Do you need water in the water chamber if you DON’T turn on the humidifier?

While the humidifier is turned off there is no need to keep water in it. it doesn’t increase the humidity level of your room. but it works in one condition, if fresh air can flow over the water then by natural evaporation room humidity will be increased. it will only work for those room, whare the humidity requirement is very low. In cold places where someone needs high moisture, this method will not work.  Sometimes when people run the humidifier on the lowest setting, their humidity level increases more than the required level, which is very uncomfortable and makes it hard to breathe. Dry air has more capacity to hold water than moist air. But with this method, you will get a very low amount of moisture, which will be of no use in the winter season. If your requirement is very low, you can try this. If it doesn’t work for you and you still feel all those problems of low humidity that you felt before having a humidifier, this blog will talk about the solution and a lot of misconceptions about humidifiers. 

First, I suggest you buy a hygrometer from Amazon. By doing this, you will know the moisture level of your house. We know 45-50% is the perfect moisture level for a home. So, if the moisture level of your home is 25% in winter, you can use the humidifier as per the requirement. 

Some people complain that even if they set the humidifier to 1, the moisture level is higher than needed. If this happens to you, keep water in it while you turn it off. Through natural evaporation, the moisture level will increase. If you need more moisture, I suggest you buy a humidistat-controlled humidifier. The reason I suggest this is that you can set the required humidity level. Imagine you set it to 45%. When the moisture level reaches 45%, the humidifier will turn off or slow down its working process. And if the humidity level drops below 45%, it will turn on automatically. This is how humidistat-controlled humidifiers work.

I suggested a humidifier to one of my friends, and after a few days, he told me it wasn’t working properly. He found his mouth and lips dry every morning. I thought about it a lot but couldn’t find any solution. Then, during a trip, I noticed he slept with his mouth open, and I found the reason why he felt dry mouth and lips every morning. If you sleep with your mouth open like my friend, your mouth will be dry no matter what humidifier you use. 

You will find portable humidistat-controlled humidifiers and another type that is used with existing HVAC systems. If your house has ductwork, you can use it with the duct line. Portable ones are for those who want simplicity, want to control just a single room’s humidity, or want to use it for a very short time. On the other hand, a ducted humidistat-controlled humidifier is for commercial or industrial places, or if your house has an HVAC system, you can use it with the existing duct line. Just install it and set it as per your requirement. This kind of humidifier is used to control larger spaces. By using it, you can increase the humidity in every room of your house, commercial space, or industrial area. 

But with a ducted humidistat-controlled humidifier, you need to change the humidifier pad yearly. I prefer to change it before winter starts. You can buy a humidifier pad from Honeywell. Changing it is very simple: first, close the water valve, then dismantle the old humidifier pad, and install the new one. 

But if you have a regular humidifier that doesn’t have the sensor to maintain the required humidity, you will face some issues. I know some people who face common problems like feeling uncomfortable even if they set it to 1. In this case, as I mentioned before, buy a hygrometer. Using a hygrometer, you can see the actual humidity level of your room. After you turn it on, if you see the hygrometer showing a humidity level higher than 50%, set it to the lowest setting. Even after this, if the humidity level is still higher, I suggest you turn it off. once the humidity level exceeds 50%. After some time, turn it back on, or go for a humidistat-controlled humidifier. 

The best setting for a humidifier:

You will find a lot of articles and videos on this topic, with people saying that for summer, this setting is best, and for winter, that setting is best. But I will not talk a lot about this topic. I respect what they are saying, but I will end shortly with my own thoughts. 

How much humidity you need for your home depends on where you live or the humidity level of your place. I don’t know where you are reading this blog from, and I also don’t know the humidity level of your area. But with a simple trick, you can find the solution for yourself. 50% is the perfect humidity level for a home. If you have a humidistat-controlled humidifier, set it to 50%. If you have a normal humidifier, you don’t need to listen to anyone who doesn’t know your humidity level. Use a hygrometer, find it out yourself.

In winter, if you see the hygrometer showing 20% humidity, adjust the setting until the hygrometer shows 45-50% humidity. Use that setting for yourself. 

In the summer season, you don’t need a humidifier if the hygrometer shows a 60% humidity level. If your home has central AC, the air conditioner (like Midea, LG, Daikin, Dunham-Bush, etc.) can absorb moisture from the air. Then, you may need a humidifier. In summer, when the humidity level is already 60%, don’t keep water in it. Remove the water tank and check if the humidifier is getting hot. If it generates heat, disconnect it. This can be harmful to the plastic body. 

Some people think that after putting water in the humidifier, they are drowning, and they always keep the tank attached because they believe if they don’t, the noise will increase. 

I don’t agree with these issues. If you feel like you’re drowning, you may set it on a higher surface level than your head. Set it a couple of inches lower than your head. And when it comes to attached tanks reducing noise, it’s not true, and I don’t agree with it. If you think it’s useful for you, maybe your particular model has some issues, and for that reason, you find this method useful. 

I think you get it now. Keeping water in the humidifier when it is not on will help you if you need a very small amount of moisture in your room. If it doesn’t work, try the other ways I mentioned. I have shared my thoughts here, and everything depends on the humidity level of your area. Experiment if you want to. If you have any different experiments or thoughts, share them in the comments or email me.”