Now she wants a humidifier...argh.

[Bster13]

Last night was the first burn (a small one) of the season for me. I'm a new burner with a BK Princess Insert. Last night she said her throat was scratchy and she wants a humidifier. Couple of questions...

A) Really?! (The payoff time for this heating by wood just keep growing and growing) Do lots of Hearth.com members have them?
B) Pot on top of stove worth a darn? (she'll hate the looks anyway but...)
B) Reliable model if powered by electric?

 

[lumbering on]

Pot on the stove did very little.
Have two humidifiers going full time. Definitely needed.

 

[Tenn Dave]

Pot on the stove did very little.
Have two humidifiers going full time. Definitely needed.

Having very low humidity is not only bad for you, it is bad for your wood furniture.

 

[Bster13]

Ok, what did u guys buy, and how big was the capacity, models, what has been reliable, etc?

 

[rideau]

When it gets too dry in here I just take the Wheaten out for a romp in the snow.

He brings massive snowballs in on his legs, and a nice layer on the rest of his coat.

Seriously, I cook a lot on my stove...soups and stews...I don't have much of a problem with low humidity. Our ambient air is moderately moist in the winter, though. Only on the really cold days is the snow squeaky dry. I hang my wash on a clothes horse to dry in the winter, and dry mittens, scarves etc near the stove. Find the humidity comfortable in the home without additional moisture introduced beyond those measures. Really dry days I keep a few pots of water simmering on the stovetop.

 

[PapaDave]

I put an old canning pot on the stove last year that did quite well.
Previous years, we had 2 smaller pots that couldn't keep up.
PITA, but w/o doing something, the air gets really dry and wife gets bronchitis which she attributes to the stove.

 

[fire_man]

It's hard for me to imagine that lighting a small fire in September in CT. could dry the air out so much that it would cause a sore throat.

Could it have been from the little bit of smoke that may have escaped on startup?

 

[Bster13]

I honestly think it is psychological. She hates the wood heating.

It's hard for me to imagine that lighting a small fire in September in CT. could dry the air out so much that it would cause a sore throat.

Could it have been from the little bit of smoke that may have escaped on startup?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That's bad that she hates the wood heat. I hope she comes to love it. For sure she will have to love being warm and spending less on other fuel.

We have not used humidifiers as I've never liked them. We do keep a pot of water on the stove all winter and in addition, my wife quits using her solar clothes dryer in the winter. This means she then switches to using the wood stove to dry the laundry. That puts a lot of humidity in the house for sure. Most days when she does that, I try to keep busy outside.

 

[Bster13]

Having an insert will make it difficult to place a pot on the stove and it will be unsightly (in our opinion). I assume a pot just hanging out on the hearth near the stove won't do nearly as well?

 

[weatherguy]

Having an insert will make it difficult to place a pot on the stove and it will be unsightly (in our opinion). I assume a pot just hanging out on the hearth near the stove won't do nearly as well?

You could take that grill off that's on top of the princess and get more room for a pot, they also make those half pots. My wife was against the wood stove too but after a winter where she was the warmest she's ever been and the savings on oil she's come around.

 

[Sons924]

I'm going to use a humidifier

 

[jharkin]

We have two of these 2.5 gal Hamilton beach jobs, one per floor. They work well and are very reliable, it basically just a fan blowing through a damp wick. Can't be more than $50 each and uses less elec than a desk fan.

Trick is to keep them clean. Scrub it with soap weekly, change the filter monthly, and for good measure I use these silver antibacterial cartridges.



As to the wives... Some just never come around. Mine hates the stove and just puts up with it for me. Her gripe is the uneven temps. Never mind the 'cold' rooms are still warmer than I set the gas, she doesn't like it. She would just turn up the stat and pay the bill if I didn't have a say.

 

[Bster13]

There is a filter cost or u can clean one over and over again?

We have two of these 2.5 gal Hamilton beach jobs, one per floor. They work well and are very reliable, it basically just a fan blowing through a damp wick. Can't be more than $50 each and uses less elec than a desk fan.

Trick is to keep them clean. Scrub it with soap weekly, change the filter monthly, and for good measure I use these silver antibacterial cartridges.

View attachment 111956

As to the wives... Some just never come around. Mine hates the stove and just puts up with it for me. Her gripe is the uneven temps. Never mind the 'cold' rooms are still warmer than I set the gas, she doesn't like it. She would just turn up the stat and pay the bill if I didn't have a say.

 

[xman23]

We have a evaporative type. It uses a lot of water, so it must be working well, but the stove cooks the air. Pain to fill, wish it hooked up to a water line and had automatic fill. We run it in the bedroom so you don't wake with the dry throat. Got it at Sears. It automatic fan speed based on humidity setting. Cheep to run, only a fan. This reminds me to get it ready for the season.

 

[BrotherBart]

Just don't get carried away with a humidifier. During a health problem I over did it with humidifiers to help it and over did it and ended up with mold in the attic.

Yeah I know. Air sealing and attic ventilation. $13,000 later that is done along with the new roof that I needed anyway.

 

[Bster13]

So the automatic settings on these humidifiers are not to be trusted? One decent sized one by the stove won't cut it for a 1974 sq ft house?

 

[BrotherBart]

There is a filter cost or u can clean one over and over again?

I have a similar one and the filters are a little pricey. At least once they can be cleaned in water with bleach. At the end of the season I grab a bunch at Walmart on closeout for a third of the price.

 

[BrotherBart]

So the automatic settings on these humidifiers are not to be trusted? One decent sized one by the stove won't cut it for a 1974 sq ft house?

You don't put it by the stove. Put it centrally in the house. The settings on mine are pretty dead on. I use one down stairs and it does fine. In fact the warm air from the stove carries the moisture right up the stairs.

Having one downstairs and one up running all the time and set too high is where I bit myself.

 

[Dix]

I ran a $10 aporier from Wally World last year, worked wonders. Used it in the den where the insert is.

Plus I hung the laundry in the house, plenty of moisture there (for me any ways).

 

[Bster13]

Are they noisey? My insert blower is noisey on high for my living room, but just curious.

 

[Dix]

As to the wives... Some just never come around

Hmpppffff.

 

[Bster13]

What is an "aporier?"

quote="Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle, post: 1520848, member: 5149"]I ran a $10 aporier from Wally World last year, worked wonders. Used it in the den where the insert is.

Plus I hung the laundry in the house, plenty of moisture there (for me any ways).[/quote]

 

[Hogwildz]

Look up Sears Kenmore console humidifier.
Has 2 large bottles that last for a couple days before needing refill, sometimes longer depending on how dry the air is, and how fast you run the fans on it.
I love mine. No more static cling or shocks in the winter. Or dry throat & sinuses.

 

[Bster13]

if it is not a reusable filter this is going to kill me.