5 Best Portable Whole House Humidifier

Looking for a humidifier that will warm up your entire house to the crisp temperature you desire? Well, your search has ended as we have the perfect list of reviews for you. Having too many choices can prove to be more daunting than having none.

And, we know that, which is why we listed 5 best portable whole house humidifier just for you. By the time you finish reading this, you will have all the necessary information needed to get the best out of your money.

 

	Aprilaire 865 Whole House Humidifier		Check Price
	Aprilaire 700 Humidifier		Check Price
	AIRCARE MA1201 Whole House Evaporative Humidifier		Check Price
	AIRCARE EP9 800 Digital Whole House Humidifier		Check Price
	Honeywell HE360A Humidifier		Check Price

 

What to Look for Before Buying?

Before you start looking for the available options of the best whole home humidifiers, you might find it handy to know their defining features beforehand. This section will let you know exactly what to look for when you’re out shopping.

 

Humidification Types

There are two general types of humidification, cool mist and warm mist. Cool mist humidifiers don’t consist of any heating element. Instead, they depend on a wick that diffuses the mist into the air. They can easily malfunction due to mineral deposits. Hence, they are best suited for environments with hard water.

Cool mist humidification tends to be more beneficial for people with asthma and emphysema.

If you want to use warm mist humidifiers, you should use demineralized water in the reservoir. They use a heating element to boil the water, which is then released as vapor into the atmosphere. Warm mist humidifiers work in silence as they don’t require a fan to function.

 

Environment

Both types of humidifiers are efficient at their jobs. But deciding which one is best for you will depend on the type of environment you live in. Colder climates are much more suitable for warm mist humidifiers. The heating element will turn up the room temperature, and make you feel comfortable.

Cold mist humidifiers are preferred in areas with hot climates. They can reduce the ambient temperature and make you feel at ease.

 

Features

No matter what type of humidifier you choose, the latest models have introduced some smart features for user convenience. Some models offer an auto shut off feature, which is integral for keeping them intact for a long period.

You should also consider buying one with an active humidistat. With this feature, you can control the level of humidity in the room to suit your needs. Humidistats that turn off the humidifier after reaching a required humidity level are more beneficial.

Water tank indicators will tell you when the reservoir needs to be refilled. The capacity of the model should also be taken into account. This will tell you about the area it can humidify efficiently.

On the other hand, knowing the water tank size is also important. Most humidifiers come with a 2-3 day capacity on low settings.

 

5 Best Portable Whole House Humidifier

Once you know the features to look for in the desired product, it’s time to look at the available options. To help you choose better, we have handpicked the 5 best rated portable whole house humidifier.

 

1. Aprilaire 865 Whole House Humidifier

The first addition to this exclusive list of humidifiers is built by Aprilaire. This outstanding whole house humidifier was manufactured and perfected by the help of electrode technology. Manufactured in the United States, this steam humidifier brand is a pioneer in its designated field.

Some homeowners might be finding it hard to use a humidifier as their house doesn’t consist of an HVAC duct. You have nothing to worry about anymore. This whole house steam humidifier doesn’t need an HVAC duct to function.

It’s equipped with a wall mount fan, which distributes the air throughout the house and keeps humidity levels constant. This exclusive model has an extended range of about 6200 square feet. With this multi-purpose humidifier, you have various options to choose from.

Six different levels of output add between 11.5 to 34.6 gallons of moisture into the air regularly. This device will keep the humidity levels constantly ideal and help you defend skin and respiratory infections. You can install it without hassle.

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2. Aprilaire 700 Humidifier

Manufactured by the same company, this state-of-the-art humidifier is fan-powered. This model is specifically designed for tightly built homes. It efficiently humidifies an entire area of 4200 square feet. They also have an eighteen gallon of daily reservoir capacity!

The built-in fan in this device is designed to extract hot air from your furnace. Due to this feature, the air is sufficiently humidified, and the temperature remains high. This evaporative humidifier is fully automated. It also consists of dual sensors that can monitor the temperature and humidity in your entire house.

It’s also useful for monitoring relative indoor humidity, which gives you optimum humidity daily. All of that can be done with just a push of a button. You don’t have to worry about a thing as it will automatically adapt to the outdoor and relative indoor temperatures.

The very first thing you’ll notice after unpacking is its compact size. It can easily fit in tight spaces, even though the installation can be a bit complicated. This is barely a disadvantage as it’s very durable.

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3. AIRCARE MA1201 Whole House Evaporative Humidifier

This console-style humidifier is equipped with a digital humidistat that keeps your entire house uniformly humidified. It constantly operates on its own until the atmosphere attains the optimum humidity level. After reaching that suitable level, it will automatically shut down, keeping the temperature constant.

