Keeping the humidity up...how???

[Soadrocks]

Dear Veterans!

We've been burning 24-7 and the fact we're on break (both work in the school system), we've noticed the relative humidity has been pretty low, 25% according to our hygrometer? It's awfully dry down here even though it's toasty warm. We have the huge steamer on the stove top, but it stays at 25%. We've tried putting wet towels from the washer in the room , but no help...

Should we invest in a humidifier?

What should be the ideal humidity, 35%?

Any tricks of the trade will help?

My wife seems to think that sticking a bucket of water in the room would help, I think that's nonsense...Please advise!

 

[pen]

A bucket of water in the room will evaporate, in about 6 months. So I don't that that will be very useful. I do have water in a ceramic pot on a trivet on my stove. But that only adds about 3/4 of a gallon of water a day. When it's really dry, my humidifier will put up to about 5 gals into the air a day to keep the house at about 40%.

The humidifier I use is a hunter that I have had good luck with. However, from what I am seeing on amazon.com, the "updated" models are not nearly as popular. I don't know if they aren't as good of it people are just idiots. In general, I can't find any humidifier w/ rating that are that great. I think people forget what they are doing here.

One thing to consider is that I've heard ultrasonic humidifiers will put the dissolved solids in your water all over the house in the form of dust. I wouldn't want to be breathing this and would personally only use distilled water in one (which would get quite costly). But, do your own research.

Try searching on amazon.com. I like looking for products there because I can read the reviews and see how others have made out.

However, if mine died tomorrow. This is the one I'd be having shipped to the house. http://www.amazon.com/Hunter-34352-...lusive/dp/B0002SP5DC/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top I see there are some poor reviews on it. But I really think many of the problems are from people being idiots (not knowing that their tap water contains dissolved crap that gets concentrated to slime if you don't clean it, and have other problems from lack of maintenance)

Good luck.

pen

 

[branchburner]

We do the things you mention, but to a greater degree:
1 - Two pots on the stove, one is cast iron, the water evaporates much faster from it
2 - Then entire load of wash is dried on a wooden rack in the stove room (or next room over)
3 - A few inches of water left in the tub

Still pretty dry even with that, but feels 10x better than it was with oil-burner forced hot air.

 

[5654684]

I tried to run a humidifier a couple of winters ago. It would go through 9 gallons of water a day and was loud. I just grew tired of filling it up and quit running it. It is dry in the house, but at least we are warm.

 

[mellow]

I will get bloody noses if I don't run our humidifier, we run it on low in a different room so the little amount of noise it makes doesn't bother us. It lasts for about 3 days before it needs to be refilled.

 

[Soadrocks]

How's the electric bill with a humidifier?

 

[mellow]

I haven't hooked it up to see real time figures but we do not notice any changes in the electric bill with it on. We run it on low, ours just a basic humidifier with a water basin and a fan, it has the special wicks that soak up the water for the fan to blow from.

 

[LLigetfa]

I just let the gas furnace come on overnight when the fire dies down.

 

[argus66]

i have ia big fish tank looks great in the house and fun to own plus it adds serious humidity. we've had it over 10 yrs now and most of the same fish and plants as well they are part of the family

 

[Renovation]

Rather than trying to rehumidify your air, how about keeping it humid in the first place? Two suggestions: install an OAK (outside air kit/supply) on your stove, and/or seal any air leaks you can find in your house. (A great use for a non-contact IR thermometer, which can also monitor your stove temps.)

This has been debated in other threads, and I don't have the exact data in front of me, but my understanding is this.

Cold air is dry air, because the colder the air, the less moisture it can hold--cooling air is a great way to dehumidify it. So the more cold outside air you bring into your house, the more you lower your humidity.

A stove uses a shocking amount of air, mainly the nice warm air nearest your stove, and sends it straight up your chimney and out into the cold, cruel world. Since that air is being sent outside your house, it has to be replaced by air from outside your house. That air creeps in through whatever paths it can find--vents, leaks, gaps around windows and doors, etc. The net effect is cold air tends to come in from the periphery of your house, and cause cold drafts running towards your stove.

The data I cannot remember is how long it takes the stove to send a house-worth of air up your chimney, but I recall it being on the order of five hours--others can correct me. Think about that--not only is heat going up your chimney, but all the humidity you worked so hard to create, is being sent right up your chimney. Especially the humidity from that pot on top of your stove--its nearest the stove, so the draft sucks it right up your chimney. So without and outside air supply, you're always going to be fighting a losing battle against the big leak your stove is creating.

Given that, it's worth considering curing the source of the problem, by sealing leaks and putting in an OAK, rather than spending more energy and effort humidifying air that's just going to go up your chimney. Just a thought.

HTH, and happy burning!

 

[pen]

How's the electric bill with a humidifier?

Mine has no heating element so it's completely negligible (same as a basic fan w/ a fish tank pump)

pen

 

[fallsfire36]

I live in a log home where the logs soak up any additional humidity...We have a humidifier in a central location that I run on low (puts about 4-5 gal per day) with no noticed difference in electric bill. It is a pain to refill though.

Another thing that we do and I have heard of some others that do it is - on the far side of my house (in the kitchen away from the wood stove) I will run a small ventless natural gas fireplace on a low setting when it is really cold. Since it is ventless, one of the main by-products is H2O vapor...this ends up providing quite a bit of additional humidity.