keeping humidity

[struggle]

I am wondering what do you do to keep the humidity up in the house when you are running on fireheat all winter. It gets really dry in our house as it is right now.

Currently we are running a Lasko humidifier which just circulates water through a filter with a fan running. No heat.

We have a steamer to put on top of the woodstove but I am not really sure if that does much for the whole house and we are currently awaiting a part for the wood stove so we are using a fireplace now.

 

[Corey]

There are a couple of things you can do to try and help out:

IMHO, the wood stove "steamers" are fun to look at, but don't do too much as far as real humidity. I use three 9" pyrex pie pans on top of my insert. These have a large surface area (over 60 square inches each) to help evaporate a lot of water, and combined they hold about 1-1/2 gallons. They get filled daily when the stove is under good fire.

In the winter, I stop using the bathroom exhaust fan to pull the shower steam out of the house. Instead, I use a small, 6" personal fan aimed at the ceiling to blow the steam out into the rest of the house. Nearly free humidity, and also cuts down a bit on pulling dry outside air in.

The last (admittedly controversial) step I take is to redirect the clothes dryer exhaust through a filter and back inside. My dryer is in the basement so it helps add a bit of heat and humidity down there, and again, reduces pulling outside air into the house. Works OK with electric dryer, probably not a good thing to do with gas. Some will also note that it creates a fire hazard should the dryer light off a ball of lint. I take steps to make sure the dryer is clean, and only use the set-up while I am awake and within earshot of the smoke detector, should something happen to go wrong.

Corey

 

[Eric Johnson]

I like the dryer idea, Corey. Too bad mine's gas.

What I always used to do was stack as much wood as possible in the basement. As it dries out over the course of the winter, it puts humidity into the house, plus it helps dry the wood out. That was when I had a wood-fired boiler in the basement and enough room for 8 full cords of wood.

 

[suematteva]

1 steamer on the stove and 1 big aluminum tea pot almost 2- gal..we also dry all the clothes in the house but on those plastic covered racks.. keep the wood box completely filled when there..

 

[Sandor]

Keep something in mind here. Nature always seeks equilibrium. If its more damp inside than outside, that moisture will seek a way outside. Through leaks around windows and doors, and through the wall itself.

I prefer to work with the laws of nature, and thermodynamics, while not wasting energy.

I will not use a mechanical humidifier, to me, they are mold factories.

1. Do not use the bathroom exaust fan while showering... open the door and let the steam into the home. Running the fan will remove the moisture, and suck in cold dry air, from somewhere.

2. Hang your laundry up somewhere to air dry in the house. We use racks, with a ceiling fan to move the air around. If you use an electric dryer, this will save lots of money. One load of laundry a night, air dried, makes a difference. Running clothes dryers for hours on end will suck in more cold, dry air than you can believe.

3. If need be, go ahead and put the pot of water on the stove.... it does not waste energy, and it is effective.

4. Get a digital indoor weather station that gives humidity readings. I like to keep humidity below 50 percent, winter or summer. Without a guage, you really have no clue what is happening.