ll refill more often and it may struggle if the room is truly large.