Adding humidity to your wood heated home

[woodroe]

Looking to hear what other people are using for room or home humidifiers . 
Not having much luck finding decent wicks for my 1.5 gal fan driven honeywell humidifier, although 
the original wick worked good for quite some time.
The new ones I just got only wicked the water good for a few days, wasted money there .
Down to 40% humidity now and using a fair amount of wood these days.
I remember we had a big cabinet unit at the farm as a kid. Had a revolving screen that picked up water
as it went through the reservoir at the bottom and a fan blew through it. Good rig there.  
Not sure about any of the stuff being sold today.
Anyone have any good solutions for a 900 sq ft 1st floor area  ?

[beenthere]

Using and like the Levoit Ultrasonic humidifier. Clean with vinegar about once a week. Puts out about 1.5 gallon of water a day. 

Beats previous models that had water cascading over filters that would crust up all too quickly and have to be changed out regularly. 

[tawilson]

AIRCARE 831000 Space-Saver, White Whole House Evaporative Humidifier 2700 sq. ft Amazon.com: AIRCARE Space-Saver Evaporative Whole House Humidifier (2,700 sq ft) : Home & Kitchen
I've been using this one for a couple years with no complaints. Replaced one that had tanks to fill. Just fill a bucket and dump it in. 

[47sawdust]

40% humidity is pretty low.I get a little anxious when ours gets to 50%.
We heat with a wood cook stove and a Hearthstone soapstone stove.
A 2 gallon SS bucket and 2 large teakettles sit on the Hearthstone all the time.
My wife also hangs laundry on wooden drying racks.
Some might think us backwards but it seems a good direction to go.

[Nathan4104]

Our humidity is also low inside, even into the upper 30’s sometimes.  
Like 47 does, we keep a kettle on the stove and dry laundry on a rack.  
When it’s below -25 we look for a few inches of condensation on the windows, nearing -35 it’ll start to be frost. (Double pane gas filled vinyl framed 8 year old house)
We don’t pay much attention to it, the wood floor moves a bit and the butcher block countertop does it’s thing.  
Hot cup of tea anyone? 

[Nathan4104]

Had me curious so I had to check….. it’s only 33% humidity…. Outside it’s -25 and there’s hardly any condensation on the windows! Have to shower without the HRV fan I suppose, .  

[mudfarmer]

Big old cast iron teakettle on the stove here, too. Lots of houseplants helps a little I think (it must, they need water all the dang time )


Try not to kick the snow off your boots when you come inside, just let it go everywhere all over the floor?

[Crusarius]

I have a cast iron pot on the wood stove with water in it all the time. But with the radiant floor heat I have been tempted to put water on the floor.

[thecfarm]

woodroe, I had one of those big things too. It worked!!!
Seem like a foot wide, knee high and on wheels. Best part was the brown plastic wood grain. 

[woodroe]

Yup, thats the one, thing could throw out some moisture.
One thing is for sure, the more wood you burn, like we are lately, the drier things inside get.
I've got a clothes line off the balcony in the cathedral living room that I'm going to 
hang a old heavy wet blanket from for awhile for starters. Hopefully it won't drip too much.

[sum1]

I have a cast iron pot on the wood stove with water in it all the time. But with the radiant floor heat I have been tempted to put water on the floor.

Same here cast iron pot on a trivet goes thru at least 5 liters a day.

[kelLOGg]

I have a Holmes DH unit and like woodroe I have found the wicks do not last and can't be cleaned for reuse. So I did this: I installed an aquarium pump in the bottom of the unit and directed the water flow to the top of the wick for it to trickle down like a small waterfall and evaporate in the air flow. I use the same filter all season at the end of which the cylindrical wick is hard-crusted with minerals and is tossed out. Without the pump the wick will last about 2 weeks and no longer absorb moisture due to mineral encrustation and has to be replaced. This setup has worked very well for 5 or more years.

[woodroe]

I have a Holmes DH unit and like woodroe I have found the wicks do not last and can't be cleaned for reuse. So I did this: I installed an aquarium pump in the bottom of the unit and directed the water flow to the top of the wick for it to trickle down like a small waterfall and evaporate in the air flow. I use the same filter all season at the end of which the cylindrical wick is hard-crusted with minerals and is tossed out. Without the pump the wick will last about 2 weeks and no longer absorb moisture due to mineral encrustation and has to be replaced. This setup has worked very well for 5 or more years.

Well thats an ingenious concept. And I just happen to have an aquarium pump too. 

[kelLOGg]

If pics of what I did will help I will PM them to you.

[woodroe]

Thanks, I would appreciate that because I'm stumped as to 
how it would work with my setup. I did get the pump out and seems to 
be an aeration device, water cascades out of it onto a 4" shelf.

[woodroe]

But if its too much trouble don't bother. I'll figure something out.

[kelLOGg]

No trouble. I decided to add it to post. The pump has a separate plug because it was too difficult to wire it to the on/off switch on the humidifier. it was a long time ago and I don't remember why.



 

[woodroe]

That is pretty clever. Thanks for the info.

[samandothers]

Glad you posted that.  I was wondering how you directed the water.  Looks like a piece of pvc, I recon any pipe with holes would work.

I need to do something for humidity.  Just started burning woodstoves in a new house.  The I have a cast iron pot on top of a stove, but it is not supplying enough.  Humidity is about 35.  I feel like I need to get a humidifier of some sort.  

Thanks for all the ideas here.

[woodroe]

When you start getting fingertip sparks at the light switches like I was you know
your air is too dry inside.
Got up to 43% yesterday with a little effort. 
Found a couple heavy cotton curtains to the tune of about 
50 sq ft. 
Soaked and spun out slightly in the wash machine then hung on the cathedral ceiling clothes line, repeat.
Ceiling fan on low helps distribute the moisture. Had a low of 38% humidity few days back. Was getting a spark 
at every light switch then, better now. 
Use what you got right ?
I know someone here who isn't buying new humidifier wicks every other week.