Wood heat and humidity

RedRanger · Jan 17, 2008

Hope this is the right place for this topic. This is the first winter that the wife and I have been spending most of our time in the rec-room where the insert is. Bought a cheapo hygrometer and usually get a reading of 40-50% in this room, compared to 60-75% upstairs. My psoriasis has never been worse. This has also been a colder than usual winter out here on the west coast. I`m thinking of getting a humidifier for the rec-room. Thought I would ask if anyone else has experienced this nagging problem due to the low humidity? Maybe this question ought to be posed on a medical forum,however I`m thinking that perhaps some of the other "elder statesmen" on this forum may have experienced this when they first started burning wood in a serious way? Buy the humidifier? Yes or no? Any feedback on this topic will be much appreciated-the itching is driving me crazy!! :sick: Already been to the Doc, he really doesen`t know either?

gpcollen1 · Jan 17, 2008

Buy the humidifier! I just converted once the baby got better and it was not needed i her room anymore. Boy is that much easier than filling the kettle a few times a day.

paulie · Jan 18, 2008

yea he's right , get a humidifier !!!

you will be much more comfortable.

reaperman · Jan 18, 2008

If your humidity is 40-50% in your rec room consider yourself lucky. Most wood burners would die for humidity like that. And 60-75% most would start to consider a dehumidifier. I'm not trying to seem sarcastic, but if the humidity were that high in my home, the windows would be sweating along with me. Obviously, your individual needs require more humidity. If you have ductwork in your home you may want to consider a air to air exchanger. A more costly option, but the results are clean, fresh air changed into your home continuesly without much heat loss. Check with any heating/cooling contractor for details.

bjorn773 · Jan 18, 2008

I would also recommend the humidifier. I tried the kettle business for about a week... no thanks. I have a humidifier on my furnace, but since the furnace doesn't run, it does me no good. I bought a console humidifier, but it required me to fill it daily. After a year of this, I got creative. I use the humidistat and water solenoid on the furnace to automatically refill my console. I took the outlet water line from the solenoid and hooked it to a hose which fills the console. Then put a float switch in the console to shut the solenoid off when the console is full. Presto, continuous humidity and I don't lift a finger anymore... other than to continuously feed the woodstove... I'm working on that one.

Hogwildz · Jan 18, 2008

Got us a Kenmore Console humidifier off ebay, $36.00 item & shipping combined. Has 2 5 gallon tanks, works great.
A must have in winter with dry heat & dry winter air. On low I can go 1-1/2 days before refill, on medium fill both tanks once a day or a lil more, on high LOL fill both tank 2x a day/night.

North of 60 · Jan 18, 2008

23 TO 30% is our average house humidity in the cold of winter. Boil a 3/4 gal cast kettle a day. Stay away from the north sonny. Hope ya find somthing that works for you.

crazy_dan · Jan 18, 2008

buy the humidifier if it works great if it doesn't do it for ya at least you will have it when you get sick and need one. Nothing like a humidifier in the bedroom when you have a cold.

woodconvert · Jan 18, 2008

If your humidity is 40-50% in your rec room consider yourself lucky. Most wood burners would die for humidity like that.

Yeah, during parts of the winter when it's real cold and dry (like this up coming weekend) I feel like a walking potato chip. I'd be ecstatic with that kind of moisture. I found the solution is a console type humidifier (Kenmore I think). I believe it put 13gal/day into the air. It helps a lot but if you forget to fill it....it can't keep up.*

*My house is all wood (log walls, wood floor, T&G;pine cielings and walls) and that makes a HUGE difference. Wood burner friends of mine with drywall covered walls have a much easier time keeping it humid but also have window sweating issues (heh, the windows in my bathroom don't even sweat!).

eba1225 · Jan 18, 2008

Go with the humidifier, I did. I have a 1.5 gal Holmes brand that runs 24/7 and I have to fill it every day. When it goes dry I can tell, we start shocking each other and the cat.

It also seems to provide a more stabilized heat, that is the heat seems to last longer.

They Call Me Pete · Jan 18, 2008

Just make sure you clean the filters on them GOOD. A lot of germs like to live in the warm moist air and then you'll be spewing them into your house. I've just got the pot on top of stove but my furnace has a humidifier attached to it. Then again I haven't heard from it in a while.

