Does a whole-house humidifier go upstairs, or downstairs?

November 13, 2015 6:21 AM

We're planning on getting the Aprilaire 800 steam humidifier installed. But, the question is: upstairs, where we sleep, or downstairs?

The HVAC installers suggest downstairs, as heat rises, and usually the downstairs unit works the most (to keep replacing the warmed hair that is rising).

I initially thought upstairs would make more sense, as that's where the bedrooms are, and where we spend the most time--asleep!

The upstairs furnace is in an attic. The downstairs furnace is in a mechanical closet in the garage.

We want to avoid dried out skin and dry coughs in the winter with a whole-house humidifier--we live in Georgia, so humidity almost any other time of year is not lacking.

Have you had a steam humidifier installed? Where did you have it put in?

posted by FergieBelle to Home & Garden (2 answers total)

Given that I (and, I think, most people with humidifiers) run ours at night while we sleep, I would get it installed upstairs.
posted by amro at 6:38 AM on November 13, 2015

You're going to get more overall humidity in the house if you put it on the furnace that runs the most. In a duct system, you're not going to lose a ton of moisture over that little distance.

I would trust the HVAC folks on this. I generally find that they aren't terribly inclined to give bad advice (probably because of warranties).
posted by Lyn Never at 8:04 AM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]