I didn't say that someone in VA shouldn't need a humidifier just because they
are living in a climate that has higher absolute humidity - I said they would
be less likely to need one. And if they were living in a well-built home, it
would be quite airtight, and they would be likely to need dehumidification, not
humidification.
Humidifiers, especially central humidifiers mounted on forced air H/C systems,
are often sources of microbial contamination. So I try to discourage the use
of humidifers. In new construction, there are a number of reasons to build an
airtight home - energy savings, comfort, envelope durabilty - so no new home
should need a humidifier.
You may live in an old leaky home, and even in VA, may need a humidifier to
keep RH up in the winter above 30% (if indeed that is a magic number.) If that
is true, I would suggest getting someone with a blower door to your home and
trying to tighten it up (with the usual caveats about combustion venting
safety, etc.)
Marc Rosenbaum
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