Dehumidi-fire

[hemlock]

How many of you light a fire just for humidity control? I lit the stove today and yesterday just to knock the high humidity down in the house. It was about 18C (68F) outside, so far from cold, but about 95% humidity indoors. The fire made it much more comfortable, although sweltering hot.

 

[heatwise]

i do the same. its nice to knock off the damp chill this time of year.

 

[PA Fire Bug]

We've been burning our stove downstairs off and on for the past week or so. When we are not burning the stove, we run a dehumidifier. With the stove burning, the humidity is so low that we can dry laundry on a drying rack. Once it gets colder, we will fire up the stove in our living room. We turned off the oil valve to our 30 year old oil boiler furnace 18 months ago and have enjoyed a warm home since then.

 

[begreen]

How many of you light a fire just for humidity control? I lit the stove today and yesterday just to knock the high humidity down in the house. It was about 18C (68F) outside, so far from cold, but about 95% humidity indoors. The fire made it much more comfortable, although sweltering hot.

Can't say I've ever lit an indoor fire at 68F and doubt I ever will unless it is to burn in a new stove.

 

[BrotherBart]

How the heck did you get 95 percent humidity indoors? You live in a greenhouse? It had to be raining in your living room.

 

[tfdchief]

How the heck did you get 95 percent humidity indoors? You live in a greenhouse? It had to be raining in your living room.

No kidding! That said, the first fire of the year for me is usually prompted by cool damp weather. I hate the damp cold! Dry February cold doesn't bother me at all. Damp November cold goes right through to my bones.

 

[snowleopard]

I don't burn wood for humidity control, but it's a nice side benefit. I live in a dry-ish climate, but in a well-insulated-but-not-well-ventilated house. Before the wood stove was installed, we fought excessive moisture in the house, especially when laundry and showers and dishwasher were running at the same time. At extreme cold temps, I'd have ice buildup on the windows, or be making the rounds mopping up puddles. Now it's about perfect.

 

[hemlock]

How the heck did you get 95 percent humidity indoors? You live in a greenhouse? It had to be raining in your living room.

Yeah, it's pretty nasty. I'm not sure how accurate my humidistat is, but it is exceptionally humid here. The north Atlantic is my back yard. It feels like it is just short of raining indoors some days.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

How many of you light a fire just for humidity control? I lit the stove today and yesterday just to knock the high humidity down in the house. It was about 18C (68F) outside, so far from cold, but about 95% humidity indoors. The fire made it much more comfortable, although sweltering hot.

Can't say I've ever lit an indoor fire at 68F and doubt I ever will unless it is to burn in a new stove.

+1 my same exact thoughts.

 

[Flatbedford]

We have done that. Even with a window open to keep it from getting too hot in the house.

 

[xman23]

I fired the stove up this weekend to dry the spackling I was doing. It works great you can do 2 maybe 3 coats in one day.

 

[Battenkiller]

Done it plenty of times after the basement had flooded. Works better than anything at quickly dropping the RH in there.

 

[maple1]

How the heck did you get 95 percent humidity indoors? You live in a greenhouse? It had to be raining in your living room.

Yeah, it's pretty nasty. I'm not sure how accurate my humidistat is, but it is exceptionally humid here. The north Atlantic is my back yard. It feels like it is just short of raining indoors some days.

I heard one weather forecast here over the weekend, it said the humidity at that time was 99% - which I fully believe. And it was not raining at that time - although it did rain later that night.

 

[allhandsworking]

I fired the stove up this weekend to dry the spackling I was doing. It works great you can do 2 maybe 3 coats in one day.

Mix in a little plaster of Paris and you can recoat in an hour instead of a day!

 

[Creature]

I don't light off fires to take humidity out when it's warm (above 65).

It was about 2c (36F) on the weekend mornings with 100% humidity here - and NO rain. I lit of a couple of fires to take the chill out, but I don't think it went below 80% RH indoors.

Humidity that high isn't too unusual around here at this time of year. Currently sunny 9c (about 50F) and 92% outside.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

But how can it be 100% humidity without rain? I've not seen that happen.

 

[Creature]

But how can it be 100% humidity without rain? I've not seen that happen.

Usually in the form of fog Dennis, but we get awfully close to 100% without it (fog). Here is a recent example from our historical charts:

http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc...onID=889&Month=10&Year=2011&timeframe=1&Day=8

See the 7am entry. For those that prefer visuals, check these charts:

http://vancouver.weatherstats.ca/metrics/relative_humidity.html (although this chart doesn't show rainfall, just humidity - However, it didn't rain Oct 8, for example)

Welcome to the rainforest!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Yes, for sure with fog but I sort of put that right up with rain. Ever notice we have to run the windshield wipers when driving in fog? I agree about the rain forest. It must be interesting living in that.

 

[dougstove]

The high humidity fall days around here are hard to believe, but true.
If it gets below freezing for a few days the air dries out and feels warmer.

The other day I was out at +2C, 100% humidity, condensing on my glasses. It is bitterly, bone-chilling cold that goes right through most clothing, because the heat capacity of the moist air is so high.

 

[Battenkiller]

But how can it be 100% humidity without rain? I've not seen that happen.

Dennis, the interesting thing is that it actually happens hundreds of times a year - each and every time that the air cools down to the dew point. It doesn't have to be foggy or rainy at all, it's entirely dependent upon the absolute amount of water vapor in the air (i.e. grams per cubic liter) and the temperature of that air. Cool, clear summer nights almost always reach the dew point at some time in the wee small hours. 100% RH... even with a full moon visible and the sky filled with stars.

And you don't need to live in no stinkin' rainforest. Here's a recent week of my local weather. As you can see (scroll to the bottom of the each page), the air was at 100% RH with clear skies plenty of the time, and at 100% RH for much of each day, with some fog, some mist and, some overcast periods all mixed in. There were also times when it was raining but the RH was below 100%. RH has nothing to do with rain, it is the amount of water vapor in the air relative to the maximum amount of water vapor that air can hold at that temperature (at 100% RH the air is "saturated" with water vapor). There is a more complicated "scientific" way of explaining this, but I think my explanation is clearer.

http://www.wunderground.com/history...tml?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA
http://www.wunderground.com/history...tml?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA
http://www.wunderground.com/history...tml?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA
http://www.wunderground.com/history...tml?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA
http://www.wunderground.com/history...tml?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA
http://www.wunderground.com/history...tml?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA
http://www.wunderground.com/history...tml?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA

BTW I'll match this weather spell we've had with anything the rainy Northwest can dish out. Well seasoned wood around here has done nothing but pick up water for the last month or so... even out of the rain inside a shed.

 

[Creature]

Leave it to BK to jump into the deep end ... I've missed ya over the summer.

I think my MC has gone up a bit in the last couple weeks too

 

[ecocavalier02]

That is some weird weather you guys get. i think we get a little bit of that but no to that extreme. but either way if its 68 deg. i ain't lighting a fire. i love burning wood. but man do i hate sweltering heat. wait till its cold then i burn.

 

[Battenkiller]

Leave it to BK to jump into the deep end

Ya, dat's where I like to be. It's always "sink or swim". ;-)