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?

--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN

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

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

In article , Bert Hyman wrote:
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.


I think the ideal method, attach a condensation sensor switch on a window,
and run a relay to switch off the humidifier.

greg

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.)