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I am looking at getting something to add some moisture back into the room when burning the stove this year. What types do you guys have and which ones would you recommend for doing this?
A humidifier. Nothing you can put on top of your stove is going to add significant moisture into the room. Nice for ambience with some scented potpourri or oil in the water, but pretty useless as a for real humidifier. Rick
I used to keep an old cast iron teapot on the top of my 24-ac dropped a few cinnamon sticks in it to add ambiance, if you go this route look for a trivet which will keep the pot from sitting directly on the stove top which steams the water out very quickly, the trivet has short "legs" which remove the surface to surface contact and allows the pot to steam off at a reduced pace. it also will help protect the finish of the stove
Yup. Many years tending that big ole cast iron kettle on the stove. Finally put it in the basement and bought a cool mist humidifier and ain't looking back.
A clothes rack. Drying laundry in front of the stove will not only add moisture to the air but also save energy. In addition, low indoor humidity during the winter means the house is losing conditioned air and thereby heat. Air-sealing would be a wise investment and also save money in the long run.
Humidifiers will put up to 14 gallons per day into a room. Your cast iron pot will sit there a long time before putting out a quantity like that. Don't bother...
P.S. I think the question of a stove-top pot for added humidity is one that just about every new stove owner asks, so don't feel like the Lone Ranger (if you're old enough to get the reference).
I also have a stove top tea pot that we add cinnamon to and it smells great.
We have to refill it daily.
But for true humidity we try the clothes in front of the stove and it humidifies the entire downstairs.
I dry clothes in front of the stove but never thought about it adding moisture into the air. I just do it to keep from running the clothes dryer as much, especially with my work clothes. Good deal!!
I continually get pestered about why I don't have a pot on top of my stove "add humidity" by literally everyone that steps foot in my home. I'm at the point where I just shut people down quickly and unceremoniously. If you're so concerned with having some boiling water on top of a stove, buy your own damn stove and pot.
In addition, low indoor humidity during the winter means the house is losing conditioned air and thereby heat. Air-sealing would be a wise investment and also save money in the long run.
Agreed! The idea that "a stove dries out the air" is an anachronism from when stoves drew vast quantities of air, and houses leaked like sieves. Low indoor humidity in winter is a sign of poor air sealing, not stove use. Of course, many people still live in houses from that time and for some very old houses, there is almost nothing can be done, but for most houses a little air sealing goes a long way. My furnace contains a whole-house humidifier that used to consume vast quantities of hot water, but since I got serious about air sealing, it never kicks in anymore and I'm considering removing it completely.
rust? looks like the Titanic in a week. cast iron and water? rather use it to cook stews ect. we don't use anything. one of my kids uses a mist machine and loves it.
We have an old cast iron teapot on our stove purchased form a garage sale, we add the cinnamon sticks also. There isn't really any need to add moisture to the air in Seattle, but it just looks right.
We have an old cast iron teapot on our stove purchased form a garage sale, we add the cinnamon sticks also. There isn't really any need to add moisture to the air in Seattle, but it just looks right.
I also picked up an old cast iron pot for 2 bucks at a garage sale. It was rusted bad on the inside. At the time my wife was complaining that she didn't want to use it for tea! Now it gets some of her smelly oils and everyone is happy