Humidifier help with keeping house warm?

[RORY12553]

Does a humidifier or some type of steam help keep the house warmer?

 

[pen]

Most say that moister air will feel more comfortable and therefore feel warmer.

For me, I humidify to keep the wife from walking around w/ wads of tissue stuck in her nose.

pen

 

[Dix]

I need one. The stove top steamer might look good, but it isn't cutting it.

Makes a difference with sinus issues.

 

[Jacklake2003]

It won't make the temperature higher, however it will make it feel warmer. Kind of like how 90 degrees on the dry Arizona sun feels a lot cooler than 90 degrees in central Florida.

 

[Loco Gringo]

I need one. The stove top steamer might look good, but it isn't cutting it.

Makes a difference with sinus issues.

Youre damn right it does. Makes the air seem much more dense and warm as well. Mine is running as we speak.

 

[rwhite]

If equal volumes of air and water are heated to the same temp, the water will retain the heat much longer. Water vapor from the humidifier increases the airs ability to hold heat.

 

[HotCoals]

If equal volumes of air and water are heated to the same temp, the water will retain the heat much longer. Water vapor from the humidifier increases the airs ability to hold heat.

Short and sweet and correct!
Of course you don't want it to high.
I forget what is suggested but I think around 35% R/H?

I know the winter air outside can be dry!
Wife won't let me have one though..or I would..I'm usually around 30%.

 

[bogydave]

Humidifiers help quite a bit. Alaska winters are dry!
% of home humidity charts can be found, Outside temps & house insulation & windows also determine how much humidity your house can hold.
To much & it starts condensing on windows & any cold spot on the house walls & can cause water damage.
If below zero & I close the blinds with 30% or higher humidity in the house, I have water/ice condensation in the bottom corners of the glass in the morning.
Above 20% in cold Alaska winters recommended & you need a humidifier to get it that high.
My humidifiers came with some recommendation charts for various outdoor temps.
I use about 3 gallons per day with the cold temps we've had over the last 3 weeks, to maintain near 30%.

 

[certified106]

I keep talking about adding one and I really need to. The house gets so dry I can see tiny gaps in my trim where it meets. In the summer the gaps disappear lol

 

[Dieselhead]

i run this one with good results:

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Noisy on anything but low, but thats all I need to run it on.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

If equal volumes of air and water are heated to the same temp, the water will retain the heat much longer. Water vapor from the humidifier increases the airs ability to hold heat.

While true, I do not believe that is the driving force. Its a complicated process with many contributors including increase in heat capacity, decrease in air density, increase in conductivity, and what might be the biggest factor, an increase in relative humidity when you turn on that humidifier. As you warm the room, the relative humidity drops, you haven't removed moisture from the room, you simply increased the amount of moisture needed to remain at a constant relative humidity. Low humidity mean more evaporative cooling, more moisture from your body entering the atmosphere, cooling you off in the process....

 

[logger]

Without the science mumbo-jumbo, my house temp is always warmer when I run the humidifier.

 

[rwhite]

If equal volumes of air and water are heated to the same temp, the water will retain the heat much longer. Water vapor from the humidifier increases the airs ability to hold heat.

While true, I do not believe that is the driving force. Its a complicated process with many contributors including increase in heat capacity, decrease in air density, increase in conductivity, and what might be the biggest factor, an increase in relative humidity when you turn on that humidifier. As you warm the room, the relative humidity drops, you haven't removed moisture from the room, you simply increased the amount of moisture needed to remain at a constant relative humidity. Low humidity mean more evaporative cooling, more moisture from your body entering the atmosphere, cooling you off in the process....

True but the OP asked if higher humidity would keep a house warmer. Given two identical rooms heated to the same air temp, the one with higher humidity will retain heat longer than the other. Conversely the drier room will heat faster and cool quicker. That how it can effect inanimate objects. As far as how the higher humidity makes a person feel then you are absolutely correct.

 

[woodgeek]

Actually, higher relative humidity, RH, makes us less comfortable at both high and low temps. At 100%RH, folks go right from too hot to too cold. Under desert-dry RH, most folks are comfortable is light clothing from 65-90°F.

