Ok I have a inside Daka wood furnace, use as my whole house heat, 2700 sq.ft. 72 degrees 24 -7, my humidity stays right around 28-30 %, even with a nice room humidifier does not get any higher, checked with several readers all read the same, Does anyone check theres with a digital reader if so whats it read and whats your solution. Thanks, Ray
Humidity in house , how to increase it ?
- Thread starter toolhawk
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modn
ArboristSite Operative
I have an Aprilaire hooked into my plenum. You can adjust to whatever % you desire (I'm at 45%). It hooks into a your water supply and blows the heat through the water soaked pad that is in it then it loops back into you cold air return. When your fan kicks on the water starts. It also has a temp sensor that decides if you need humidity with the temp outside. Or keep open pans of water in the house, as that will help also.
Orange Hill
ArboristSite Operative
A simple solution I saw at a hardware store is a Y diverter that ties into your ELECTRIC cloths dryer that blows warm moist air back into your house during the winter and out as normal during warm months. I do see a problem with some lint getting by the lint trap and if hooked up to a gas dryer it could feed CO back into your house. Free heat and humidity since you normally just throw this heat away, not to mention drawing in cold dry air to offset the negative pressure a cloths dryer creates. It could take longer to dry your cloths if the dryer exhaust is right next to the dryer driving up local humidity.
Ok, let me have it.
Ok, let me have it.
November Wolf
ArboristSite Operative
I definitely would not use this with a gas dryer. That's bad news man.
modn
ArboristSite Operative
There is a gizmo I tried that has your exhaust going into a lint trap with water at the bottom. Let me just say it IS a gizmo and not worth the $12 if I recall correctly. I do have an electric dryer and I do agree with November on not doing it with gas. I did end up putting it back to the outdoors. It was just me attempting to go too far and collect valuable heat/moisture just going to the outdoors.
Labman
ArboristSite Guru
How well sealed up is your house? We used to need a humidifier, but I have fanatically sealed up everything I could over the years. I mean not only around doors and windows, but between the foundation, plate, bandjoist, and floor. I have sealed up around all the pipes and wires in the crawlspace and attic. Note, use fire resistant putty and some light fixtures should never be covered with insulation. You want to tighten the house up, not burn it down.
There are tax credits for stuff including windows.
There are tax credits for stuff including windows.
ericjeeper
Addicted to ArboristSite
This federal tax credits was out in 08, but is back on the books for 2009.
It is only 200 dollars but hey it is something..
dingeryote
Blueberry Baron
I'm running a quadrafire fireplace and about the same sq. footage.
Primary is the burner and hardly ever go below 68.
Humidity is between 20-50% depending on the weather WITH the humidifier going. The house is 3 years old and tighter than a Banjo string.
At a certain point, thanks to the cold dry air outside, ya just ain't gonna beat it. Rght now it's 24 degrees outside, 74 in here, and 38%.
As a cold front moves in I can watch it progress as the humidity in here tanks, then goes back up as the front moves onward.
I thought maybe it was the house leaking a bit, but had my HVAC guy check pressure differential and the place is almost TOO tight.
Maybe a higher volume humidifier would help, I dunno. Mine is rated for twice the square footage I have,so I can't see any chance of that working without localized condensation or other issues.
Best of luck to ya!
Maybe one of the guys has a gem nobodys uncovered yet.
Stay safe!
Dingeryote
Earlier this winter I bought a Hunter humidifier, it's a floor model that has a 4 gallon tank. It doesn't even come close to keeping up, I go through a tank a day and it can't get the house above 25-28% At some point I'm probably going to just get a addon unit to go on the furnace.
modn
ArboristSite Operative
Like I said before, My aprilaire has no problem keeping up. I have the 600.
http://www.aprilaire.com/
logbutcher
Addicted to ArboristSite
K.I.S.S. principle: two stoves going 24/7 in winter. Cast iron pot on top of each usually boiling off humitidy +/- 30% in a tight place. The pots are filled morning and evening or more. When the temperatures go down below 10 F, with less water in the air and higher heat inside, we break out the steam humidifier.
Not a good idea to vent any kind of clothes dryer into the house. In most construction the house will be tight enough to hold too much humidity. And, you get lint in the air. Damn, have a nice micro brew (maybe if you have class: Laphroaig ), a good cigar , and Godiva chocolates. Watch the game.
opcorn:
Not a good idea to vent any kind of clothes dryer into the house. In most construction the house will be tight enough to hold too much humidity. And, you get lint in the air. Damn, have a nice micro brew (maybe if you have class: Laphroaig ), a good cigar , and Godiva chocolates. Watch the game.
opcorn: princesnicole
New Member
A simple band-aid I saw at a accouterments abundance is a Y diverted that ties into your ELECTRIC cloths dryer that assault balmy clammy air aback into your abode during the winter and out as accustomed during balmy months. I do see a botheration with some lint accepting by the lint allurement and if absorbed up to a gas dryer it could augment CO aback into your house. Free calefaction and clamminess back you commonly just bandy this calefaction away, not to acknowledgment cartoon in algid dry air to account the abrogating burden a cloths dryer creates. It could yield best to dry your cloths if the dryer bankrupt is appropriate next to the dryer active up bounded humidity.
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Aprilaire
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Aprilaire
grapplermi
ArboristSite Operative
Huh?
Just hang the wet clothes in the same area as the daka. Save energy on the Dryer and adds humidity to house. Couple 5 gal pails of water close by the daka will also help ( just me being dirt cheap) I never got below 30% last winter.
We just put a pan of water on the stove. But in arkansas low humidity is not a problem.
Mr. Obvious
ArboristSite Operative
A 14 gallon per day sears floor model did little for my log cabin that I heat with a VC stove on the main floor. I ended up getting 2 more. So I have 2 on the main floor and 1 upstairs and another 12 gallon per day sears humidifier in the kids bedroom. Takes all of them to get up in the lower 40% RANGE and keep it there. Luckily they don't draw that many amps each.
:agree2:
