DIYbanter - View Single Post - Temperature-compensating whole-house humidifiers?

Bert Hyman

In
(GregS) wrote:

In article , Bert Hyman
wrote:
Do they work (the temperature compensating part, that is)?

We're in that part of the winter when it's -20F at night and +15F
during the day, and I try to remember to adjust the manual setting on
the humidifier in the morning and evening, but sometimes forget.

Even tripple-paned, argon-filled, low-E windows will have condensation
in the morning if the humidifier is set too high over night, and
there's the additional danger of long-term damage from condensation
inside the walls.

On the other hand, I don't like drawing sparks from static electricity
if the humidity is set too low, not to mention the possible damage to
the woodwork and furniture from drying out.

Since we already have a whole-house humidifier, upgrading to a
temperature-compensated model wouldn't be a major engineering effort.

But, do they actually work?

You are changing it manually, but does that work for you ?

The question IS, is the humidifier able to change humidity in such
short span. At least in the off or getting cold outside mode ? And is
it able to increase the humidity that much getting warmer outside ??

Yes. I cranked it up this morning and the indoor RH rose from under 20%
to 25% in short order. Current outside temperature would suggest a
setting of 30% or higher, but don't want to go overboard since I worry
more about high over night humidity more than low daytime humidity.

I'm sure a capable computer program can work the on off, but does it
really matter ?

Yes, it does.

I don't think you really need a complex unit. All you need to do is
shut the humidifier off at night with a timer.

I don't really want to turn it off, just down to the level appropriate
for the outside temperature.

Besides, the evaporator is bolted on to the cold air return of the
furnace. It has an internal humidistat and is powered by low voltage
from the furnace; a simple plugin 110V timer wouldn't do the trick.

--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN