I live in the very hot, and dry mojave desert area of California, where the average humidity in summer stays around 5-10% in the daytime and 20% at night. Needless to say, this level of humidity is very tough on anyones skin and because of this my nose is constantly cracking on the inside, and constantly itches making me want to sneeze all the time. Although I couldn't do anything about this while at work or out and about away from home, I could do something for my house!
I have been a big fan of humidifiers for many years. Not only are they relatively inexpensive for what they do, but they make a world of difference for your breathing and overall health and are completely safe to use. I have owned the cool-mist (impeller versions), cool-mist (wicking versions), warm mist (boiling versions), and finally this ultrasonic model. I will attempt to give my best, most objective opinions below on what I have experienced...
Impeller humidifiers (POOR):
These humidifiers, along with the warm mist versions can be found almost anywhere (grocery stores, walmart, drug stores etc). Impeller humidifiers work by taking the water and scattering it onto a fast moving fan and blowing it out a nozzle. This type of humidifer does humidify, but not very well. The problem with these is that they tend to put out very large, non-uniform size mist particles. Because of this, the mist comes out and usually falls to the floor due to the size (weight) of the water particles and therefore does not mix into the air very well. Therefore you will usually find the floor or area around the unit damp after using it for a while. These units also tend to leave the highest concentration of the infamous "white dust" all over your belongings. I would not recommend these versions.
Wicking humidifiers (AVERAGE):
These humidifiers are also fairly common and can be found in most stores, although not as common as warm mist or impeller versions. Wicking humidifiers work the same way a "swamp cooler" works. That is to say, water is soaked into a wick material (a very porous cloth) and a fan is used to blow air through the damp wick. As the dry air flows through the wick, it picks up moisture through evaporation, and blows it out the nozzle. The result is invisible, yet moist air. These versions work fairly well to humidify the air, but are a maintenence nightmare. They will require you to replace the wick (or clean it thoroughly) fairly common due to mold issues as well as replace the mineral filter (found in some models). The nice thing about these is that they usually produce little to no white dust and help to reduce the temperature inside the room. The downside is that they tend to take a long time to humidify the room and they have an exponential drop off in performance as the air becomes more saturated with water (less evaporation as the air gets more humid). I would not recommend these ones unless you are on a budget (usually fairly cheap).
Warm-mist humidifiers (GOOD):
These are my second favorite humidifiers out of the four versions. They are extremely easy to find, cheap, well performing, and sanitary. These units work by boiling the water and producing a steam, much like you feel as you boil a pot of water for your spagetti at night. Steam works the best for humidifying the air quickly and large amounts. You can get well over 80% humidity in your room using these versions. They are also very sanitary since the steam is produced from hot, boiled water, killing any bacteria that may be in the water. The downside is that the steam exiting straight from the unit is usually VERY hot and could burn your skin quite easily, so be careful with kids near these. They also heat up the room considerably, making it hard to keep a steady humidity in the room without having to use the air conditioner to keep the temperature down (a/c will suck the moisture out of the air again if its on). They do work very well though, and I do recommend them next to ultrasonic versions for their quick humidification qualities and sanitary operation.
Ultrasonic humidifiers (EXCELLENT):
These are my favorite of the bunch (I am rating the Vicks V5100N here) for their silent operation, abundance of ultrafine vapor, and reliable operation. These units work by vibrating water at an ultrasonic frequency resulting in a super fine mist that mixes very well in the air. The vicks model is very well designed, looks great, and is easy and efficient to operate. The amount of vapor it produces is impressive, and its operation is reliable and fairly maintenence-free (aside from the usual cleaning once and awhile). If you choose to use the water filters (they reduce the white dust), you will need to replace them every couple months or so. I am using the one that comes with the unit right now, however, once this one gets clogged up I will just use the unit without the filter. This is the nice flexibility aspect of these humidifiers, you dont need to use the filter if you dont want to. Performance wise, these units rate second to warm-mist versions. They do produce a LOT of vapor, however, the particle size is still not as fine as steam and therefore is not as efficient mixing with the air as steam models. Using the vicks humidifier in my 12' by 14' room, I am able to get a humidity of 75% with the unit set on max, with a temperature of 85 degrees. This is very good compared to the previous units I had. The vapor produced is clean and very fine, with a slightly cool feeling. The initial few hours of operation will give you a little white dust, however, it diminishes after that to practically nothing. Overall, an excellent humidifier. There really are no cons, except for the somewhat cheesy tank design. The top part looks great, but the tank is literally glued onto the tank floor, which looks to be a weak spot if it were banged around too much. Be careful not to break this seal, treat the tank with care. I highly recommend this humidifier!
Hopefully my breakdown of the various models has helped you with your decision. In order, I would recommend: 1) Ultrasonic, 2) Warm-mist, 3) Wicking, and 4) Cool-mist (Impeller).
Good luck!
Kaz.com
