We have an Aprilaire but it is attached to our heater and we have air ducts to circulate it...not familiar with a ductless system. Sorry.

We live in Indiana, cold but not horrible (except for this past winter), and have a whole house humidifier and a gas furnace. The problem with humidifiers is it is easy to get the humidity too high in the winter which leads to condensation on the windows and possibly in the walls. Condensation on our aluminum clad windows with painted interiors lead to paint failure on the interior window horizontal surfaces. We spent several thousand dollars having the windows repainted.

The point of condensation on windows is dependent not only on the interior humidity but also on the temperature outside. The humidity level in the house might be just right, with no condensation on the windows, but then a cold spell hits and condensation forms on the windows before the humidity level in the house can fall. It is important to lower the humidifier thermostat as the temperature outside falls. So you can potentially be fiddling with the humidifier thermostat every day and still get condensation on the windows.

If you don't have a gas furnace (which warms your house with dry, hot air) then the humidity level in your home probably won't drop to uncomfortable levels in the winter. You didn't say where you are building. Minnesota cold air is way drier than what we have here in Indiana. For the most part in the winter our house is not uncomfortably dry. People, pets and plants add humidity to the air.

With what I have learned about indoor humidity and the damage to our windows from condensation. I would not have a whole house humidifier again. I turned ours off several years ago.

We currently live in an area of high humidity and are concerned with the adjustment on our bodies going from high to low humidity and are looking at a way to get an whole house humidifier system.

You will adjust within a couple of weeks. Basically, learn to drink more water and use a moisturizer. The main problem people experience is dry mucus membranes, and a saline spray takes care of that.

What you don't want is the regular shock of going from warm humid inside air to cold, dry outside air or the reverse ... that's really annoying. And that is what the humidifier would give you.

He feels an ERV would be able to maintain a decent amount of relative humidity without introducing additional humidity into the home.

He's right. The quantity of water normal human activity introduces into the air is astounding.

The ERV would have adjustable humidity, so you can set it to something reasonable, like 30% RH and it can handle it.

I can't advise on systems, but don't think you'll really need one. If I recall correctly, you are building near Durango and are from Texas. We're from south central Arkansas and have a second home in Steamboat Springs (and will be building there in a couple of years, so I am following your progress closely). Anyway, I do know where you are coming from with the differences in RH. Our existing Steamboat house is pretty tight and at first we expected the dryness to be a factor. We are out there anywhere between 2-6 weeks at least three times a year. We actually do have ductwork with a Hot Water Forced Air system and considered adding central air. In the end we did not have a problem with the humidity (or lack thereof) beyond using a portable room humidifier in our bedroom occasionally. We also decided that central air that would probably only be used during the heat of the day about 3-4 weeks in the summer was not worth it. On hot days, we spend a bit more time in the basement (always stays cool) and on very hot days DH may sleep in the basement, but even on the hottest days, the temp is back in the 40s-50s by bedtime and we sleep with the upstairs winds open.

Drink lots of water, use a heavier moisturizer than you do at home and buy a portable humidifier to use in your bedroom at night if you feel the dryness too much. I doubt you will need it often. The thing I see about a whole house humidifier is it is just one more expense and one more thing to go out.

Love your lot, makes me jealous a bit. We went back and forth considering larger lots 5-7 miles out of town or smaller lots in a new subdivision in the middle of the base area. Even though the small town lot was more expensive, we finally decided we wanted to be in the middle of the action able to walk or ride bikes almost anywhere. Still when I see lots as pretty as yours I second guess my decision.

I also love your plans. Does your architect work else in the state and would he be someone you would recommend? We will probably begin discussions with architects in August.

This post was edited by mojomom on Fri, May 30, 14 at 9:12

Our hvac guy asked what kind of trim we were putting in. Since we were doing painted wood he suggested a whole house humidifier. Now that we have it I'm doubting we needed it. We are not doing huge upper cove molding/trim etc. I've been in houses without a whole house humidifier and the trim was pulling apart, but it was only noticeable because the trim was huge. We do have hardwood floors and the thought of keeping the cracks to a minimum in the winter is a nice thought... Will see how it works out.

Jen

A "very tight" home doesnot normally need whole house humidification. You will get all the humidity you need from the normal activities of a family--bathing, food preparation, breathing.

If anything, what you may need is whole house dehumidification.

I've been building/renovating since the early '80s in a cold climate (southern Ontario). Where I would sometimes include two humidifiers early on, for the last ten years, I don't add any humidification but always recommend a dehumidifier in the basement.

We have a fish tank in our bedroom, which provides all the extra moisture we need in the room (we're in North Dakota). When we had 3 large fish tanks in the house, we needed a dehumidifier in the winter.

Pre-fish tank, we got a whole-house humidifier, because I tend to get a bloody nose if the air is too dry. As nanj said, it needed to be adjusted for outside temp, and eventually became much more trouble than it was worth.

Both my Mom and MIL have a small humidifier in the bedroom in the winter, and those work just fine.

Thanks for the responses. Interesting reading and your comments further confirm our builders response and our own conclusions from further investigation.

We are not going with the humidifier, as mojomom said, it's one more expense (in a long line of them) and one more thing to go wrong. I liked the solution of a fish tank, clever idea!

Mojomom, thank you for your kind comments. I chuckled when I read you have lot envy. We too vacillated between in town and out. In the end we chose to be 20 min from town and while it's gorgeous, every time I'm in town, I wonder if we made the right decision. I guess the grass always looks greener on the other side:)

As for our architect, I should explain our rather unorthodox way of building. We found our builder first and after interviewing multiple architects with no avail, our builder recommended him. We opted for the team approach and from the get go, every meeting included us, the architect, the builder and the designer. This approach has allowed us to design a home not only that we love, but can afford. It has been long process, but our team has been great. I recommend our architect with one caveat; he is "old school" as he does actual models rather than computer generated models. This may or may not appeal to you. If you want his name you can email me.

I think thats a wise decision harringk and want to caution others that humidifiers can introduce serious problems. If you have window condensation in the winter you can bet that there is other condensation going on inside the wall cavities. water+wood+ no air movement=trouble.

If you find that the home is too dry (RH

Here is a link that might be useful: Why you dont need a humidifier.