Wool..IMO, consoles are the best humidifers. The smaller 1-3 gallons either wet the floor/curtains, or doesn't put enough water enough water in the air. (30% humidity is pretty low). A few of the smaller, filter-less humidfiers were recalled..they were emitting white powder that ruined tvs, all types of electrictonic equipment. My MIL had one. It turned out being a disaster. We use cool mist. One humidifer is a 10-gallon, Holmes.. Home Depot sells consoles..(they hold 10-gallons.) At least the HD's here sell them. Don't know about CA. Walmart sells humidifers, too, from small to larger. Warm mist humidifers seem to take forever to heat up. At least those I've seen. I have two sitting in the basement..tried them, don't like them.. The only problem with cool mist, the general area is a little cooler. lol..but it's not a big problem. For those of us who love plants but surrounded with dry air...it IS mandatory investing in a humidifer. Unless the only plants grown are cactus and succulents. lol Before buying on do a little researcch. I can't tell you the number of times I bought humifiers only to find out they were discontinued..the problem is finding filter. If 'x' humidifer is no longer around, finding a compatable filter is a job and a half. Then there's price..Filter prices range from 5.00 to 26.00. If you have a cat/dog who are constant shedders, count on changing the filter several times a year. I set up our humidifer in Nov and on my 3rd filter...it's already filled with dog hair, ready for a new one..sigh. An advantage of filter=less humidfers..So, do your homewor before purchasing one..Toni

Sounds to me like the duct work feeding the ceiling registers are not insulated and are chilled down sufficiently to condense water from the heated air. With my HP the temperature is too low to use an evaporator humidifier in the forced air, such as is common with gas and oil fired furnaces where the plenum temperatures run well over 100 degrees. But I understand you to say you have humidifiers in the heat pump air stream. Perhaps I misunderstand, and that may be all my fault, it is late and I opened this thread seeing no one had responded. I haven't given your post the careful reading needed I'm sure, but offer the above with the suggestion, by all means, lower you humidity setting.

Steam is the only way to go. It will not leave that white residue that non steam units do, and because they actually boil the water, they are much more sanitary inside. I just replaced my EWC 110 volt steam humidifier with a 220 volt skuttle steam humidifiier in my personal house. What part of the country do you live in? I STRONGLY suggest that you make sure you spec and install a 220 volt unit. Even in Southern California, the performance of the 110 volt (12kw) unit was dissapointing. The unit could run for hours and never satisfy the humidistat and shut off. Since changing the unit to the higher steam output 220 volt model, the performance has improved incredibly. Unlike A/C, oversizing the steam humidifier is a good thing (within reason). For what it's worth, both the EWC and the Skuttle both drain off the water to prevent junk from growing inside. The EWC drains completely after use and the water has cooled to below 140 degrees. The Skuttle has a programmable timer that opens the drain valve for 10, 20 or 30 seconds every 30 minutes depending how it is set. Both brands will turn the furnace blower on independantly of the thermostat to humidify the house if needed. You have to remember to shut down the unit for the summer because you dont need it runing during cooling season - it will put extra load on the A/C I had a lot of problems with my EWC steam unit and can not personally reccommend it. The Skuttle that replaced it is a lot simpler of a unit and has given me NO problems. I ended up buying my Skuttle brand new in the box on eBay. Make sure you get a good digital humidiatat with an outdoor temperaure sensor that adjusts the indoor humidity based on the OSA temp. www.ewccontrols.com or www.skuttle.com

Kristy, Several questions; What is the make and model of the humidifier?, What is the make and model of the Thermostat? What is the age of the house? Is your house sealed properly to retain the humidity? Is the humidifer media wet when calling for humidification? Do you have an HRV or ERV? A contractor typically has to guaranty his work for one full year, What does your contract say? You can file a complaint with your State Attorney General and the Better Business Bureau to help negotiations with the contractor along. If the contractor misrepresented, his licensure may be at risk. If you have a bypass type humidifier, the damper in the bypass may be restricting the airflow thru the unit. The water valve could be partially closed. The existing thermostat may be able to monitor humidity, but may not be able to control the humidifier. Were the wires connected correctly to the existing thermostat? A humidifer is only energized when there is airflow in the ductwork. There is a sail switch or air pressure differential switch that senses flow in the duct, then energizes the humidifier. If the humidty control is calling for humidification, the water valve will open and wet the media in the humidifier. Water may trickle down the drain line from the humidifier. Of course if the house does not have vapor tight seals on the doors and windows, a proper vapor barrier in the walls, all drafts sealed tight, insulating gaskets on the exterior wall switches & outlets, HRV or ERV set on minimum ventilation rate - Unless all the above are addressed, you may not be able to retain the humidity in your home. At 30% humidty you will get static electricity and it feels uncomfortable. At 40%, this is a typical minimum comfort level and no static electricity. 40% - 45% relative humidity is reasonable. Higher humidity levels are not recommended. Hope this helps! Dan Martyn