Can I Have a Fan On With a Humidifier?

A humidifier can be a great way to increase the moisture levels in your room, but will a fan cancel out the humidifier?

You can leave a fan on with your humidifier. The fan will disperse the moisture around the room and will not lower the humidity. Your humidifier may have to run longer to humidify the same room.

Below you’ll find suggestions for which fan is best with your humidifier as well as our recommendation for the best humidifier with a fan.

Let’s get started.

Should You Leave Your Fan On With a Humidifier?

A fan can help disperse the moisture from your humidifier however it can also cause the moisture to evaporate faster.

If you would like to use your fan, then feel free to do so, but leaving it on will make your humidifier work harder.

The way a fan works is by moving the existing air around the room, rather than by removing or replacing the air inside.

This means that fans don’t work to lower or raise the humidity, but rather they work with what’s already in the room.

Having a fan on won’t lower or raise the humidity level, which means that you’re free to use a humidifier with a fan.

A fan may help make it feel more comfortable in your room, but the bottom line is that the fan won’t reduce or increase the moisture level in your room.

If you prefer having a ceiling fan on or want to put a fan in front of your humidifier to help disperse moisture, feel free to do so.

You will have to fill the humidifier tank more often as it’ll require more moisture to raise the humidity in your room.

Does a Fan Help With Humidity?

A ceiling fan or standalone fan does not bring in new air, rather it circulates the already existing air inside of your room.

This means that it won’t be able to reduce or increase the humidity, only spread out the already existing air.

Fans can help make your environment feel more comfortable, but they aren’t going to lower humidity like a dehumidifier or air conditioner.

If you suffer from high humidity, you can also look into ways to reduce humidity without a dehumidifier.

What Type of Fan is Best for a Humidifier?

The best type of fan to use with your humidifier is either a ceiling fan or a table fan.

If you opt to use a window fan, remember that it’s bringing in outside air, and if it’s dry air, then it will cancel out the effect of your humidifier.

Does a Fan Help Your Humidifier Disperse Humidity?

A fan will help your humidifier disperse humidity.

A humidifier is a small device that can only move the moisture around so far. If you have a large room, even a table fan can help move the moist air across your room.

You will however need to keep in mind that your humidifier will have to work harder during this process to humidify your room.

For best results, ensure that your windows are shut so that the moistened air isn’t allowed to escape.

If you don’t use a fan, the end result will still be a humidified room, but you may have some spots in your room be more humid than others.

A fan can help get the humid air everywhere and make for a more comfortable environment.

When to Not Use Your Humidifier With a Fan?

The type of fan you use matters, and a window fan might be bringing in dry air which will cancel out the effect of your humidifier.

Look into using a ceiling fan, table fan or box fan to help your humidifier disperse the moisture across your space.

Does a Fan Dry Out the Air?

While fans cannot remove or increase humidity, they do move air over your body at a faster rate which can lead to dry nose, mouth and throat.

If you feel that you are uncomfortable at night with the fan on, then turn off your fan before you sleep.

Our Pick for Humidifier with a Fan

If you’re looking into a humidifier with a fan, this Vornado humidifier is one of the best around.

The fan that Vornado invented utilizes deep-pitched blades which spread the humidity around the room rather than in one direction like normal fans.

The Vortex Action is great for spaces up to 300 sq.ft (almost as big as a two car garage).

You won’t have to worry about using a hygrometer either, it has intelligent sensors to turn the humidifier on and off when the specified humidity levels are reached.

You can choose from 3 fan settings and 6 humidity levels between 40-60% to keep the humidity level in the optimal range.

The tank is super easy to fill and can hold up to a gallon. You can also purchase a bigger model that holds 1.5 gallons to make it more hassle-free.

Sadly, if you’re in an extremely dry climate, this humidifier may not be able to keep up.

Look into whole-home humidifiers if the humidity levels in your climate are below 20%.

You also get a five year warranty and should anything go wrong. Hard to beat this model for the price.

Final Thoughts

What’s important when using a humidifier with a fan is to understand that your humidifier may have to work harder to humidify your room.

This will cause you to fill your humidifier more often which can be a hassle.

Also keep in mind the type of fan you use is also important. A window fan may bring in dry air which can nullify your humidifier. A table fan or ceiling fan is recommended to use alongside your humidifier.

You can also opt to purchase a humidifier with a built in fan, like the Vornado EV100 so you won’t need to purchase a fan separately.