Where I live, the weather forecast for this weekend calls for outside
temps to fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit. And I find that with the
heated indoor air being so dry, during sleep my throat gets parched at
night and my skin dries out too.

I've got a humidifier that I bought a long time ago but never used. I'm
thinking of using it. But the last time I used one of those, I got
condensation everywhere--the windows and window shades and even the
toilet bowl--and mold and mildew began to grow on those things.

Do folks here use humidifiers and just cope with the inevitable
condensation and mold and mildew? Or do they just live with the dry
heated air during winter?



-- Steven L.

On Jan 21, 9:45*am, "Steven L." wrote:
Where I live, the weather forecast for this weekend calls for outside
temps to fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit. *And I find that with the
heated indoor air being so dry, during sleep my throat gets parched at
night and my skin dries out too.

I've got a humidifier that I bought a long time ago but never used. *I'm
thinking of using it. *But the last time I used one of those, I got
condensation everywhere--the windows and window shades and even the
toilet bowl--and mold and mildew began to grow on those things.

Do folks here use humidifiers and just cope with the inevitable
condensation and mold and mildew? *Or do they just live with the dry
heated air during winter?

-- Steven L.

You need to size or adjust your humidifier to get the right humidity.

On Jan 21, 8:45*am, "Steven L." wrote:
Where I live, the weather forecast for this weekend calls for outside
temps to fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit. *And I find that with the
heated indoor air being so dry, during sleep my throat gets parched at
night and my skin dries out too.

I've got a humidifier that I bought a long time ago but never used. *I'm
thinking of using it. *But the last time I used one of those, I got
condensation everywhere--the windows and window shades and even the
toilet bowl--and mold and mildew began to grow on those things.

Do folks here use humidifiers and just cope with the inevitable
condensation and mold and mildew? *Or do they just live with the dry
heated air during winter?

-- Steven L.

Adjust the humidity to where condensation does not occur, you had it
way to high. I can only raise mine 10-15% or I get consensation, so at
below zero its going to be low, maybe 25% for me.

On Jan 21, 10:08*am, ransley wrote:
On Jan 21, 8:45*am, "Steven L." wrote:

Where I live, the weather forecast for this weekend calls for outside
temps to fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit. *And I find that with the
heated indoor air being so dry, during sleep my throat gets parched at
night and my skin dries out too.

I've got a humidifier that I bought a long time ago but never used. *I'm
thinking of using it. *But the last time I used one of those, I got
condensation everywhere--the windows and window shades and even the
toilet bowl--and mold and mildew began to grow on those things.

Do folks here use humidifiers and just cope with the inevitable
condensation and mold and mildew? *Or do they just live with the dry
heated air during winter?

-- Steven L.

Adjust the humidity to where condensation does not occur, you had it
way to high. I can only raise mine 10-15% or I get consensation, so at
below zero its going to be low, maybe 25% for me.

what RH you end up with not only depends on how cold it is outside but
how well insulated your house is, and more importantly, how well
insulated your windows are (windows are likely where condensation will
show up first.)

So basically you have to tinker with the humidistat until you find a
happy setting... keep bumping it up until you start to see
condensation then dial it back a little bit.

nate

"Steven L." wrote in message
m...

Do folks here use humidifiers and just cope with the inevitable
condensation and mold and mildew? Or do they just live with the dry
heated air during winter?

In northern N.American winters, if the furnace has no humidifier
function, a room humidifier helps people feel more comfortable.
Condensation on window glass varies with local indoor and
outdoor temperature and the thermal efficiency of the window
(e.g. 1, 2 or 3 panes.) Interior condensation should be mopped
up once a day. This prevents the development of mildew on
these surfaces. (The medical and structural danger of mildew
on surfaces we cannot see, e.g. within walls, is a separate
and more important topic.)

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On Jan 21, 9:28*am, N8N wrote:
On Jan 21, 10:08*am, ransley wrote:



On Jan 21, 8:45*am, "Steven L." wrote:

Where I live, the weather forecast for this weekend calls for outside
temps to fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit. *And I find that with the
heated indoor air being so dry, during sleep my throat gets parched at
night and my skin dries out too.

