Humidity

[nmaho]

Without buying a humidifier what can I do to put moisture in the air? I have an insert so I cannot put a container on to of stove.

 

[bigbarf48]

I think I've read people on here saying they hang their wet clothes to dry inside

Maybe some wet thick towels

 

[Nick Mystic]

If you take long hot showers you can leave your bathroom door open without running any exhaust fans. If you dry your clothes in a dryer you can run your exhaust pipe into the laundry area instead of exiting it outside the house. I know both of those approaches will put a lot of humidity into the air while they are happening, but I don't think your humidity levels will remain elevated too long afterward.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

I hand dry the laundry in the basement and shower with the door open. But that's not 4 or 5 gallons that the humidifier would do, but helps.

 

[Woody Stover]

Stack all your wet wood inside.

 

[mol1jb]

Stack all your wet wood inside.

Thats what I did this year

 

[BEConklin]

Stack all your wet wood inside.

and cook lots of pasta

 

[bholler]

You can set a pot of water in front or just off to the side of your insert. It will still get hot enough to drive he water off not near as fast as if it were on top of the stove but it will still help.

 

[paul bunion]

Brew beer.

 

[Sinngetreu]

-Buy an indoor waterfall.
-Put a hot tub in the basement.
-Buy a steam engine to power your TV.

I'm sorry, that's probably not very helpful. We have bowls of water around and it eventually evaporates.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

We do keep a pan of water on the stove. It doesn't help much but it does help. However, the main humidity for us comes when the wife does laundry. She hates to use a clothes dryer so she simply dries everything near the stove. She will do this twice weekly and we do not feel that our house gets overly dry although we do not have a gauge at present. I'll add that we do keep our house really warm but do have to reduce that a little on laundry days because the humidity gets so high.

 

[oconnor]

The best thing you can do to prevent low humidity is to air seal your basement. If the cool dry air can't get in, then the moist warm air can't get out. Caulk your basement windows and around pipes and ducts that penetrate the building envelope.

 

[Defiant]

The best thing you can do to prevent low humidity is to air seal your basement. If the cool dry air can't get in, then the moist warm air can't get out. Caulk your basement windows and around pipes and ducts that penetrate the building envelope.

Great idea, but sounds like too much work I like some of the other ideas better

 

[Boiler74]

The best thing you can do to prevent low humidity is to air seal your basement. If the cool dry air can't get in, then the moist warm air can't get out. Caulk your basement windows and around pipes and ducts that penetrate the building envelope.

Be careful doing this. The stack effect draws air into your basement and it exits through the upper portions of your house (in the winter). If you don't balance air sealing you can create back drafting from any combustion appliances in the lower areas in the house..... Water heaters, furnaces, wood stoves, etc. That can introduce CO.

Warm air rising is always going to happen in winter. If it escapes it creates negative pressure. That negative pressure is going to suck air from somewhere. If you only air seal down low, it will suck air from known chimneys.... Like those for combustion appliances.

Generally you want to start air sealing in the attic. Reduce the air going out of your building envelope, you reduce the air getting sucked into it.

 

[Defiant]

Be careful doing this. The stack effect draws air into your basement and it exits through the upper portions of your house (in the winter). If you don't balance air sealing you can create back drafting from any combustion appliances in the lower areas in the house..... Water heaters, furnaces, wood stoves, etc. That can introduce CO.

Warm air rising is always going to happen in winter. If it escapes it creates negative pressure. That negative pressure is going to suck air from somewhere. If you only air seal down low, it will suck air from known chimneys.... Like those for combustion appliances.

Generally you want to start air sealing in the attic. Reduce the air going out of your building envelope, you reduce the air getting sucked into it.

What can I do with my ridge and soffett vents that run the length of the house?

 

[Boiler74]

What can I do with my ridge and soffett vents that run the length of the house?

Your air seal should be your drywall and all other materials your drywall meets. Recessed lighting is notorious for leaking air. Taped drywall is a good air seal, and all other penetrations of it should be well sealed from air leakage. So wherever two different materials meet should be sealed. Light boxes, interior wall plates, smoke detector electrical boxes. All those should be air sealed. Ridge and soffit vents are outside the air sealed envelope...... Or should be.

 

[Defiant]

My pull down attic door needs serious attention, have a blanket covering the top, what a PIA

 

[rwhite]

Without buying a humidifier what can I do to put moisture in the air? I have an insert so I cannot put a container on to of stove.

THey used to make a lint box type of thing-a-majig that you could hook your dryer vent to inside the home. I remember it claimed to use dryer heat to heat the home.

 

[oconnor]

Be careful doing this. The stack effect draws air into your basement and it exits through the upper portions of your house (in the winter). If you don't balance air sealing you can create back drafting from any combustion appliances in the lower areas in the house..... Water heaters, furnaces, wood stoves, etc. That can introduce CO.

Warm air rising is always going to happen in winter. If it escapes it creates negative pressure. That negative pressure is going to suck air from somewhere. If you only air seal down low, it will suck air from known chimneys.... Like those for combustion appliances.

Generally you want to start air sealing in the attic. Reduce the air going out of your building envelope, you reduce the air getting sucked into it.

Warm air actually creates a relative negative pressure in the lower levels whether the air leaves the envelope or not. It is relative to outside pressures.

This is the first I've heard of a concern with air sealing causing backdrafting. If basement air sealing is the tipping point for a flue to cease drafting, something else needs to be done.

For those who wish, give this a read. http://woodheat.org/locating-chimney.html

I did the basement first, but have no other combustion appliances in the house.

 

[oconnor]

My pull down attic door needs serious attention, have a blanket covering the top, what a PIA

Unless you use the attic often, I'd caulk the attic access shut, or at least weather strip it like you would an exterior door.

 

[Boiler74]

Warm air actually creates a relative negative pressure in the lower levels whether the air leaves the envelope or not. It is relative to outside pressures.

This is the first I've heard of a concern with air sealing causing backdrafting. If basement air sealing is the tipping point for a flue to cease drafting, something else needs to be done.

For those who wish, give this a read. http://woodheat.org/locating-chimney.html

I did the basement first, but have no other combustion appliances in the house.

Check out:

http://www.woodheat.org/fireplace-tight-house.html
http://www.gulland.ca/fhs/coldhearth.htm
http://www.myhomescience.com/understanding-stack-effect/

 

[NextEndeavor]

THey used to make a lint box type of thing-a-majig that you could hook your dryer vent to inside the home. I remember it claimed to use dryer heat to heat the home.

Most here likely know but I'll say it anyway: to vent a dryer in doors it must be an electric dryer. Don't want the CO from a gas dryer staying in the house.

 

[jillybeansisme]

Put a wet sponge on a dish near your fireplace. Re-wet as necessary.

 

[DanCorcoran]

Put a wet sponge on a dish near your fireplace. Re-wet as necessary.

You need gallons of water each day put into the air. A wet sponge will provide a few teaspoons. A kettle not much more. That's why humidifiers have absorbent belts with fans blowing air through them to aid evaporation.

 

[jillybeansisme]

OK so I'm wrong. It was a thought. Then for $35 go buy a humidifier from Walmart pharmacy until you can do something more permanent. I used to stick a stockpot of water on my kitchen stove and let it evaporate. If I was stuffed up, I'd add eucalyptus leaves and boil it.