The intelligent feature saves energy and water. It also enables you to choose between 4-speed levels. This humidifier is also easy to clean and can be moved around with minimum effort. Furthermore, you can install four casters at the bottom to move it on the ground.

What makes it more appealing is its evaporative wick. This ingenious feature traps the minerals in the air and discards them. It doesn’t include any belts or pulleys either. Therefore, it’s much easier to assemble without any professional help.

Furthermore, it comes with a PDF manual you can follow if you’re having any problems installing it. This whole-house evaporative humidifier can efficiently cover 3600 square feet of area. Surprisingly, it only requires 120V to operate daily.

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4. AIRCARE EP9 800 Digital Whole House Humidifier

Sliding in at number 4 is this exclusive model with pedestal-style design. This is a fully digital humidifier with various features powered by digital technology. It’s equipped with a digital humidistat that gives you accurate measures of humidity in any certain room.

The humidistat will tell you which settings are ideal for any humidity level. You can set the humidity levels according to the information to attain optimum humidity throughout the house. Even the voltage use of the device can be altered according to your liking.

A more intriguing feature is its nine different fan speeds. This significantly makes the humidification process faster. It can cover up to 2400 square feet and humidify evenly, no matter which settings you choose. Due to its remarkable pedestal design, it weighs around 27 pounds.

Its unique design makes it more stable and takes up very little space. Thus, you can fit it in tight corners of your household. Being an evaporative humidifier, it turns the water into water vapour by blowing on it with a fan. This highly prohibits dust distribution.

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5. Honeywell HE360A Humidifier

Last but not least, we bring you the HE360A model, which is renowned for its low maintenance requirements. It introduces a flow-through system that offers smooth and efficient humidification. This device is so efficient that it rarely needs cleaning.

The foam pad media panel can be easily changed within just 5 minutes. Installation is also pretty simple and doesn’t require much electrical experience or time. You can install it on any source of warm air in your house. It can also be mounted onto a particular duct of the furnace that supplies heated air.

Sadly, while the manufacturers will provide you an instruction manual, you might need to buy some extra hardware. This model can operate at different speeds, and can effectively humidify 4200 square feet of area. Your household humidity level will remain within the ideal 35% to 55% range.

Before mounting it in a specific location, the excess water must be discarded. A condensation pump might be useful for this task. You can set it up wherever you please as long as it’s connected to a hot air supply. It also includes a built-in humidistat.

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How Does Whole House Humidifier Work in the System?

Whole house humidifiers are connected to the hot air ducts, situated near your in-house furnace. They also need to be connected directly to the water supply unit. The humidifier turns the water into vapor, with the help of a rotating drum, and disperses it to the atmosphere.

Some models use a steam-powered system for this process. As the humidifier starts working, the water constantly seeps down the humidifier pad, which is then collected by the rotating drum or distributed as a mist into the air. Different models rely on different techniques to carry out this process.

Air is passed into the humidifier via the duct, which meets the water inside. The water is then evaporated and distributed into the air to increase the moisture around the whole house.

This is caused by the air that exits from the other side of the humidifier. The air cycled by your running furnace is directed into the humidifier.

Then, the air joins the room’s airflow after going through the humidifier. This air that is dispersed all-around your house has increased moisture levels. Therefore, your entire house is completely humidified.

 

How to Clean Whole House Humidifier?

Before you clean a whole house humidifier, make sure all the power is switched off. To avoid the risk of getting electrocuted, unplug the device completely.

• Step 1

After emptying the water reservoir, fill it to 2/3 and add chlorine bleach to it. This will take care of any microbes present inside. To make sure the corners are clean too, stir the water solution gently.

• Step 2

Make sure you replace the filter in your humidifier at least once a year. After draining the water, fill it again and rinse the filter or wick (based on your model). Wipe off the grains of dust accumulated inside. Once you’re done with this step, replace the filter with a new one.

• Step 3

Use a cloth dipped in diluted vinegar to clean the outer part of the device. At the end of each heating season, clean the mineral deposits off the components thoroughly. For more efficient cleaning, soak the contaminated components in a heavy vinegar solution for 15-20 minutes.

• Step 4

Wipe all the components until they are fully dry, and there is no water dripping from them.

 

How to Set Up a Whole House Humidifier?

To properly set up a whole-house humidifier, you need the following things.

• Screw-driver
• Black marker
• Drill and bit
• Wrench
• Aviation snips
• Humidifier unit
• Plastic vent pipe
• Metal screws
• Wire nuts

 

Step 1

Depending on the manufacturer’s instructions and templates provided, use a felt tip marker to mark the hole where you want to install the humidifier. This will set an outline for the next step. Drill a hole in a corner with the cordless drill and bit. To cut out the hole, use an aviation snip.

After positioning the mounting plate in place, drill the screw holes. Install the mounting plate and secure it using metal screws.