Chettt · Jan 18, 2008

Wow - I've have been experiencing the exact opposite with regards to humidity. This is our first year of using only wood to heat the home. Previously I used both wood and forced air central heating and always had very dry skin/lips. This year I don't even need lotion. West Michigan is humid anyway but it has been dramatically different with only wood heat.

backpack09 · Jan 18, 2008

Only time my house has seen 40%+ humidity this winter was when the xmas tree was in the house and the humidifier running. Without the tree, the crappy lil inherited humidifier only got the living room to 35% or so. And it sounds like a waterfall... So you end up peeing alot too.

RedRanger · Jan 18, 2008

Thanks for the replies everyone. I am buying a humidifier today and will post back to let you all know how well it works. Going to get one with the hygrometer built in. Starting to wonder how accurate my "cheapo $5 combo thermometer-hygrometer" really is.Notice I have to give it a smack to get the temperature to give me a reading. Starting to suspect that the humidity is nowhere near 40% :lol: eg. "the cats run away when we try to pet them". The dont like getting shocked !!!

WarmGuy · Jan 18, 2008

Man, you guys are so lucky. I have a dehumidifier running all day every day to keep the humidity down to 60%. We live right by the ocean, and humidity around here is often 80%. It's a constant battle against mold. I recently had to dig out rusted sheet rock nails in one bathroom and replace them with stainless steel screws.

Note that you can easily calibrate your hygrometer:

http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/yohoyohe/momo/momo_002.cfm

bjorn773 · Jan 18, 2008

Before I set my humidifier up to automatically refill, I would put 5-6 gallons a day in the tank. Even then it's a battle to maintain 30-40% humidity. Like others have said, when it gets too low you start shocking each other. I also end up having to replace the wick/filter on mine twice a season. It just gets full of lime/calcium... something in my water.

n1st · Jan 19, 2008

bjorn773 said:
Before I set my humidifier up to automatically refill, I would put 5-6 gallons a day in the tank. Even then it's a battle to maintain 30-40% humidity. Like others have said, when it gets too low you start shocking each other. I also end up having to replace the wick/filter on mine twice a season. It just gets full of lime/calcium... something in my water.

Consider looking around for one of the older Sears console humidifiers that use an absorative belt and fan. They are much better in my opinion, and you can probably still get replacement parts.

tbl01 · Jan 19, 2008

i have two units. One 2.5 gallon unit down stairs, and one 2.5 gallon in my daughters room.

I can tell when they need to be refilled.

With both units running I am in the 38-48% humidity level.

It drops quickly once the reservoir runs dry.

bjorn773 · Jan 19, 2008

Tomorrow I'm going to hook the water line to softened water. It should reduce the deposits considerably. It did wonders for my dishwasher. I used to have to disassemble it about once a month to clean out the deposits. Since I hooked it to softened water about a year ago, I've only had it apart once. Hopefully, the same will apply to the humidifier.

RedRanger · Jan 20, 2008

Just an update on what I bought. First my "cheapo" hygrometer was out by 10, Humidity was actually 35 in the rec-room. I bought the Bionaire Humidifier 3 gallon size. Like it cause it has washable filters, so I dont have to buy replacements. I can set it for anywhere from 35-55 humidity. Have it set for 45% humidity, and it works like a charm. Only have to fill it once a day.

I know that 10% may not seem like much,but as I stated in my first post on this subject, this is the first year that the wife and I have been spending most of our time in front of the fireplace (with the insert). And with psoraisis that small change in humidity can become a very itchy afair :down: This little Bionaire keeps the room at a nice 45-50% humidity. :coolsmile: Best of all, the cats are no longer in SHOCK when we pet them.lol

My hats off to the Mods for letting this post stand in the Hearth Room Forum. If this knowledge is of benefit to anyone else that might be annoyed or suffering by the low humidity from that nice warm wood heat, then we now know that there is a "FIX"..

stoveguy2esw · Jan 20, 2008

a teapot has worked fine for us here in va , i do not know what the humidity is in the house , but i can tell if the pots dry, also , i add spices or extracts to the water , helps give the home a warm scent to go with the heat, if you have a teapot you can "slow steam " out of , try an extract or certain spices like pumpkin pie spice , but be careful its addictive

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