I've got a humidifier that I bought a long time ago but never used. *I'm
thinking of using it. *But the last time I used one of those, I got
condensation everywhere--the windows and window shades and even the
toilet bowl--and mold and mildew began to grow on those things.

Do folks here use humidifiers and just cope with the inevitable
condensation and mold and mildew? *Or do they just live with the dry
heated air during winter?

-- Steven L.

Adjust the humidity to where condensation does not occur, you had it
way to high. I can only raise mine 10-15% or I get consensation, so at
below zero its going to be low, maybe 25% for me.

what RH you end up with not only depends on how cold it is outside but
how well insulated your house is, and more importantly, how well
insulated your windows are (windows are likely where condensation will
show up first.)

So basically you have to tinker with the humidistat until you find a
happy setting... *keep bumping it up until you start to see
condensation then dial it back a little bit.

nate

I've been posting a lot on here lately about my humidity obsession.
I've finally been able to maintain it in the 35-40% range over the
last few days. This morning it was -20F outside and I had some
condensation - not much, just a little on the first inch of the low
end of each window. It's been in the low single digits all week and
it's the first time I've seen condensation (so yes, the quality of
windows etc definitely plays a big part).

I am holding RH at a high level because I'm installing hardwood
floors, but without that need I would probably aim for 30-35. I found
that before I started cranking it up (when I realized it was only
22%), the family were having skin problems and my 3 year old suffered
a lot of nosebleeds (took me a while to realize dry air was a
factor). Buddy of mine is going through the same thing, except that
his is just 13%(!). Apparently his dog is constantly scratching and
his stairs all squeak.

First advice I would give you is to get a hygrometer if you don't
already have one (I like the electronic ones - not expensive). And
then, if necessary, fire up the humidifier. You will have to make
your own mind up about what the right balance is between moist enough
to be comfortable and dry enough to limit condensation. Personally, I
would not allow it to get down below high 20's, and if you have
significant condensation at that level, you need to do something about
your windows.

Good luck.

On Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:45:00 +0000, "Steven L."
wrote:

Where I live, the weather forecast for this weekend calls for outside
temps to fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit. And I find that with the
heated indoor air being so dry, during sleep my throat gets parched at
night and my skin dries out too.

I've got a humidifier that I bought a long time ago but never used. I'm
thinking of using it. But the last time I used one of those, I got
condensation everywhere--the windows and window shades and even the
toilet bowl--and mold and mildew began to grow on those things.

What kind was it? Did you have to fill it with water or did it have a
water connection?

If it had a connection, did it have a method for varying how much
humidity it put out? I'm sure it did. What did you set it at?

Do folks here use humidifiers and just cope with the inevitable
condensation and mold and mildew?

I don't think either mold, mildew, or condensation is inevitable.

When I used a humidifer for 15 or 20 winters, I never had any of them.
Houses and climates and weather and humidifiers vary, but I'm sure you
can find the right humidity for your house. Didn't someone here say
that was about 50%? Certainly more than 29%.

Did you have a hygrometer, a humidity meter? What did it say the
humidity was? How humid was it when the condensation began? 70 or
80%? Did you stop adding water before that point?

Hygrometers used to be very unreliable. Many just used a string whose
length changed when it was humid. I don't know if current ones work
differently or are any better. Does anyone know?

Or do they just live with the dry
heated air during winter?

Only since my the copper screen in the water supply line in my
humidifier got clogged. As soon as I can, I'm fixing that.



-- Steven L.

"mm" wrote in message
:

On Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:45:00 +0000, "Steven L."
wrote:

Where I live, the weather forecast for this weekend calls for outside
temps to fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit. And I find that with the
heated indoor air being so dry, during sleep my throat gets parched at
night and my skin dries out too.

I've got a humidifier that I bought a long time ago but never used. I'm
thinking of using it. But the last time I used one of those, I got
condensation everywhere--the windows and window shades and even the
toilet bowl--and mold and mildew began to grow on those things.

What kind was it? Did you have to fill it with water or did it have a
water connection?

It's one of those you fill with water and it has a wick filter.




