Automatic Steam Pan Filler

[CampHamp]

We used to use humidifiers to help with winter dryness, then relied on a stove steam pan. It was a pain to keep filled and often boiled dry. So I created plumbing to always keep it filled.


In the picture, behind the stove is a small reservoir that gets well water and a float controls the level. This attaches to a copper tube soldered to a pan on the stove; the levels are the same. Done! Well...

The minerals would add up after a couple of weeks of concentration. So now I'm playing with a second pan receiving water via that ugly siphon (which doesn't break siphon when lifted up!). This is helping a lot, because it is much more concentrated (20 times?) in this added pan and it is easy to empty (which then dilutes both pans).

Work in progress, but ready to share because I had my camera out for another post!

 

[electrathon]

Ugly looking water! You likely need to chew as you are drinking. If you have ice build up in a freezer you can use that ice in the water reservoir, it is distilled so it will have little contamination (unless you spilled food in the freezer).

 

[begreen]

Snow or rainwater would work too.

 

[CampHamp]

We would never drink the water! It is simply a humidifier and distilled water is all that evaporates, leaving the manganese deposits.

I am hoping to see those deposits melt away now that the second pan is added that I periodically empty out, but too soon to say.

The whole thing looks ugly, but I'm working on functionality at this point. Need more time.

 

[webby3650]

Have you monitored humidity levels in the house before and after using a steamer? I have, the humidity level increase was negligible at best. It wasn't worth beating up my stovetop for it!

 

[CampHamp]

Have you monitored humidity levels in the house before and after using a steamer?

No numbers. My wife is sensitive to dryness (she gets nose bleeds) and this measurement is all I really care about!

We heat the whole house with just this stove, so it's always steaming away. Also, with the shallow water levels and trickle feed, we never lose a boil and get much more evaporation than when we would periodically fill a tall pan with cold water.

 

[webby3650]

No numbers. My wife is sensitive to dryness (she gets nose bleeds) and this measurement is all I really care about!

We heat the whole house with just this stove, so it's always steaming away. Also, with the shallow water levels and trickle feed, we never lose a boil and get much more evaporation than when we would periodically fill a tall pan with cold water.

I understand that it steams water away. My point is that it's not enough to make a real difference. An electric humidifier would be a much better option if humidity is needed.

 

[Corey]

Well, good luck with it. I don't know that I've ever had a valve that didn't leak at some point. Judging by the crust on that water, it might be sooner than later. Pouring a gallon of water in a pan is pretty easy compared to mopping up a couple hundred gallons from the walls, floors, rugs, basement, etc.

 

[CampHamp]

Well, good luck with it.

Thanks.

 

[Babaganoosh]

I've got 2 electric humidifiers and it still gets dry in my house. The steamer on the stove puts out very little compared to the electric ones. Every little bit helps though I guess.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Try air sealing the house. Cutting down on leaks will decrease the amount of humidity you need to add. Cooking and respiration will add a good deal of it.

 

[CampHamp]

I will measure the humidity difference inside and outside for this thread. I'll try before spring comes, but it may be next season.

I boil 2800 gallons of water at 50G/hr making maple syrup each spring and understand some of the variables that influence evaporation rates:

continuous boil
The only way to achieve this is with trickle-in or pre-heating. I would guess that before this auto-feed, we had a full boil about 30% of the time when we were attentive.

NH is relatively cold, so we are able to keep our stove hot without overheating the house. Our cookplate is probably over 300F 70% of the time, with the overnight feed being the main lapse (when it is below 10F outside, I'll wake up to do a 4am reload. We do not have oil or gas here.

shallow liquid
In order to improve evaporation rates, you need shallow liquid. (broken link removed to http://www.cceoneida.com/assets/Agriculture-Files/Maple/Liquid-Levels.pdf) you can read that even in a 20 sq ft pan, you do not want to be over 1 inch deep. My pans are about 1/2 in, always.

large surface area
This is the contact area with the stove. I have 2 pans and one is pretty large.

solid heat contact
People don't cook on stove as much, so manufacturers don't always have a flat surface on top. My Jotul is far from flat, with tiny undulations. Also my pan is warped a bit. I use a couple spoons of fine copper dust under the pan to fill those gaps.

It surprises me that folks can dismiss the individual benefits we observe without knowing our boil rate or our home's cubic footage and insulation. I believe that they did not feel any benefits with boiling on a stove and conclude that no one can.

 

[webby3650]

Sorry I didn't take into account the boil rate of your home... no one said there would be no benefit. Only that the benefit is negligible. If humidity is actually needed, then a humidifier would be the way to go.
Most homes don't actually have an issue with being "too dry",rather the humidity levels are down to a "normal" level so folks feel it's too dry. The average crawlspace/basement is in need of major water proofing or encapsulation to prevent excessive humidity levels. Not saying this always the case but more often than not.