Please help me humidify my house.


  #1  
Old 01-05-11, 06:30 AM
Z
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Please help me humidify my house.

I have a 2 story ranch heated with coal/wood/propane hot water base board.
I tried using a midsized portable humidifier with ok results on one floor for one day.
Due to hard water the wick stops drawing water within a day.
I used a humidifier water additive that is advertized to help with hard water and had no positive results.

Any tips on what to do?
Thanks
 
  #2  
Old 01-05-11, 08:13 AM
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Hi zero,
First you must understand why you need to add humidity. In a typical home, all of the air inside is lost to the outside every one to two hours. That sounds crazy, but the DOE recommended exchange rate is one full air exchange every three hours. With all of the typical air leaks, not only is your moisture escaping, but a lot of your heating dollars are floating away as well. Seal off those excess air leaks and your inside humidity will improve all by itself.

The place to start is with some very easy air sealing. If your two story ranch (I'm smiling) has a basement, caulk or foam all of the holes that were created for plumbing or electrical. Larger areas around chimneys and pipes can be covered with sheet metal. There is a long list of hidden air leaks and the link below does a good job of describing where to find them.

http://www.efficiencyvermont.com/ste...ide_062507.pdf

Pick up an inexpensive humidistat to keep track of the inside relative humidity and monitor your progress as you fix those leaks.

Bud
 
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Old 01-05-11, 08:41 AM
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I was thinking it was a good thing to have a "not so tight" house.
After all I do burn coal/wood indoors and on top of that I am in an above average radon neighborhood.
My "two story" ranch is new(ish) and fairly tight. I do leave a small window in the basement open for fresh air, and often have a window open on the other two floors. I like the fresh air and don't mind burning extra coal in the winter to do it.

Is there a fresh air/heat exchange/humidifier that can help me with this?
 
  #4  
Old 01-05-11, 11:17 AM
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The air exchange process is actually a de-humidifier as outside air is usually colder and dryer in the winter. Relative humidity is exactly what the name implies, relative, so 40º and 50% RH air when pulled inside and heated to 65º will be very dry, just guessing, but say 30%. Cooking, showers, people, plants, they all contribute to the moisture in the air inside your home. But air leakage is constantly stealing that moisture and replacing it with whatever mother nature is providing.

As for a "not so tight house" dry air is one of the results. As for the type of fuel you use, the combustion appliance does need a source of air to burn, but it doesn't have to venture through the entire house. As for radon, you definitely don't want it to be venturing throughout the house, that needs to be tested. Radon mitigation is a sealed exhaust process that extracts the radon from below the basement floor before it mixes with the household air. A leaky home is no protection.

I have tested many homes to measure their air leakage, and few can be considered tight, even brand new ones. The steps needed to tighten up a house are specific and only the most aggressive of today's builders are getting there.

Here's the good news. It is primarily the big leaks that count, chimney, plumbing, drop ceilings, attic doors, recessed lights, and where the house rests on the foundation. Make sure your combustion appliances have all of the air they need, but then seal up the rest. Pressures in your combustion zone can be measured along with the air leakage for your home. Balancing this process creates an improved/safe living environment and has the side benefit of reducing your heating costs, even though you use an alternative lower cost fuel.

There are air exchangers (ERVs) that recover some of the moisture from the exhausted air, but your air exchange is already too high.

Review that link above and do what is easy. Whatever improvement you make will still reduce the issues you are facing with your humidifiers.

Bud
 
  #5  
Old 01-05-11, 11:44 AM
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Thanks!
I will test the radon levels.
The first test was done when the house was new and the septic pipes (2 systems) were plumbed to the house, but open.
since then I have caulked the floating slab. Hopefully this test will come back ok.
Also, what is the best way to plumb in fresh air for the boiler and seal that all away from my house as I progressively make it tighter?

Thanks
 
  #6  
Old 01-05-11, 12:50 PM
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There are powered dampers and fans designed specifically for providing combustion air. Installing a powered system is a case of it having to work also when the power is out, so use an approved system/installation. For passive air, I've seen suggested vents that direct the air to the floor of the furnace room. This allows for some mixing before the air is drawn in for combustion. I had a large boiler with a powered intake directed to the floor and was certain everything would freeze solid. It didn't to my surprise and temps in the boiler room remained comfortable. Regular burner units sometimes have ready made combustion air kits available.

If you know an energy auditor, most have the gauges to test combustion zone pressure, not difficult and should not be that expensive.

Bud
 
 

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