 

Step 2

Refer to the provided instructions to determine where the humidistat should be positioned. This might differ for each type of model. Cut out the holes after marking the outline.

 

Step 3

With the humidistat and mounting plate attached, it’s time to install the unit. Refer to the instructions to know exactly how to attach the humidistat to the ductwork. If it requires a step-down transformer to function, make sure you install it before wiring the humidistat.

 

Step 4

It’s time to link the humidistat and the solenoid valve together. Take special precautions in this step to make sure you don’t get electrocuted. You will also need wire nuts for this task. The wire ends should be carefully inserted into the nuts afterward.

 

Step 5

Find a water supply line that will allow the humidistat to access the water supply. You will need a saddle valve to connect them both. Fasten it with the compression fitting. If local codes don’t allow using a saddle valve, install a T-fitting instead.

 

Types of Whole House Humidifier

There are 3 types of whole house humidifiers among current models. The types and their functions are as follows.

• Drum Style Humidifiers

These types of humidifiers come with a foam pad mounted on a drum. Water is collected on the foam pad as the drum spins. The water is then evaporated, which passes through the humidifier.

However, the pad may need replacement often as they can pick up mold from the passing air. They are pretty inexpensive otherwise.

 

• Disc Wheel Humidifiers

Similar to the drum and pad in a drum style humidifier, disc wheel humidifiers are equipped with spinning plastic discs. Although they are a bit expensive, these types of humidifiers don’t need constant maintenance like their counterpart.

• Flow-through Humidifiers

Flow-through humidifiers don’t rely on a water reservoir like the other two. They are equipped with an aluminum biscuit, and the air passes through it. As the water flows down through it, it’s evaporated into the air. One drawback of flow-through humidifiers is the waste of water.

Not all of the water that passes through it is converted into vapor. They don’t require much maintenance, though, as mold accumulation is not a problem.

• Spray Mist Humidifiers

Spray mist humidifiers spray water directly into the air in the form of mist. This is picked up by the flowing air and increases its moisture. These humidifiers are cheap, efficient, and hardly require maintenance. However, the spray nozzle can often get clogged and needs replacement.

 

How to Maintain a Whole House Humidifier?

Methods for maintaining whole-house humidifiers differ for each model. We are going to discuss how to maintain the two common types of humidifiers.

• Steam Humidifiers

Before anything else, make sure you turn off the humidistat of the steam humidifier. In terms of steam humidifiers, you need to keep the water supply on. With the humidistat off, the humidifier will automatically flush itself over a certain period.

Turning the water supply off will cause the water inside the reservoir to go stagnant. This will induce mold and algae formation, which can be harmful to you. During off-seasons, the heating elements in steam humidifiers can get clogged. Call an HVAC technician to fix that issue.

• Bypass Humidifiers

Also known as evaporative humidifiers, they add water to the airflow through evaporation. A duct damper in the media panel redirects a portion of the heated airflow. Water vapor is picked up by the airflow as the water flows down a media panel.

The media panel is usually made of an aluminum honeycomb mesh or a foam pad. A honeycomb mesh doesn’t ideally need replacing or maintenance. If it has a foam pad, you might consider replacing it before winter. Remove the foam pad before it’s contaminated by mold and algae.

After turning off the humidistat and water supply, soak the foam pad in a 50/50 vinegar and water solution. This will get rid of all the contaminants.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why should I need a whole-house humidifier?

Whole-house humidifiers work in unison with your heating and cooling system. This generously adds moisture to the air, giving you a warm and crisp temperature in winter. Water flowing through the humidifier turns into vapor and humidifies the air. It also prevents harmful materials from flowing through the atmosphere.

2. Where should I set up a whole-house humidifier?

Each model has a certain capacity that can humidify a particular amount of space efficiently. Keeping that in mind, you should set it up, in particular, where most of your family members can benefit from it. Most ideal places for portable humidifiers are master bedrooms or the living room.

3. What is the whole specialty house, humidifier?

The specialty of whole house humidifiers is the ability to work together with your in-house heating or cooling system. It can also use return air ducts from the furnace to give you the perfect humidity levels you desire.

4. What are the health benefits of a whole-house humidifier?

Whole-house humidifiers prevent germs from flowing in the atmosphere. This will defend you from air transmitted diseases. Proper humidity levels will also help you sleep better, and will be beneficial for your skin.

5. Are there any drawbacks to the whole house humidifier?

There are hardly any drawbacks of whole house humidifiers if you clean and replace the components in time.

 

Final Words

If you have read through the entire article, you are now capable of choosing the best portable whole house humidifier for you. Make sure you keep the key features in your mind while buying. Read the instructions provided before installing the device. If you find it too complicated, call an HVAC technician to do it for you.