If it had a connection, did it have a method for varying how much
humidity it put out? I'm sure it did. What did you set it at?

Do folks here use humidifiers and just cope with the inevitable
condensation and mold and mildew?

I don't think either mold, mildew, or condensation is inevitable.

Well....

According to my calculations, when the temperature is 70 degrees
Fahrenheit and the outdoor dew point is zero degrees Fahrenheit, the
relative humidity is only 6% (!!!).

So even raising indoor humidity to 25% is quite a lot of additional
moisture--enough to cause condensation on any surfaces (like windows)
that are cooled by outside temp.




Or do they just live with the dry
heated air during winter?

Only since my the copper screen in the water supply line in my
humidifier got clogged. As soon as I can, I'm fixing that.

At least I'm glad to hear that other folks rely on humidifiers in winter
too.

I don't know about you, but 6% humidity (see above) makes my mouth and
throat feel incredibly parched at night.




-- Steven L.

"Steven L." wrote:



"mm" wrote in message
:

-snip-

I don't think either mold, mildew, or condensation is inevitable.

Well....

According to my calculations, when the temperature is 70 degrees
Fahrenheit and the outdoor dew point is zero degrees Fahrenheit, the
relative humidity is only 6% (!!!).

So even raising indoor humidity to 25% is quite a lot of additional
moisture--enough to cause condensation on any surfaces (like windows)
that are cooled by outside temp.


But that is indoors. My indoor RH is 33% - temp 64. Outside is 50%
at a balmy 30degrees right now. This weekend it will go to
12below, my indoor humidity will probably drop to 28 or so-- and there
won't be any condensation anywhere.

My windows are thermopane. Years ago when we had single pane, drafty
windows, there would be some condensation.

If you're getting condensation at 25% RH, then fix the windows.

Jim

On Jan 21, 9:45*am, "Steven L." wrote:
Where I live, the weather forecast for this weekend calls for outside
temps to fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit. *And I find that with the
heated indoor air being so dry, during sleep my throat gets parched at
night and my skin dries out too.

I've got a humidifier that I bought a long time ago but never used. *I'm
thinking of using it. *But the last time I used one of those, I got
condensation everywhere--the windows and window shades and even the
toilet bowl--and mold and mildew began to grow on those things.

Do folks here use humidifiers and just cope with the inevitable
condensation and mold and mildew? *Or do they just live with the dry
heated air during winter?

-- Steven L.

They put humistats of dehumidifiers. No reason not to put them on
humidifiers.

On Jan 21, 12:35*pm, "Steven L." wrote:
"mm" wrote in message

:

On Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:45:00 +0000, "Steven L."
wrote:

Where I live, the weather forecast for this weekend calls for outside
temps to fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit. *And I find that with the
heated indoor air being so dry, during sleep my throat gets parched at
night and my skin dries out too.

I've got a humidifier that I bought a long time ago but never used. *I'm
thinking of using it. *But the last time I used one of those, I got
condensation everywhere--the windows and window shades and even the
toilet bowl--and mold and mildew began to grow on those things.

What kind was it? *Did you have to fill it with water or did it have a
water connection?

It's one of those you fill with water and it has a wick filter.



If it had a connection, did it have a method for varying how much
humidity it put out? *I'm sure it did. *What did you set it at?

Do folks here use humidifiers and just cope with the inevitable
condensation and mold and mildew?

I don't think either mold, mildew, or condensation is inevitable.

Well....

According to my calculations, when the temperature is 70 degrees
Fahrenheit and the outdoor dew point is zero degrees Fahrenheit, the
relative humidity is only 6% (!!!).

So even raising indoor humidity to 25% is quite a lot of additional
moisture--enough to cause condensation on any surfaces (like windows)
that are cooled by outside temp.

Or do they just live with the dry
heated air during winter?

Only since my the copper screen in the water supply line in my
humidifier got clogged. *As soon as I can, I'm fixing that.

At least I'm glad to hear that other folks rely on humidifiers in winter
too.

I don't know about you, but 6% humidity (see above) makes my mouth and
throat feel incredibly parched at night.

-- Steven L.

