Mayhaps I need a humidifier in my apartment?

[jaylach]

While I'm not in a desert region I do live in Wyoming which is normally a bit arid. My little 20 gallon nano cube is pretty well sealed with just vents in the hinged hood yet I have to add at least a half gallon of water every 2-3 days if not more. I wonder if I added a room humidifier it would help. Actually not just for the tank but, also for me, Even with all the evaporation from my tank the air is still very dry.

Sometimes, especially during the winter months, this is so bad that I will wake up in the middle of the night with my mouth so dry that my tongue is pretty much stuck to the roof. LOL! I always go to bed with a large thermal mug of ice water on my night stand. Obviously I need more humidity but wonder if a reasonably sized humidifier would actually make a lot of difference as I MUST sleep with my windows cracked open a bit.

 

[Alice B]

my aquariums are humidifiers. I'm running about 70% humidity right now, but when the cold snap hits all that humidity will stick to my exterior windows and room humidity will drop to around 30%.

 

[Fishmanic]

get a humidistat to measure room humidity. The ideal room humidity is beween 35 to 50%. If yours measures lower or if your sinuses feel dry and you get more blood noses in the winter, you might benefit from a humidifier.

 

[GaryE]

Canadian dollar stores sell gauges for $4 (a dollar ain't what it used to be} that give me the same readings as more expensive devices. I have the opposite to you, with a super insulated fishroom by the sea, and I monitor it closely.

The open window will defeat most machines, but you might want to get a small humidifier that blows moisture over you as you sleep. It won't do much for the house, but may help the sinus dryness.

For the tank, don't top up. Twice weekly small water changes will delight the fish. Otherwise, minerals don't evaporate and your tank water will quickly become very different from your source.

The next choice is to move somewhere where you sit in 6 feet of snow with good humid air.

 

[emeraldking]

my aquariums are humidifiers

Same here...

 

[Back in the fold]

Time for a really big aquarium .

 

[jaylach]

I sort of prefer to do one larger change than a couple of smaller each week. The 'topping off' is just to keep the water level up between changes.

I sort of wonder if this could be something with my furnace as the outside humidity right now is stated at 57% on my weather app yet my bird's water bowl was almost dry when I woke up. Trust me in that he does not drink that much.

The reason that I need to keep my windows cracked is heat as it rises. I live in a third floor apartment and, if I don't keep the windows cracked, it will get over 80F even with the heat set at 70.

 

[GaryE]

What kind of heat? Oil?

 

[jaylach]

Electric but I'm not exactly sure about the heat source. I THINK the heat is supplied by an electridal element but it MIGHT be water. The only reason that I say the possibility of water is that is how the A/C works with a large outside water chiller that is pumping water through the A/C via a radiator by the blower. It is possible the heat source could be the same but the heat supplied by the buildings boilers but I really don't think the boilers are large enough to handle both heat and hot water.

 

[Uberhoust]

A humidifier might help with a lot of your dry air issues but raising the humidity can cause issues as well such as door frames swelling, and increased mold spores where the humidity is normally higher. Rather than humidify the air, you could arrange the tank so that the drop over a week doesn't place the water level at a bad point then you top up the tank when you do your weekly water change. I used to live in a drier environment and moving to the coast has caused some of my older furniture to warp a bit due to the increase in humidity. I am definitely biased on this issue.

 

[jaylach]

A humidifier might help with a lot of your dry air issues but raising the humidity can cause issues as well such as door frames swelling, and increased mold spores where the humidity is normally higher. Rather than humidify the air, you could arrange the tank so that the drop over a week doesn't place the water level at a bad point then you top up the tank when you do your weekly water change. I used to live in a drier environment and moving to the coast has caused some of my older furniture to warp a bit due to the increase in humidity. I am definitely biased on this issue.

Not really an option of moving the tank. Ya, I could move it but it would still be in my living room which is an open area. The way my apartment is setup is bathroom and bedroom separate rooms with doors that are closed during the day. The living/dining room area and kitchen is one open space with a counter separating the kitchen. Basically it is all one open space.

Several years ago I had a mist type humidifier and had no problem with doors or anything but the unit died and I never replaced.

Oh, I also have ceiling fans in the bedroom and living room. Could they be a factor? I DO notice that during the day my living room ceiling fan is off and I don't have the dry mouth thing but I'm always having a glass of something in front of me that I'm sipping. Bedroom ceiling fan runs all the time but, during the day, the door is closed. I have the living room ceiling fan turned off during the day as the main door for my bird cage is open... I'd hate to see the puff of feathers if he flew into the fan...

Since the wall not shown in the below image is pretty solid electronics and the counter partially shown is the divider to the kitchen. I could move my couch a bit and switch the positions of the bird cage and tank but I don't see how it would make much difference as both would still be in the same area. I really think that my best option is probably a humidifier that is rated in the area of around 150% of my apartment size.

What the heck... Since I just showed my day area here is the rest. LOL! Ya, I know that I live in constant clutter but I'm comfortable. Still there is reason for showing as I just don't see where I could move the tank to where it would make a difference.

From the living room to the kitchen area...

'Media wall': The largest display is a 55 inch. The middle is 43 inch. The left most is a 27 inch connected as an external monitor for my laptop.

 

[Uberhoust]

I think we might be overthinking this a bit. If you are finding the air dry uncomfortable than for you a humidifier would be appropriate. I wouldn't add a humidifier for the fish tank alone. Your fish tank is not very large and will not be adding any more moisture to the air than cooking in the kitchen. I don't believe the ceiling fan will affect things that much as it appears you have the standard 8' ceilings.

I was speaking from my experience where I went from low humidity, East Kootenays, to high humidity all year long, Vancouver Island. I also run a 75 gallon and a 37 gallon tank in a kitchen/den combination somewhat similar to yours.

A cluttered home indicates an active mind. My workshop looks worse.

 

[Alice B]

I'm not taking pictures of my office, you don't want to see.... put a mist humidifier in your bedroom and plug in when you go to bed, unplug in the morning. That's the cheap and easy.

 

[jaylach]

I think we might be overthinking this a bit. If you are finding the air dry uncomfortable than for you a humidifier would be appropriate. I wouldn't add a humidifier for the fish tank alone. Your fish tank is not very large and will not be adding any more moisture to the air than cooking in the kitchen. I don't believe the ceiling fan will affect things that much as it appears you have the standard 8' ceilings.

I was speaking from my experience where I went from low humidity, East Kootenays, to high humidity all year long, Vancouver Island. I also run a 75 gallon and a 37 gallon tank in a kitchen/den combination somewhat similar to yours.

A cluttered home indicates an active mind. My workshop looks worse.

Agreed. Would never do just for the fish as a humidifier isn't gonna make water moister. A humidifier would be for myself and my bird.

I'm not taking pictures of my office, you don't want to see.... put a mist humidifier in your bedroom and plug in when you go to bed, unplug in the morning. That's the cheap and easy.

That would be the more economical but less help for my bird as I keep the bedroom door closed during the day.

 

[StevenF]

The reason that I need to keep my windows cracked is heat as it rises. I live in a third floor apartment and, if I don't keep the windows cracked, it will get over 80F even with the heat set at 70.

That is the first problem you need to solve. As long as that window is cracked open you will not be able to increase the humidity in your apartment. Talk to your land lord and and the people living in the apartments below you and ask if they have the same issue.. Verify the thermostats are working and that the heat actually turns off when it is not needed. Also try turning off the heater completely . If the room stays warm something is wrong and needs to be fixed. If your neighbors have there rooms at 70 your place should not get to 80.

Once that is fixed be advised that once the air temperature is fixed be advised that if you increase humidity too much moisture will start to condense on the windows and exterior door which could lead to mold problems and cloud cause damage.

Your only other option would be to decrease the temperature of the water in your tank to help reduce the evaporation rate.