Boiling Water/Humidity

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Hope everyone has a wonderful and warm Thanksgiving!
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Status
Not open for further replies.

trophyhill

New Member
Nov 23, 2013
11
Tijeras, NM
I've read on this forum that folks have trouble bringing water to a boil on their wood burning stoves. I have a "granite ware" type stock pot that I take into the back country on my elk hunting trips and decided to try it and it works to boil water with a good fire in the stove. I live in the west where we have a dry climate and at lower fire temps this pot steams nice and i have been able to keep over 40% humidity in my house. just thought I'd throw this out there for those looking to add a little humidity and or to boil water on your stove.
 
Though it's really easy to find out why if one has an electric stove, puts a burner on high and points an IR gun at it and compares that reading to a heating stove top measurement. I once had the 'pleasure' of working in a summer camp kitchen for a week or so that had a commercial electric range with cast iron burners, now there was a watched pot that seemingly never boiled.

As for a dry climate, though, I live in one where you DON'T add moisture and instead compensate by turning the heat up. Once more than a dozen years ago I seeming forgot years of experience over frozen door seals, latch mechanisms, glaciers at the bottom of windows, and even door locks that filled completely solid with ice or worse, and tried boiling a kettle of water on the stove to add some humidity to the air, and I watched a column of steam going straight up into the ceiling. It revisited me sometime later when the temperatures warmed up, with rain indoors and dripping out of the ceiling fixtures. So for me, I try to avoid 40% and above, attempt to dive it down towards 30% and hope to see head for 20%
 
Thanks trophyhill. We may have to experiment with that because it is something we've not yet tried.
 
Boiling water is easy on a stove. You just have to cover the pot. When the water is allowed to steam and evaporate, you let the energy escape from the pot. Water boils at 212F at sea level and at lower temps as altitude increases and atmospheric pressure decreases. We run our stoves all the time at 4-500F. 400 degree water will boil.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.