We started our portable humidifier when we first turned on the furnace.
We wanted to make sure we didn’t have a repeat of past years. The humidity in our home, when we have the furnace running, is low that we both feel ready back. Without the humidifier, our humidity will drop down to less than 20%. My husband hands and feet will crack and bleed, then he has a difficult time doing anything. My skin gets grey and ashy. The skin will actually flake off. My hair gets so brittle that I end up with bald spots. My allergy get really bad and all I do is blow my nose all winter long. At first we thought it was the furnace and that it needed clean. Then they told us that our boiler didn’t need cleaning, and we didn’t have any ductwork. We had to purchase a couple of portable humidifier to offset the dryness of the heating. The humidifier brought up the humidity to more than 40%. My husband quit cracking, and I quit flaking. The humidifier was doing its job, but we were working really hard for the humidity. We had to run up and down the steps, several times a day, to keep water in the humidifier reservoir. It was costing us a lot of money to keep filters that make sure there is no germs going into the air. My husband is already tired of the portable humidifier and he is going to purchase a whole home humidifier that works with the furnace whenever it is running.