dry air...getting moisture back in

[jj3500]

I've recently have had my stove running and windows are shut. The air is drying out. Evident of my nostrils being "difficult" and my throat getting a little tender. Other than an humidifier and having pots of water on top of stove simmering, will the opening of windows ADD to the moisture...in any significant degree?

Thanks for any input.

 

[akhilljack]

ultimately it depends on the climate where you live. in fairbanks ak it is actualy considerd a dry dersert like climate it just gets so cold what moisture there is falls as snow and sticks around all year. when i open my windows its actualy the oposite, moisture escapes from my house to the outside. i have to keep a pot simmering on the stove which isnt a big deal to me and is what the stove top was origanly intended for anyway. i actualy forgot to do this last night funny enough and my nose began to bleed sudenly while watching some tv on the couch.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

It won't probably help (unless you have sideways rain). An outside air kit might help.

 

[stockdoct]

hello all

I'm a newcomer here but I hope to learn and contribute soon. I do have experience in humidity, as I've done some experiments in my home in Northern Illinois last winter.

The key is to obtain a humidity meter. Mine cost about about $10. I found out during the summer, my 2400 sq. ft house has a humidity of 90%, and in the winter the humidity drops to around 15%. One winter was so cold and dry, my wood furniture actually cracked, which prompted to make the above $10 purchase.

What surprised me was the AMOUNT of water it takes to humidify a house. I have a cool humidifier (spits room-temperature water vapor into the air) and a hot humidifier (steams comes out). To get my house from a wintertime 15% humidity to 30% humidity when its 10 degrees outside, it takes 2 gallons a day of continuous humidifier usage. 2 gallons! And the colder it gets, the more water is needed.

Opening a window to air temperature which is itself only 15-20% humidity seems silly. Putting a coffee-cup or a small can on top the stove also is also like a drop in the bucket. What you need is a humidifier (hot or cold). Hot ones need to have the lime deposits de-crusted every couple days --- no big deal. Cold humidifiers use less electricity of course, but can grow funguses in the stagnant water and spew them out with the vapor, making sinus problems worse. Just gently wash the humidifier with a bleach solution every couple days and rinse well, and you'll be fine. If you really want to use your wood burning stove for humidity, you have to find somehow to get 10 oz of water per hour to evaporate --- perhaps using something like a cake pan with a large surface area.

Good luck, and for gods sake keep the windows closed!

 

[billb3]

It will Saturday evening when that storm passes through.


I've kept water biling on the stove, which helps a little.

I have an electric dryer, which I'll vent into the house in the Winter. (with a lint catcher)
Helps on laundry day.

I'll leave the shower door open and the exhaust fan off in the Winter.


When none of that is available and it's so dry you get nose bleeds you either get a humidifier or start boiling lots more water.

 

[DoubleClutch]

We supplement the woodstove with a 23,000 BTU/hr convection kerosene heater, and that humidifies the air pretty well.

If you do the math, you'll see that for every gallon of kerosene you burn, you put 2 gallons of water vapor into the air.

 

[Highbeam]

Wow DC, you use your kerosene heater? I have the same 23k model and with kerosene at the current 4+$ per gallon it is cheaper to use an electric heater. I've been trying to dump my nearly new heatmate kero heater for cheap on craigslist with no luck.

I have had a relative humidity meter since the allergy doc said that I need to keep it below 50% to control dust mites. I am now into the 30% range hoping to stay this low.

 

[crazy_dan]

I also have an electric clothes dryer and vent it in the house during the winter Threw some pantyhose not so much for the moisture but why put that heat outside? extra heat + humidity it is a win win.

 

[daleeper]

We supplement the woodstove with a 23,000 BTU/hr convection kerosene heater, and that humidifies the air pretty well.

If you do the math, you'll see that for every gallon of kerosene you burn, you put 2 gallons of water vapor into the air.

I would think you would have to burn a lot of kerosene to increase the humidity in a house with this method. I would be interested in seeing your math work.

 

[savageactor7]

It's hard to believe a pot of water on the stove won't relieve those symptoms ...well another this we do in the winter is hang clothes right out of the washer onto a close rack. Mostly it's done to save drier electricity but the wife save it makes for more user friendly inside air as well.

 

[southland]

I also have an electric clothes dryer and vent it in the house during the winter Threw some pantyhose not so much for the moisture but why put that heat outside? extra heat + humidity it is a win win.

I've used a plastic indoor dryer vent at a previous house and it worked well. I was surprised at how little dust ended up in the room from it. But for my current house, I'm thinking about building one out of wood since the only one I can find locally is the type that requires water. Just remember, only do this if you have an electric dryer, NOT with a gas dryer.

 

[kobudo]

Do not vent dryer into the house.

 

[burntime]

Dryer vent in the house is ok if it is electric, a no-no if it is gas.

 

[woodconvert]

To get my house from a wintertime 15% humidity to 30% humidity when its 10 degrees outside, it takes 2 gallons a day of continuous humidifier usage. 2 gallons! And the colder it gets, the more water is needed.

I put 13 gallons of water a day in the air (via humidifier) and I still can't keep up. I can keep from getting a bloody nose but that's about it.

 

[burntime]

Woodconvert, if you are putting that much moisture in and not seeing any appreciable increase in mosture you need to caulk and insulate big time! I have a 1957 ranch and the kettle will keep up, my brothers home is 5 years old and he has no humidity problems. The less insulation and drafts the dryer it gets. When my chimney was leaking around the liner it was dry...with it sealed up correctly I have no problems.

 

[woodconvert]

Woodconvert, if you are putting that much moisture in and not seeing any appreciable increase in mosture you need to caulk and insulate big time! I have a 1957 ranch and the kettle will keep up, my brothers home is 5 years old and he has no humidity problems. The less insulation and drafts the dryer it gets. When my chimney was leaking around the liner it was dry...with it sealed up correctly I have no problems.

It's caulked and nothing to insulate...it's log. Actually, it's all wood...floors, walls, ceilings. I think the wood sucks the moisture right up...if I get behind or forget a day it's impossible to recover.

 

[burntime]

That makes more sense. Can you seal the interior logs to retain more moisture?

 

[Dill]

My logs are polyutheraned on the inside and outside. And the house still sucks up water. But one advanatage to winter is the doors open easier.

 

[woodconvert]

That makes more sense. Can you seal the interior logs to retain more moisture?

They are. See what Dill says above. Lots of wood makes it way hard to keep the moisture up.

 

[burntime]

Apparently ALOT different! I feel for you guys! That is a lot of h2o in 1 day

 

[pinewoodburner]

Take showers with the exhaust fan off. THat will put alot of moisture back in the air.

 

[woodconvert]

My logs are polyutheraned on the inside and outside. And the house still sucks up water. But one advanatage to winter is the doors open easier.

Heh, preachin' to the choir!! (I keep a bar of parafin wax by the doors....rub a little on the rubby spots and presto..a semi functional door )

 

[woodconvert]

Take showers with the exhaust fan off. THat will put alot of moisture back in the air.

That's what you would think....but no.

 

[Dill]

I'm not going through as much as he is. But I'm probably pretty low on humidity.
The kettle on the stove gets filled once a day. I put about 10 gallons a week into the fish tank. And the humidifier in my daugther's room gets filled every other day.

 

[fossil]

NFPA 211 10.7.3.3 "All clothes dryers shall be exhausted to the outside air."

I see neither the word "gas", nor the word "electric" in that sentence. Reads pretty clearly to me. Check with your local Authority Having Jurisdiction. Rick