when furnace runs, it blows air under the windows which are the coldest parts of the house. This warms the area & averts condensation at the cold spots which can result in mold otherwise. with pstove point of heat its the opposite= warm air comes from center & migrates to cold area & condenses, raising humidity of the cold area.........humidifying the air + pstove heat will make things worse
Air Purification
- Thread starter LJ4174
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
- Status
LJ4174 said:
Yes they run constantly, there are several ways they can be installed.
They allow cleaner outside air to enter your house after having been heated up or cooled down by the exiting relatively dirty inside air.
They also frequently contain filters.
SmokeyTheBear said:
Seems to me this would cause an ongoing temperature loss. How efficient is the heat exchanger when transferring the inside temperature to the outside air coming in to the house?
Yeah, I agree, plus I'm still unsure where you would put such a unit, especially if it isn't ducted... Interesting though. I could see running it a few time throughout the day, like on a timer or something, but running it constantly does seem like it would cause a major temp loss... I was checking out some prices on these too and my one buddy from work said, "I'd just crack a window here and there to let some fresh air in..." Hmmmm...
I just picked up one of the LUX thermostates I mentioned above on eBay yesterday for $29 shipped, that will run my circulator fan. I'm going to try to have it run 10 minutes every hour. I'm also trying to conserve electricity, so I'm not sure how much that will affect my bill. Not sure how much current the just that circulator fan draws.
I also bought a filter for my humidifier... I think I'm going to start there for now...
Our daughter is six, and she has been coughing during the heating season since she was a baby. We have always had the same stove (see my profle) but I have learned a lot along the way. This year we thought for sure we wouldn't get much use out of the wood heater because after replacing the carpet with hardwood floors in our den (where our stove is) we noticed the same amount of dust in the air when the sun comes pouring in the windows. Not even during the heating season, mind you. It's just a dusty room. We figured she would just start coughing again, and since the wood floor at over 2 grand was the last thing we could think of, the next step was no more burning. Neither of us smoke.
I have tried everything to figure out why this room is so dusty. I posted questions. I cleaned the heck out of the bare slab before the new wood floor went down, sweeping and vacuuming, including the gap at the bottom of the drywall. We have had an Alen wall mounted HEPA for years now. I vacuum out both the pre-filter and the actual HEPA. They say no to cleaning the HEPA, but I use a soft bristle attachment with an easy touch. You still have to change it once in awhile though. The pre-filter catches a TON of ash during the burning season. It's hard to imagine how dusty the place would be if we didn't have it.
Sealed the door to the garage with weatherstripping to keep dust out. I regularly vacuum everything-furniture, drapes, etc. But she hasn't been coughing at all this year since we started burning (about a month ago). Normally, she starts almost right away. A dry, persistent cough that goes on for weeks, and sometimes longer than a month. Goes away for a bit, then comes back. Of course we took her to her doc a few times about this, and after a few years of them saying they couldn't hear anything in her lungs, last year they said she might be "pre-asthmatic". While this is common among kids and many grow out of it, it gutted me to think the stove could have contributed to this in any way.
This year, so far... nothing. She's OK.
This is what I'm doing differently this year:
*No all day burning during the weekdays. Whether or not the wife and I are at home, I let it burn down after 8 am and don't fire it up again until after the little one's in bed. During the weekends, we do usually keep it stoked day and night. I figure, no matter what, I have to keep the air in the house cleaner, and less burn time equals less particulate.
*No water on the stove - I'm not using my enamel stove humidifier. Maybe the township water has something in it that aggravates her sensitive passages once atomized ? My friend's pediatrician told him to use a humidifier, not a stove-top steamer. Said that only a humidifier can really provide the amount of moisture needed. And he says his kids are coughing less or not at all with the xtra moisture. My girl is doing better on less.
*No stray ash left on the ash lip or on the hearth. I now vacuum up the ash every time I am done sifting, emptying the pan and cleaning the fettles. If it's glowing I scrape the hot coals up, and wait a little bit. I used to think top loading was letting ash escape, so last year I bit the bullet, moved the surround-screen and front loaded 90% of the time. And it did nothing. I am now convinced that convection-borne loose ash from outside the stove is a far worse contributor to a particulate problem than top loading. I don't even smell smoke when top loading.
*Keep wood outside instead of bringing loads into the room. (I did this last year, too.) There is a lot of mould spores on wood, that's just the way it is. Sure there are clean pieces, but not all of them. As I'm sitting here, there is a full load of splits behind me in my "vintage iron" folding log carrier (I can't believe the thing is $135 beans now online) so of course we make exceptions, like when it's late. But during the day, I carry it in load by load.
