Yet another option: on bringing wood indoors, stack it up with butts
facing the stove sides for a few days. Moisture is released into house,
and wood burns better and more cleanly. IME, no matter how it's stored
outside.

I made a few simple small racks to support such stacks, and place them a
couple of feet from stove sides, so wood temps do not exceed 150 deg F.

Do NOT EVER allow any flammables near stove to get so hot that you
cannot hold your hand on side facing stove.

After a couple of days, move the wood farther away. YMWV.

FWIW, woodstoves do NOT dry the air. RH may drop, as with any other
heating appliance. Biggest reason for drying you point to is
infiltration of outside air with low absolute humidity.

John

HerHusband wrote:
We have a small woodstove (Lopi Patriot model) and as anyone who uses a
woodstove knows, the air gets very dry when we use it. Dry eyes, dry noses,
and static electricity. So, I'd like to buy a steamer to set on the stove
to add moisture back into the air.

Unfortunately, all of the steamers and kettles I have seen are rather large
and wouldn't fit on the top of our small woodstove very nicely.

So, I'm curious if anyone knows where I could find a SMALL steamer (to fit
on a 6" ledge), or what other options I might have for setting on the
stove. I don't have a lot of money right now, so I'd prefer something under
$50. It should also be black to match the stove, it shouldn't rust or leave
marks on the stove, and it shouldn't be damaged if it runs out of water.

I'm currently using a glass pyrex dish which has helped with the air
situation, but doesn't look very attractive. I'm also worried about it
cracking when I need to add more water, and don't know what would happen if
it ran dry.

Thanks,

Anthony