High ceiling houses evoke grandeur. Tall ceilings make the overall space look and feel bigger. However, it’s not just the impressive interior that you should always consider, your comfort should be your main priority.
Homes or spaces with high ceilings usually have the most issues with low humidity during the wintertime because of additional volume. Since there is a demand for additional humidity for tall ceiling spaces, you may want to look for inexpensive options to lessen the problem without hurting your wallet.
This is why I decided to tackle the high ceiling, low-humidity issue by applying science and arts. Since my specialty is humidity, I needed to learn the aesthetic value of high ceiling houses so I decided to once again talk to one of the experts when it comes to home interior designs, Sierra Parker.
Interview with New York Based Home Interior Designer Sierra Parker
Hi Sierra! It’s nice to talk to you once again. Thank you for always gracing my invitation.
Nice to talk to you again Leona, it’s always fun sharing thoughts with you.
Well, this time I needed your help with high ceiling houses.
Oh Ok sure, are you planning on switching careers, Leona?
Oh no! Not at all, it’s about my topic on low humidity on high ceiling homes or spaces.
Just kidding! I know how much you wanted to share vast knowledge with your readers. So how can I help you with high ceilings spaces?
Let’s start off with the different ceiling heights, does the ceiling height make any significance in the overall home structure? Could you elaborate on this?
That’s a great concern, Leona! In terms of aesthetic values, the ceiling height is the make or break part of any home interior designs.
Back in the day, the standard height of all houses was 9ft but was reduced to 8ft at the turn of the century. Today, high ceilings are mostly used as per client request and some ceilings can even be 18ft tall!.
Vacation homes, contemporary houses, open-concept spaces, and condominiums are just a few home designs with high ceilings. Ceiling design is an essential element that defines your efforts to make a cozy, stylish room. High ceilings are more attractive while low ceilings make a room feel narrow and small.
But you know what Leona, there is actually another consideration when the house has multiple floors. Usually, the first floor will have a 9ft ceiling height and the rest of the floors will have the standard 8ft.
I see. What about the effects of humidity in high ceiling houses?
You see, during the winter season, low humidity is a common situation in almost every household.
And for sure you are also aware that low humidity can cause several discomforts such as dry skin and eyes, static electricity, chapped lips, dry hair, and even scratchy throats.
As a designer, I personally consider a lot of geographical and structural factors when I design; all these can actually affect the home interiors.
For the low humidity part, we integrate other design aspects that can alleviate low humidity problems like adding insulations plus HVAC systems or humidifiers.
Since the air is cold during winter, it also becomes drier and uncomfortable inside the house most especially if you got tall ceilings.
You mentioned that adding humidifiers can help in adding air moisture in a tall ceiling house, do you have a specific kind of humidifier in mind?
No none at all. I highly recommend humidifiers, be it central or portable. Portable humidifiers are affordable and effective solutions to add indoor air humidity that won’t skyrocket your bills.
The science behind the low humidity at wintertime is due to a lower relative indoor humidity, the reason why the air feels drier. But, the absolute humidity stays the same during the winter, even the outside air holds almost the same amount of water vapor as the indoor air.
You are right about that Sierra, but since the height of the room for example if higher than the usual, what type of humidifier is most preferred?
Apparently, not all humidifiers are made the same, although they do provide the same benefit, you may want to carefully consider the best humidifier for high ceilings and large rooms.
You need a humidifier that has a bigger capacity than you think you want, particularly for tall ceilings.
Aside from the health impacts of low humidity during the winter, the dry air can also affect the state of your ceilings, floors, and furniture. Most especially when your ceilings are made from wood.
Since the room ceiling is higher than usual, it may be difficult for a standard humidifier to reach the top, which can lead to uneven humidification and cause bacterial and mold build up on areas unreached.
Depending on the ceiling style, most of them use wood as the main material or moldings, and when there is low humidity, wood actually contracts when moisture is taken out, which later on cause the material to split apart on extreme conditions.
The scenario could even be worse if there is an attic apart above your high ceilings. The hot air accumulated due to low humidity can lead to freezing the attic and cause ice dams on the edges of your roof, which, later on, can cause leaks and damage the entire gutter system.
Wow, you really have to maintain a lot when you got high ceilings! So tell me, Sierra, can you recommend me what kind of humidifier to use? Your list could pretty much help my readers when they have high ceilings too.