I already see a difference in the amount of accumulated ash on the mantle, and I think that by far the biggest thing is cleaning up fallen ash from outside the stove immediately. I hope my girl doesn't cough this year.
Last summer, I told her, "We might not use the wood stove this winter. If it makes you cough that bad, it's just not worth it." And she comes back immediately with "Dad, you know, people can die from cold too."
I have tried everything to figure out why this room is so dusty. I posted questions. I cleaned the heck out of the bare slab before the new wood floor went down, sweeping and vacuuming, including the gap at the bottom of the drywall. We have had an Alen wall mounted HEPA for years now. I vacuum out both the pre-filter and the actual HEPA. They say no to cleaning the HEPA, but I use a soft bristle attachment with an easy touch. You still have to change it once in awhile though. The pre-filter catches a TON of ash during the burning season. It's hard to imagine how dusty the place would be if we didn't have it.
Sealed the door to the garage with weatherstripping to keep dust out. I regularly vacuum everything-furniture, drapes, etc. But she hasn't been coughing at all this year since we started burning (about a month ago). Normally, she starts almost right away. A dry, persistent cough that goes on for weeks, and sometimes longer than a month. Goes away for a bit, then comes back. Of course we took her to her doc a few times about this, and after a few years of them saying they couldn't hear anything in her lungs, last year they said she might be "pre-asthmatic". While this is common among kids and many grow out of it, it gutted me to think the stove could have contributed to this in any way.
This year, so far... nothing. She's OK.
This is what I'm doing differently this year:
*No all day burning during the weekdays. Whether or not the wife and I are at home, I let it burn down after 8 am and don't fire it up again until after the little one's in bed. During the weekends, we do usually keep it stoked day and night. I figure, no matter what, I have to keep the air in the house cleaner, and less burn time equals less particulate.
*No water on the stove - I'm not using my enamel stove humidifier. Maybe the township water has something in it that aggravates her sensitive passages once atomized ? My friend's pediatrician told him to use a humidifier, not a stove-top steamer. Said that only a humidifier can really provide the amount of moisture needed. And he says his kids are coughing less or not at all with the xtra moisture. My girl is doing better on less.
*No stray ash left on the ash lip or on the hearth. I now vacuum up the ash every time I am done sifting, emptying the pan and cleaning the fettles. If it's glowing I scrape the hot coals up, and wait a little bit. I used to think top loading was letting ash escape, so last year I bit the bullet, moved the surround-screen and front loaded 90% of the time. And it did nothing. I am now convinced that convection-borne loose ash from outside the stove is a far worse contributor to a particulate problem than top loading. I don't even smell smoke when top loading.
*Keep wood outside instead of bringing loads into the room. (I did this last year, too.) There is a lot of mould spores on wood, that's just the way it is. Sure there are clean pieces, but not all of them. As I'm sitting here, there is a full load of splits behind me in my "vintage iron" folding log carrier (I can't believe the thing is $135 beans now online) so of course we make exceptions, like when it's late. But during the day, I carry it in load by load.
I already see a difference in the amount of accumulated ash on the mantle, and I think that by far the biggest thing is cleaning up fallen ash from outside the stove immediately. I hope my girl doesn't cough this year.
Last summer, I told her, "We might not use the wood stove this winter. If it makes you cough that bad, it's just not worth it." And she comes back immediately with "Dad, you know, people can die from cold too."
interesting read.
The wife and I have no lung problems.... but I figure with the place sealed up for the winter, the woodstove is running, and the humidifier is running... But I am thinking I should have an air filter to run also. This would help keep the air clean of dust and ash.
Any suggestions? I am thinking about some medium level hepa filter. The air isnt a mess now, but it could be better. I am thinking about this one: http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-50250-99-97-Round-Purifier/dp/B00007E7RY/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header
![[Hearth.com] Air Purification](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/51gcx1sghql-_sl500_aa300_-webp.214385/ "[Hearth.com] Air Purification")
Rick
UPDATE: Bought it, we really like it. Have to say i dont know if it is helping anyhting, but its a good peace of mind.
The wife and I have no lung problems.... but I figure with the place sealed up for the winter, the woodstove is running, and the humidifier is running... But I am thinking I should have an air filter to run also. This would help keep the air clean of dust and ash.
Any suggestions? I am thinking about some medium level hepa filter. The air isnt a mess now, but it could be better. I am thinking about this one: http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-50250-99-97-Round-Purifier/dp/B00007E7RY/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header
Rick
UPDATE: Bought it, we really like it. Have to say i dont know if it is helping anyhting, but its a good peace of mind.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
