What humidifier to use on wood stove? External fan?

[Nimrod1911]

I need to reintroduce some moistrure into the air of my home. We live in a very dry climate in Utah and right now it is reaching temperatures below zero at night. Growing up and at our cabin we use those cast iron kettles. Is there anything better, cooler, awesomer?

Also, I have an old PRE-EPA stove with no blower. Would a small fan positioned behined the stove assist in moving warm air throughout my house and help it move upstairs where it is really needed?
If so, do you have any recommendations on a fan? Something that uses low watts and has a very slow setting would be nice. I do have a quite a bit of clearence behind the stove but getting one that is not prone to melting (ie: heat resistent) would be wise.

 

[MI wood guy]

I use 2 tea kettles on top of my stove for humidifer.
I also have a fan behind my stove on low,and it does seem to help circulate air

 

[lukem]

I have a $3 metal lasagna pan filled with water. Holds about a gallon of water...fill it twice a day.

 

[DanCorcoran]

Cold air is denser than warm air and easier to move. You'd be better off putting a fan on the floor at the top of the stairs and blowing the cold air down. The warm air will move up to replace it, on its own.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I need to reintroduce some moistrure into the air of my home. We live in a very dry climate in Utah and right now it is reaching temperatures below zero at night. Growing up and at our cabin we use those cast iron kettles. Is there anything better, cooler, awesomer?

Also, I have an old PRE-EPA stove with no blower. Would a small fan positioned behined the stove assist in moving warm air throughout my house and help it move upstairs where it is really needed?

If so, do you have any recommendations on a fan? Something that uses low watts and has a very slow setting would be nice. I do have a quite a bit of clearence behind the stove but getting one that is not prone to melting (ie: heat resistent) would be wise.

Good news for you Nimrod. That fan you want with low watts and slow setting will work nice and not use much electric. But as Dan stated, you are looking at it backwards. Do not try to move the warm air. Instead, use a small desktop fan and run it on low speed. Set it in a doorway or hallway and aim it toward the stove room. That cool air moving into the warm air will force the warm air out. You will be amazed at how good this works.

On the humidity, yes, having a pan or pot of water on the stove will help some but not a lot especially in your area. You might want to look at a humidifier. Until then, yes, keep a pot of water on the stove. We do and probably go through a gallon a day. Because we have some lime in our water we just use an old pot that my wife no longer needs.

 

[StihlHead]

I use a small desk fan behind the stove at all times to blow air off the stove surface and keep the damper control cool enough to touch. I also use a box fan at the side of the stove set on medium most of the time. The box fan basically doubles the heat circulated in the house from the stove and keeps the areas of the house farthest from the stove a lot warmer. The Earth Stove has a factory fan built in but the bearings are shot and it is really noisy, so I use the box fan instead. The Englander came with a fan but I have not hooked it up yet.

Humidity is hard to change inside my house when it gets dry here. I use a soup pan on the stove top when the humidity is low. It is crusted over inside and heavily calcified. It is not nearly as effective as leaving the window to my hot tub room open though. The hot tub is in a dormer off the back of the house. I get a lot of nose bleeds when the humidity is less than 30%. I have an Oregon Scientific digital thermometer that has a readout of temp and humidity, inside and out.

Geez, it is 50 F outside right now. A heat wave. And it is supposed to snow here tomorrow? This late fall/early winter has had a lot of alternating warm and cold weather every few days.

 

[n6crv]

I use a couple tea pots and one is used as a temp warning. I can hear the whistle getting loud if the stove top is getting to hot. After you get used to it you can tune out the noise and if my wife needs me to do something it works for not hearing her LOL.

 

[BettyGF]

Nimrod, I've found Vicks vaporizers do the trick best of all. Humidifiers usually, if not always, require expensive filters. (There's a difference in humidifiers and vaporizers.) I've used $20 Vicks vaporizers for years in the winter to reintroduce moisture for my house plants and birds. The vaporizers are easy to clean, don't look bad even if they're not as pretty as stove top steamers, and one fill lasts all day or close. Here's a link I found when I did a quick check, but you can get them almost anywhere. Aquariums help moisturize, too, but they're a whole lot more work. (broken link removed to http://www.iallergy.com/product515/product_info.html?gclid=CITInrbA4LQCFXGRPAodV10A1w) Have you considered a ceiling fan? PS: I don't work for Vicks, but they oughta to pay me after that, don't you think?

 

[Jacktheknife]

I've been sick with pneumonia and we have been running a cast iron humidifier kettle, my tea kettle so i can make tea, and a two quart sauce pot to add some moisture back into the air. Just be sure not to use teflon, it releases toxic fumes at about 400degrees.