I will certainly give you my best choices for humidifiers that work on high ceilings.
Again, thank you so much for imparting your expertise, Sierra. You are always a great help.
It’s always a pleasure too, Leona. You can contact me anytime you need my help.
I certainly will! Do you have any more to add?
Oh yes! Choosing the right humidifier is critical for houses with higher ceilings. Roughly you should look for a humidifier with a bigger capacity for better coverage.
Apart from the humidifier size and capacity, you should also acknowledge the other areas of the house or rooms to humidify, there should be adequate airflow among rooms for better humidification.
There are a lot of bigger and high capacity humidifiers working on different types, like an evaporative and an ultrasonic.
Once you have decided on what kind of humidifier to purchase, you should also consider the other features you need such as ease of use, maintenance, noise level, and more.
Oh yes speaking of, do you have any preferred humidifier type?
There is no specific type of humidifier dedicated to high-ceiling rooms.
Any type whether evaporative or ultrasonic, portable, console, or whole-house humidifier can actually do the job as long as the model you have has a bigger tank capacity.
Remember that the kind of humidifier you need greatly relies on the size of your unit and its mist output capacity.
Always choose the bigger size if you aim to humidify a larger space or better yet, consider installing a whole-house humidifier if your space has around 3,000 square feet or more and with multiple levels.
Is ultrasonic a better choice? How to size a humidifier that can cover a high ceiling home?
Each humidifier type has its own set of pros and cons. There are plenty of humidifier models and brands you can choose from.
In order to get the right humidifier for your high-ceiling room, you need to first measure the square footage of the given space.
The output of a humidifier is calculated in the number of gallons of water that your humidifier produces for absorption into the air in a 24-hour period.
Compact humidifiers have an output of 0.5 gallons up to 9 gallons per day, while a whole-house humidifier output is at 9 gallons or more in a day.
It takes a lot of maintenance when you do have a high-ceiling home, Leona. Which is why we educate our clients from architectural planning, execution and down to interior design.
It does involve a lot of work too, Sierra. Thank you for all the great info!
You are welcome, Leona. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Sure, you too, bye!
5 Best Humidifiers for High Ceilings, According To Sierra Parker (3 Portable+2 Console Humidifiers)
Choosing a humidifier that can fight off low-humidity problems in the winter doesn’t have to be expensive. It doesn’t need to be highly sophisticated as well, you just need to get the right features.
Fortunately, Sierra forwarded her top 5 choices of different brands and models for high ceiling rooms.
LEVOIT Ultrasonic Humidifier (1.5 Gallons)
Description (Click Here To Know More)
Specific Features (Click Here To Know More)
Having a big living room with high ceilings and maintaining a balanced humidity is a big concern.
Levoit 6L LV600HH humidifier has a bigger water tank capacity at 6L or 1.5gal compared to other big-sized humidifiers in the market.
This model has a remote control adjustment, so you don’t need to stand up every now and then just to set the humidity level. It also has an auto mode where it can set the humidity percentage to a comfortable level. It is also super quiet that you can also use it inside your baby’s room.
On the aesthetic side, this particular model is easy to clean and maintain. Its tank opening is wide enough so you can wipe the insides without having to worry about certain parts that are unreachable.
Basically, it has a practical design added with features from sophisticated models, but at a reasonable price.
Other features lovable about this model are the inclusion of both the warm mist and the cool mist setting. You can do the switch anytime based on your desired preferences.
Overall, you can use this humidifier on any large room or area with at least 753 sqft or 70 m2 or with high ceilings that a typical model cannot humidify. It’s a perfect choice for big houses or offices.
However, the only concern though is carrying this unit from one room to another; it doesn’t have any handles for easy transfer. Nevertheless, its performance thus exceeds anyone’s expectations.
Air Innovations Ultrasonic Humidifier (1.7 Gallons)
Description (Click Here To Know More)
Specific Features (Click Here To Know More)
Air Innovations Model 701B has everything you need in a humidifier. It’s particularly featured for bigger rooms of up to 600sqft and high ceilings with its 1.7gal water tank capacity adjustable mist output.
Air Innovations also added an extension nozzle with a multi-direction feature to support larger rooms and high ceiling spaces for better and even humidification.
Apart from high mist output and larger coverage area, this model also boasts its anti-microbial tank & base with a permanent ceramic filter so you don’t have to worry about any filter replacements!
