Temperature-compensating whole-house humidifiers?
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 ?? I'm sure a capable computer program can work the on off, but does it really matter ? 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. greg |
Temperature-compensating whole-house humidifiers?
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 |
Temperature-compensating whole-house humidifiers?
|
Temperature-compensating whole-house humidifiers?
Bert Hyman writes:
Do they work (the temperature compensating part, that is)? They seem to. We've got a new Bryant system -- Bryant furnace, humidifier, and thermostat. We installed a standalone outdoor temperature sensor (if we had an AC unit, the compressor would have one built in, but we don't), after which the thermostat let us turn on automatic humidity adjustment. Now we can set a baseline humidity, which the thermostat then adjusts downward with the outdoor temperature. The trick, then, is finding the right baseline, so that you've got comfortable enough humidity during the day without allowing condensation to form at night. That's pretty easy -- you just start the humidity setting high and then decrease it gradually until you stop getting condensation on the windows at night. Most of our windows are double-paned and also have storm windows. Even with the humidity baseline set as high as it will go and the temperature outside below zero, we don't get any condensation on those windows. Furthermore, since we recently blew insulation into our exterior walls, we're probably not getting much condensation in them either. However, we've got one old decorative stained-glass window by the front door, and we do get condensation there, so we've had to turn down the baseline a bit. I suppose we should install a custom-fit storm window on the stained-glass window or something. As we've turned down the baseline humidity on our thermostat, the decrease in condensation on the stained-glass window has been obvious, but the house hasn't been uncomfortably dry, so it seems clear that the temperature compensation is working. (Granted, we're in Boston -- I escaped from MPLS 26 years ago -- and it's entirely possible that they might not work as well at the kinds of temperatures y'all get there in the frigid midwest.) |
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