Wood stoves and dry air

I bought one of these for my insert. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=253944-62960-FT0295&lpage=none Works well, I fill it every other day when I'm running 24/7.

I use a kettle to try and combat the dry air. I'm at 30% RH in the house right now.

The kettle never boils but steams away water. I only see visible steam when the stove top is over 500 but the kettle uses water even at lower temps.

I can't say it really helps very much but what the heck, it's a nice decoration.

we use a larger sized humidifier instead. you can load them up with 10-15 gallons of water and they have a humidi-stat that will turn it on and off automatically depending on the humidity level desired. i'm all for doing something manually (like a pot on the stove), but depending how much area you have it may have little effect and a take lot of attention.

i have something like this that i got on clearance at the end of the season for like $50
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=158480-41097-MA1406&lpage=none

I have the steamer on the stove also. Never boils but do have to keep an eye on it to re-fill. Sometimes forget to fill and you can smell when it might be empty. Have to make sure to add hot water slowly when that happens. What I find works even better is the 65 gallon fish tank 4 feet from the stove. Loosse about an inch of water over the week. Fish are toasty warm and get fresh water too.

I have used pots cast tea kettles i now have a cast enameled pot.
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php?ACT=24&fid=4&aid=1684_RCNumvLPo7LtKoQZJMJA&board_id=1

im simmering some soup on mine now. i have to move things to the back corner. i boil water on mine all the time for tea and pasta. my enameled kettle has some new colouring from letting it run dry oops

If the tank is closer to the fire, you may wish to add pepper, carrots and potatoes.

glassmanjpf said:

I have the steamer on the stove also. Never boils but do have to keep an eye on it to re-fill. Sometimes forget to fill and you can smell when it might be empty. Have to make sure to add hot water slowly when that happens. What I find works even better is the 65 gallon fish tank 4 feet from the stove. Loosse about an inch of water over the week. Fish are toasty warm and get fresh water too.

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Use an iron kettle on mine- cept I have to fill it twice a day, so I know it's putting some H20 in air.

"Fish are toasty warm and get fresh water too."

Funny thing is that you are actually making their water dirtier and dirtier with this trick. The water that leaves the tank during the week is pure steam and all the salts and impurities stay behind. You are actually condensing these salts into poison for the fishies. Bummer for them. Maybe do a complete dump more frequently.

In the dry indoor time of year (Oct. and Nov. so far are a bit damp here) we usually kept a big glass Visions pot on the stovetop full of water. Have to add about two quarts of water everyday, it is really clear that the humidity goes up. It helps our breathing and keeps my skin from drying out. I like it SO much more than a regular humidifier, because those always gunk up from the stuff in the water or make noises, they use electricity, break eventually, etc. A pot on the stove is very low tech but it works great and doesn't cost a darn thing, assuming you already have a spare pot. No need to buy a special one, just get something that won't scratch up your stovetop. Visions glass pots work great for a soapstone stove.

We now have a 'wall of water' next to our stove, stacked large vases and gallon jars full of water, keeping the wall nearest the stove much cooler and buffering some heat. Since we put that up. we don't need the pot on top so much, as that water evaporates well although not as fast as the pot on top.

HI, We have found it necessary to use a large tea pot on the stove AND to have a humidifier by the bedrooms. We found that you get esp dry sleeping overnight in dry air.

Have a large tea kettle on the soapstone. Wasn't using anything when we first fired her up this fall and I could tell the difference. We also put in hardwood floors and they recommend maintaining a RH o 35-55%. We just set up a nifty indoor/outdoor weather station and the RH is sitting at 46%. Life is good

I use a 2 gal humidifier that is placed within 10ft of the stove and it runs 24x7. Depending on the dryness depends how often it needs filling, usually once a day.

eba1225 said:

I use a 2 gal humidifier that is placed within 10ft of the stove and it runs 24x7. Depending on the dryness depends how often it needs filling, usually once a day.

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Yep, a humidifier and a caste iron pot on the stove. We keep a bucket of water nearby for refills. Not only will adding moisture save your sinuses but will make you feel warmer with less hot air, save furniture, rugs, sheetrock from drying out and cut down on the static electricity.

You should be between 40-50% relative humidity level during the winter months. If you don't have a humidistat, you can judge the amount, when the temps are low you should have a bit of moisture around the edges of your window panes.

Highbeam said:

"Fish are toasty warm and get fresh water too."

Funny thing is that you are actually making their water dirtier and dirtier with this trick. The water that leaves the tank during the week is pure steam and all the salts and impurities stay behind. You are actually condensing these salts into poison for the fishies. Bummer for them. Maybe do a complete dump more frequently.

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Understood, thanks Highbeam. I usually change out 30% every 6 weeks.