Quiet operation, remote control settings, and digital interface are a few of its unique features that you will surely take advantage of.
The only drawback I can see with this model is the cleaning part since it does have a sleek and modern design, I find it a little difficult to detach the parts and clean it. For hard water issues, I saw that their website is actually offering a different kind of model that is also dedicated to hard water.
TaoTronics TT-AH025B Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier (1.59 Gallons)
Description (Click To Know More)
Specific Features (Click Here To Know More)
High ceiling homes are cozy to live in all year round, except during the winter where the indoor air feels dry. Getting rid of dry air with the help of a humidifier is the quickest and safest solution, however, not all humidifiers are built to cover high-ceiling rooms.
Fortunately, TaoTronics TT-AH025B was designed for 200-400sqft rooms with a high mist output of up to a meter. It’s a perfect model for those looking for ways on how to get rid of dry air for their high-ceiling homes.
Since it is ultrasonic, you can expect a quiet operation so you can practically use this humidifier in any parts of your home for over 60 hours of run time in a single refill.
All its features are pretty excellent except for one concern, refilling water into the reservoir is a bit challenging. A little wrong move can spill the water out.
Honeywell Evaporative Cool Mist Console Humidifier
Description (Click Here To Know More)
Specific Features (Click Here To Know More)
The Honeywell HCM-6009 QuietCare is specially designed for large rooms and high ceilings of up to 1900sqft. It has two water tanks with easy-to-refill design and simple operation dial-knob settings.
Since it has a large capacity tank, you can practically use it in multiple rooms, even the nursery with the all-new QuietCare technology. It also has an adjustable humidistat which automatically turns the humidifier on and off so you can still maintain set humidity levels.
There is no need to worry when the tank runs out of water because it has two indicator lights, one for the humidity level and the other one is when the tank runs out of water.
Like most evaporative type, this too has a wick filter which needed regular cleaning and replacement, especially if you got hard water issues.
AIRCARE MA1201 Evaporative Console Humidifier
Description (Click Here To Know More)
Specific Features (Click Here To Know More)
The higher the ceilings, the more difficult it is to maintain a balanced indoor air humidity which is why AIRCARE MA1201 Console Evaporative Humidifier, works by adding air moisture in your home by removing dry air through the help of a saturated wick filter of rooms up to 3600 sqft.
Its simple design complements any kinds of home interiors and can run up to 36 hours in low mist settings with a 3.6gal tank capacity. The water capacity is very impressive for a mobile unit that can be easily transferred in between rooms.
It has an automatic humidity level that will keep any room at the desired humidity level, without having to set it every now and then.
The only drawback is the wick filter which can take time cleaning it when you have hard water, but nonetheless, the overall feature and performance are very impressive.
So, What is the Best Humidifier for High Ceilings?
Considering all these 5 models given to me by Sierra, I find the Levoit 6L LV600HH as the overall best portable humidifier for high ceilings in many ways. First, in terms of coverage, this model can cover more than 700sqft and release about 500ml of mist per hour.
Secondly, this humidifier is powered by ultrasonic technology so it’s guaranteed to be super-quiet operation plus this specific model offers both cool and warm-mist features.
My last criteria are maintenance and humidity control. Levoit 6L LV600HH humidifier slays a wide opening water tank, easy top refill design. It has built-in sensors that measure the humidity levels and automatically takes care of adjustments.
For the console unit, I recommend the AIRCARE MA1201 Console Evaporative Humidifier, because it has bigger space coverage and is more ideal for high ceiling houses.
Features, design, and performance, this brand got everything right! Although changing the filters is a bit of a hassle, it still does not affect the overall satisfaction with the unit.
Apart from that, it’s way easier to transport this model compared to the Honeywell console unit because it has caster wheels.
My Take
To wrap this post, the best humidifier for high ceilings depends mainly on two factors, the total space to be humidified, and the tightness of the given area.
As for humidifiers, the best you can do is to choose the model with a bigger tank and higher output capacity. You can choose whether to use a portable type or a console unit.
It depends on your needs as long as the humidifier can evenly distribute air moisture in a large, higher space.
Like what Sierra said during the interview, with high ceilings come bigger maintenance and this includes treating low humidity. Choose the humidifier that can give you peace of mind against low humidity issues and at the same time, add more to your savings.
The choice is yours, all of them are able to add enough moisture to tall ceiling houses, you simply need to note the features you are looking for.