We humidify in the winter to reduce airway problems--we are still basically tropical animals. 30% is a good target--high enough that most folks breath easy, but still low enough to avoid cavity-wall condensation/mold in houses with conventional framing/airsealing, at least outside of upper midwest/Alaska climates.

I have also seen studies that assert that cold/flu/virus transmission drops like a rock when the RH is >~30%. The dry air nose is more susceptible to airborne virus infection, and viruses on surfaces dry out quickly (mummify) and remain viable a much longer time.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

If equal volumes of air and water are heated to the same temp, the water will retain the heat much longer. Water vapor from the humidifier increases the airs ability to hold heat.

While true, I do not believe that is the driving force. Its a complicated process with many contributors including increase in heat capacity, decrease in air density, increase in conductivity, and what might be the biggest factor, an increase in relative humidity when you turn on that humidifier. As you warm the room, the relative humidity drops, you haven't removed moisture from the room, you simply increased the amount of moisture needed to remain at a constant relative humidity. Low humidity mean more evaporative cooling, more moisture from your body entering the atmosphere, cooling you off in the process....

True but the OP asked if higher humidity would keep a house warmer. Given two identical rooms heated to the same air temp, the one with higher humidity will retain heat longer than the other. Conversely the drier room will heat faster and cool quicker. That how it can effect inanimate objects. As far as how the higher humidity makes a person feel then you are absolutely correct.

Correct, the technical answer is yes, but it may be at an insignificant level. Meaning that if the only effect of increased humidity were a greater heat capacity, you might not notice a significant difference. The driving factor as to why you feel warmer is likely the reduction in evaporation.

And I am also not sure that a humid room will retain its heat longer. Water vapor significantly increases the conductivity of air, meaning it will heat and cool faster, which may weight out the fact that it holds more heat to begin with. There is a point at which comparing water vapor to a body of water is no longer valid.

 

[logger]

Geeks. lol

 

[PA Fire Bug]

We've been running a 14 gallon Kennmore humidifier, http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_03215420000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1, for the past week. Stove top steamers, small humidifiers and drying all of our laundry indoors did not produce enough humidity to reduce dry throat and sinus issues. I don't notice a difference in comfort like I do when the humidity is high in the summer but we are expecting to benefit from less colds.

So far, so good. The unit has two plastic tanks that hold 3 gallons each. I still keep water in the stove top steamers, at least for now and you can't beat drying clothes without running the electric dryer with the electricity sucking 220 volt plug. Some of the plain Mennonites in our area hang laundry outside even when it is foggy or even raining. I know that clothes will dry at temps below freezing but not when the relative humidity is 100%. I guess they have more clothes than can fit on a drying rack.

 

[Hass]

I know a dehumidifier produces heat.... mine is a 45pint and uses 600w... so a good amount of that comes back as heat. I ran one in the basement 24/7 before I had my stove up and running... would keep the basement toasty (only 80sq/ft), and the kitchen floor above it warm.

 

[Oldhippie]

Most say that moister air will feel more comfortable and therefore feel warmer.

For me, I humidify to keep the wife from walking around w/ wads of tissue stuck in her nose.

pen

What do you use for a humidifier? Any suggestions?

 

[LLigetfa]

I know a dehumidifier produces heat.... mine is a 45pint and uses 600w... so a good amount of that comes back as heat...

There are different technologies to put water into the air. When water is vapourized, it said to have gone through a state (or phase) change and this change absorbs heat causing a cooling action. This evaporative cooling action is used to advantage in cool misters and swamp coolers. Room humidifiers that don't use heat will actually cool the room.

970 BTUs per pound is used to change the state from water to vapour so 8080 BTUs per gallon must come from somewhere else if not from the humidifier.

 

[rwhite]

I use a small Vicks $29 model. On low it's barely audible and uses about a gallon a day. I usually keep it on the floor and on low but when I leave I'll sometimes set it up on the coffee table and run on high. Seems to do a decent job filtering the air.