House drying out

[brendonv]

What steps are you guys taking to keep your house from getting so dry with your wood stove?  My pot of water on top just isn't cutting it, it's really messing up the drywall in here.

What % humidity should I maintain?  I guess I'll have to get a humidifier... 

[Charles Barnes Sr]

I don't where you stack your wood before burning it, but I place all mine in the cellar where my woodstove is. One trick I use is I stack all my "green" firewood in back of my already dry/seasoned firewood, so as I burn my dry wood the "green" is drying and releasing moisture into the air. The pot of water thing never seems to be enough to keep things from drying out for me either.

[brendonv]

My wood is outside, actually.  I pull it off the pile in garden tractor trailer loads as necessary.  This stove runs non stop from first cold, to last. We don't turn on the oil baseboard heat all year, and hasn't been on since Jan. last year.  I wonder if it still works  :-\.  It's starting to push some screws out in here.  New drywall too.  Not abnormal as the lady thinks 65 is cold, usually runs from 68-mid 70's temp wise on the floor where the stove is.  Kinda ridiculous.  The dog likes it though.

[shawnr]

My wife and I live in a log home heated mostly by a woodstove. Dry air can really wreak the knotty pine T & G boards on the ceiling, so we always run humidifiers ( 24/7).  We try to keep 30% humidity or better but it really depends on the outside humidity.  We run about 5 gallons of water through the unit each day and it really helps with general health of the house too!
Stay away from the "warm mist" types since they are a pain to maintain.

[Al_Smith]

Well first of all it doesn't take nearly the amount of heat to feel warm with the proper humidity as oppossed  to dry .

They say between 40 and 60 percent relative humidity but in reality if you get above 50 percent you could have a problem with condensation on windows and exterior walls which could lead to mold .Not good .

You can buy a belt type humidifier relatively inexpensively which will do you a world of good as far as humidification .

Now another thing if you allow the realative  humidity to get too low your body will act like a Tesla generator collecting static  electricity like a giant capacitor .You can get all charged up and point your finger at something about an inch away and zap it like a bolt of lightning .Now this can be quite amusing or quite dangerous especially on sensitve parts of your wifes anatomy without giving further details .The amusing part comes first ,the dangerous secondly when she beans you with an iron skillet .Be very carefull what or where you zap .

[Larry]

I bought this unit.

http://www.orschelnfarmhome.com/OrschelnFarmHome/ctl16754/cp/si5186000/cl1/humidifier-whole-house?

While not a high quality machine it works as advertised.  It has three speeds.  On high it's too noisy for normal living.  Low speed is tolerable.

It is surprising how much water goes through it.  It has a 2-1/2 gallon tank and I fill it up a couple of times a day.

You will still need some way to distribute the humidity throughout the house.  We have a couple of  ceiling fans that run 24/7 but I need to run the fan on the furnace for a bit sometimes.

[chevytaHOE5674]

Had a humidifier running 24/7 and try to maintain around a 30~35% relative humidity. Too moist and the windows get condensation too dry and you get static shocks from everything and wake up with nose bleeds....

[tyb525]

I've never heard of a woodstove making nails pop, sounds like your framing was too wet when the drywall was installed. We just put a pot of water on top and that takes care of it.

[Al_Smith]

I think the humidifier we have holds 7 gallons .In addtion there's usually a pot of water on the stove plus the overhead fans are running on low .

Even just using the geo thermal it needs some humidity .Unfortunately with any type heat pump a regular type humidifier will not work because the discharge air is too low  temp ,96 degrees .You about have to have a steam type to do any good .

[CTYank]

If you need lots of moisture added to your air, that tells me you'd do well to search out where it's going. Clue: AIR LEAKAGE.

For me, moisture "cooked" out of splits awaiting burning near stove is quite sufficient, thanks.
Keeps RH up around 45-50%. My sinuses looooove that.

[Corley5]

  Our house has always contracted and expanded with the seasons.  Right now the gaps in the hardwood flooring and panelling are as wide as they'll get and the refrigerator door closes like it should.  By the first of June the gaps are closed again and the Fridge door needs to be pushed shut  8)

[brendonv]

I've never heard of a woodstove making nails pop, sounds like your framing was too wet when the drywall was installed. We just put a pot of water on top and that takes care of it.

I don't think the framing could of gotten any dryer, the house is 1950. 

It's basically the main room where the stove is.

[brendonv]

If you need lots of moisture added to your air, that tells me you'd do well to search out where it's going. Clue: AIR LEAKAGE.

For me, moisture "cooked" out of splits awaiting burning near stove is quite sufficient, thanks.
Keeps RH up around 45-50%. My sinuses looooove that.

Not sure about that air leakage.  Where am I going to get humidity in the middle of winter when the air is dry, plus a wood stove burning 24/7 since November?  The dehumidifier shut off in the basement months ago.

[brendonv]

  Our house has always contracted and expanded with the seasons.  Right now the gaps in the hardwood flooring and panelling are as wide as they'll get and the refrigerator door closes like it should.  By the first of June the gaps are closed again and the Fridge door needs to be pushed shut  8)

All the exterior wood doors shut like a champ right now.  The cracks in the wood floor here open up too.  They are 60+ years old and every time you vacuum you can here big chunks getting pulled out of the cracks since they are loose. 

[tyb525]

Hmm, it still seems strange to me a woodstove causing problems with the drywall, but I supposed it is possible. Do you have a surround around your woodstove? How close to the wall?