Anyone use a humidifier?

[emt1581]

We had our hardwood floor guy at the house yesterday to do an estimate. We talked to him about getting a wood stove/insert which he said would have minimal issues on the floor but he suggested we use a humidifier of some sort. Reason being in "older homes" without a modern furnace, which he said would have a humidifier built in, the fire/heat tends to dry the air out and could affect us. He said that it can cause sinus issues.

Just curious if anyone else has heard this and if so, how did you go about moistening the air without creating problems structurally?

Thanks!

-Emt1581

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

this is the reason for stove top steamers

 

[jharkin]

If you search you will probably find this has been discussed extensively.


Bottom line - Its not specific to "older" homes. Any home that doesn't have humidification will be very dry in winter. Possibly the only reason he mentioned older is that new construction homes are so airtight now that even if the heat is hot water baseboard or radiant they might have to put in an outside air system which will probably come with a humidifier.

The reason for the dry air has to due with relative humidity. Cold winter air tends to be dry to start with, and when you heat it up the relative humidity goes down further. Where I live with no humidification we would be around 10-20% humidity indoors.

For the health of your sinuses 50% is ideal - however when its really cold out having that much humidity indoors can lead to condensation on cold surfaces like window glass. So typically its recommended to reduce humidity as outside temp goes down. There are charts online with recommendations, but I'm lazy and just leave it on 40%.



-Jeremy

 

[emt1581]

If you search you will probably find this has been discussed extensively.


I did search. I found a LOT on DEhumidifiers but not much on humidifiers.


Bottom line - Its not specific to "older" homes. Any home that doesn't have humidification will be very dry in winter. Possibly the only reason he mentioned older is that new construction homes are so airtight now that even if the heat is hot water baseboard or radiant they might have to put in an outside air system which will probably come with a humidifier.

The reason for the dry air has to due with relative humidity. Cold winter air tends to be dry to start with, and when you heat it up the relative humidity goes down further. Where I live with no humidification we would be around 10-20% humidity indoors.

For the health of your sinuses 50% is ideal - however when its really cold out having that much humidity indoors can lead to condensation on cold surfaces like window glass. So typically its recommended to reduce humidity as outside temp goes down. There are charts online with recommendations, but I'm lazy and just leave it on 40%.

That makes sense. I think the trick is going to be finding that right percentage so we breath better but don't get condensation/mildew/etc.



-Jeremy

Thanks!

-Emt1581

 

[oldspark]

310 results for humidifiers aint too shabby.

 

[emt1581]

310 results for humidifiers aint too shabby.

You could have easily just posted your thoughts on the subject but no...you went out of your way to read the thread, do your own search, get the number of results, come all the way back to the thread and posted that experience instead....

...well played sir...well played!

-Emt1581

 

[oldspark]

310 results for humidifiers aint too shabby.

You could have easily just posted your thoughts on the subject but no...you went out of your way to read the thread, do your own search, get the number of results, come all the way back to the thread and posted that experience instead....

...well played sir...well played!

-Emt1581

You sir are a hard one to figure out, I was just wondering why there was not more on the topic and found 310 results so posted that.

 

[emt1581]

You sir are a hard one to figure out, I was just wondering why there was not more on the topic and found 310 results so posted that.

Honestly, I really did do a search, but after the first page and seeing there was nothing but a ton of DEhumidifier threads, I figured there wasn't much conversation on the topic. Turns out I was wrong!

-Emt1581

 

[oldspark]

You sir are a hard one to figure out, I was just wondering why there was not more on the topic and found 310 results so posted that.

Honestly, I really did do a search, but after the first page and seeing there was nothing but a ton of DEhumidifier threads, I figured there wasn't much conversation on the topic. Turns out I was wrong!

-Emt1581

You are welcome. :cheese:

 

[BrotherBart]

There are five thousand dollars worth of hand carved wood duck decoys in the same room as my stove and not a one has been damaged by low humidity. And decoys are famous for splitting in two in too dry air. I quit buying them in 1991.

Everything from toilets to cooking to taking showers and you breathing puts a load of humidity into the living area of a house. I quit the kettle on the stove thing a very long time ago. It is a lot drier in the joint right now with the A/C running than it ever is with the stove cranking. Back when we had central heat was when a spark would accompany touching a door knob.

 

[emt1581]

There are five thousand dollars worth of hand carved wood duck decoys in the same room as my stove and not a one has been damaged by low humidity. And decoys are famous for splitting in two in too dry air. I quit buying them in 1991.

Everything from toilets to cooking to taking showers and you breathing puts a load of humidity into the living area of a house. I quit the kettle on the stove thing a very long time ago. It is a lot drier in the joint right now with the A/C running than it ever is with the stove cranking. Back when we had central heat was when a spark would accompany touching a door knob.

I actually have a little key chain thing that if you touch it to grounded metal in the winter...it absorbs the shock for you.

In terms of the decoys...I take it you're a hunter?

I've wanted to get into duck hunting for years...ever since it touched my tongue at Hotel Hershey. It was like steak...only better! I've got the guns, I've got the boat, just don't have a guide or a lab and I've been told GSD's absolutely suck as bird dogs. Plus...no decoys...

...or are you just a decoy collector??

-Emt1581

 

[oldspark]

Well my house is dryer than a popcorn fart in the winter and the humidity is way more with the A/C running now, but with the new windows I might try a humidifier this winter.

 

[BrotherBart]

...or are you just a decoy collector??

-Emt1581

Hunters stopped using hand carved decoys when the light plastic ones came out. And I quit duck hunting ten years ago. Just like to look at the decoys. I bought each one from the Havre de Grace carver that made it. Only things I ever bought just to look at in my life.

 

[emt1581]

Hunters stopped using hand carved decoys when the light plastic ones came out. And I quit duck hunting ten years ago. Just like to look at the decoys. I bought each one from the Havre de Grace carver that made it. Only things I ever bought just to look at in my life.

The plastic ones still get expensive once you cover a section of lake with them.

I can appreciate just having something for the sake of looking at it. I've got a few toys myself that are pretty much for that purpose.

-Emt1581

 

[daleeper]

We have a/c and dehumidifier running in the basement in the summer and dehumidifier rarely shuts off in summer. In the winter it gets dry with the wood stove burning, but we take lots of showers (2 teenage girls) and air dry clothes in the basement, and it helps. I can't get in the habit of keeping water on the stove, it just disappears too fast for me to keep up. See the recent chair thread.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/56833/

 

[firefighterjake]

Stove top steamer . . . puts some moisture in the air . . . and gives me a good place to pour in the potpourri to make the place smell oh so pretty.

 

[Hogwildz]

My place gets way to dry in the winter. Sinuses, dry skin, shocks, get all of it. I bought a Kenmore console humidifier on ebay and gald I did.
I may get another. I run it on low and have to fill both tanks up each night before bed. Sometimes 1 tank refill per night depending on the outside humidity.

 

[laynes69]

We bought a floor model humidifier for our house last year. Its rated up to 2500 square feet. We keep it in the hallway upstairs in the middle of the 5 bedrooms. We put probably 3 to 4 gallons of water in it a day to keep it going. Normally we set it between 30-45 percent in the winter. Having a woodfurnace the ductwork will carry moisture down the stairs and distribute it through the house. Works well.

 

[Yota1]

My stove top steamer cracked, so i just put a large pot, about the size of a pasta pot full of water, the water last 24 hours at a light simmer, and does a good job. no numbers, but my wife has sensitive skin, and doesn't seem to dry out to bad during the winter.

 

[savageactor7]

We have a stove top steamer plus a humidifier...that floor guy is giving you some good advice.