kettles or humidifier?

You did not put an option for both, I use a kettle on the stove during the shoulder season but use the kettle and a humidifier when burning 7/24.
So I did not vote

must be the water...

I use both, Kettle and Humidifier

Cast iron kettle on trivet. Throw some potpourri in there - smells good for ~ 3 fires.

$1 thrift store enameled steel kettle. When it boils I move it to the upper step.

dd we use to get that same smell when our old Revere kettle ran out of water. also it acquired a crusty 'look' to it because we have hard water too. saw this decorative kettle w trivet at a hearth shop and been using it with good results. While the camera flash revealed the hard water remains you don't see it with the naked eye. More importantly it does the job of adding water to the air...and that's very important to us.

Cheap enamaled cast iron steamer bought on-line (northlineexpress) . . . I had it on a metal trivet, but since putting on the soapstone top I place the steamer directly on the stone. I end up filling it once to twice a day. We have hard water as well so that and the residue from the potpourri tends to form hard crusty stuff on the bottom and sides . . . once in a while I'll scour it clean . . . but it's usually no big deal . . . smells fine . . . of course I occasionally add in the potpourri.

I'm experimenting with a glass teakettle on a trivet. Makes it easy to see if it's time to refill or clean it. So far, so good.

Robert Plamondon
http://www.plamondon.com

None, My first year though , Stove has been going Oct. and Nov. so far.
But my house seems to have 70% hummidity when not burning. It get's
down too 62% when burning. It's not the dead of winter yet though. Might
have to use something then.

I have a cast iron kettle from Tractor Supply but NO trivet, should I use a trivet? I am going(tomorrow it gets set up) set it on the "griddle" of stove which is iron. where to get the trivet if you think it is necessary? what does it do if you do not use a trivet?

Humidifier. I'm evaporating several gallons of water each day with a floor model humidifier and wouldn't want to be trying to get that out of a little kettle on the stove.

ControlFreak said:

Humidifier. I'm evaporating several gallons of water each day with a floor model humidifier and wouldn't want to be trying to get that out of a little kettle on the stove.

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what kind of humidifier?.... i would like to get one but i see evaporatives and wonder if it will work since it has a fan going all day..... how close is yours to your stove?
i have been using 2 kettles on my stove no trivet but thats only about 1 gallon a day

I use an iron kettle and an old #5 Marietta PA melting pot.

I feel your poll is missing an option and that would be kettle & humidifier. I do both. Kettles just don't put enough moisture in the air compared to a humidifier. And how do I know? Why my nose tells me so.

Switching to NONE! Water on steel and/or iron = Rust Been there and look at it every time I reload the stove this yr.

1. I feel that the amount of water vapor produced is a drop in the bucket to what the home needed. (Though obviously more than none without the kettle)

2. The sound of a boil over is enough to freak you out. And I was concerned that if the water ever hit the glass, there could be a major issue to deal with.

3. The water in the kettle gets really nasty, fast. Especially painted cast iron kettles made in China.

I chose "other" - I used a large stainless pot and was able to put a couple gallons of water into the air each day last year. I plan to do the same this year once we're burning 24/7. Steamers/kettles simply don't hold enough water for all day and lack sufficient surface area to evaporate at a rate to get the water into the air fast enough for my liking. Perhaps I just have a greater demand for some reason...

We do have a 'whole house' humidifier built into our HVAC system that will kick in if the humidity falls below a certain set point - I don't have a way of actually knowing what % of the time it is kicking in - although we hear the forced air fan kick in when it does and will hear it bubble and squeak sometimes as it boils the water to inject steam into the ducts. I love what that system can do to our humidity, but hate the electric bill it can rack up!

My Napoleon 1100c doesn't work to well with a kettle so I bought a humidifier and go through several gallons a day. Here is a site with lots of different models and reviews:

http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/warm-cool-mist-humidifiers.html

I have no affiliation with these people.

We use a kettle and two room humidifiers, like everyone says a kettle just isn't enough. I too didn't vote as there was no choice for kettle and humidifiere.

Brian

smokingolf said:

We use a kettle and two room humidifiers, like everyone says a kettle just isn't enough. I too didn't vote as there was no choice for kettle and humidifiere.

Brian

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Diddo Kettle on the stove, humidifiers in the bedrooms. Even w/o the stove it gets like a desert in here.

I'm looking at where you all come from and am amazed. You don't know what low humidity is. Yesterday we were about 9% locally. Average is in the 20% range.
If you don't like the kettle or pot or humidifer, try this: Take a nice looking pan or dish, fill with attractive rocks, or shells or glass marbles. Buy "Distilled" water and to pan. When dry and stones are dingy, wash down with vinegar, start over. If you are talented, it could be a nice display and prominently display. If not tuck it under the stove. It should be placed in an area where air circulates and brings the temp up above the the room air.

All you can do with the stove is replace the moisture lost from the use of the stove, you will not be able to replace the ambient difference between the heated inside air and the outside air. Things like bath fans and range hoods suck humid air out, try using the bath fan only when there is a fog and then shut it off. Do rack drying of your clothes where it can circulate inside. Eat lots of soup and boiled foods. There is no ideal.

Bad minerals and contaminants are the cause of water smells. If you are using a kettle, soak weekly with vinegar to eliminate the crust and minerals. Stainless steel or coated cast iron don't rust. The rust you are seeing on the stove could be condensation outside the kettle when the stove cools. Use a rage. It's surface only and does not act like a corrosive chemical. It's water. Always use a trivet. That kettlem or whatever needs to only be 150 to 180 degrees at the top. Still works at +10 degrees over the room air temp. The idea is not to boil it away.

My personal experience is with restoration of furniture and woodwork. I have done it across the country and in the last several years around the Rocky Mountains. I tell customers who ask me to look at a piece that came from New England last week and is cracking apart to call me back in 6 months when it has stopped moving around. The above is the condensed version of the standard lecture I give all the new customers. Seems to fit here.

Kettle on the machined surface stove griddle.
Use the unlimited hot water supply for everything!

Err, for everyone with hard water - put in about 1/8th teaspoon of salt per two gallons of water.

All of the above. Kettle, steamer, and big Sears humidifier. I think its this one.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...r+Purifiers+&+Dehumidifiers&sName=Humidifiers
Puts lots of water in the air, but is very loud. The speed control doesn't work that great. The low speed stopped working after a few days. We exchanged it for another and the same thing happened. We gave up and deal with the louder speed. We turn it off when we are in the room and let the kettle and the steamer help.