Not an expert, but I don't think outside humidity comes into it. Nor
outside temperature, directly. What matters is how cold the inside of
your windows, frames etc get. If they get below the dewpoint for the
RH, you get condensation. I believe some furnace/whole-house
humidifiers have a sensor to measure outside temp solely so that they
can dial down the RH when it's really cold, on the basis that
otherwise you'll get condensation (don't know how they are calibrated
though...as a few of us have said, the condensation point will vary
based on the quality of windows etc).

6%! Man, after the problems we saw at 22%, I would jump into the bath
before your skin peels off.

cubby wrote:
6%! Man, after the problems we saw at 22%, I would jump into the bath
before your skin peels off.

normal rh in a lot of places is under 10% for a good deal of the year. my
current local temp is 65 with a rh of 15% for today. summertime, it's
frequently under 10% for weeks.

On Jan 21, 12:35*pm, "Steven L." wrote:
"mm" wrote in message

:

On Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:45:00 +0000, "Steven L."
wrote:

Where I live, the weather forecast for this weekend calls for outside
temps to fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit. *And I find that with the
heated indoor air being so dry, during sleep my throat gets parched at
night and my skin dries out too.

I've got a humidifier that I bought a long time ago but never used. *I'm
thinking of using it. *But the last time I used one of those, I got
condensation everywhere--the windows and window shades and even the
toilet bowl--and mold and mildew began to grow on those things.

What kind was it? *Did you have to fill it with water or did it have a
water connection?

It's one of those you fill with water and it has a wick filter.



If it had a connection, did it have a method for varying how much
humidity it put out? *I'm sure it did. *What did you set it at?

Do folks here use humidifiers and just cope with the inevitable
condensation and mold and mildew?

I don't think either mold, mildew, or condensation is inevitable.

Well....

According to my calculations, when the temperature is 70 degrees
Fahrenheit and the outdoor dew point is zero degrees Fahrenheit, the
relative humidity is only 6% (!!!).

So even raising indoor humidity to 25% is quite a lot of additional
moisture--enough to cause condensation on any surfaces (like windows)
that are cooled by outside temp.

Or do they just live with the dry
heated air during winter?

Only since my the copper screen in the water supply line in my
humidifier got clogged. *As soon as I can, I'm fixing that.

At least I'm glad to hear that other folks rely on humidifiers in winter
too.

I don't know about you, but 6% humidity (see above) makes my mouth and
throat feel incredibly parched at night.

-- Steven L.

Humidistats I see sold at box stores by Taylor will on the display
rack be easily 20% off in their measurements.They do not come
calibrated. Analog units must be calibrated every year, digital units
are better but it probably isnt 6%, its probably higher, but maybe
only 12%. Just add moisture until you get condensation then back off a
bit. The % of humidity is not as important as is not making
condensation.

On Jan 21, 3:38*pm, "Don Phillipson" wrote:
"Steven L." wrote in message

m...

Do folks here use humidifiers and just cope with the inevitable
condensation and mold and mildew? *Or do they just live with the dry
heated air during winter?

In northern N.American winters, if the furnace has no humidifier
function, a room humidifier helps people feel more comfortable.
Condensation on window glass varies with local indoor and
outdoor temperature and the thermal efficiency of the window
(e.g. 1, 2 or 3 panes.) * Interior condensation should be mopped
up once a day. *This prevents the development of mildew on
these surfaces. *(The medical and structural danger of mildew
on surfaces we cannot see, e.g. within walls, is a separate
and more important topic.)

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

When humid air is cooled the water starts to condense out. While this
is happening , the relative humidity is100%. By the time it has
reached 45degF most of the water is gone from the air.
When the temperature is raised indoors, there is no water about , so
the relative humdity becomes very low. This can cause various lung
and throat problems.

Ergo water needs tobe put back in to the air. There are various
gadgets to do this. Relative humidity is quite difficult to measure
and control. It will always be hit or miss. Any surface that is
colder than the air in your house (eg windows) will cause condensation
esp. if single glazed. So this is no indication that humidity is too
high.
Your only measure can be how you feel. However we are all designed to
handle a wide range of humidities.

On Jan 21, 2:06*pm, "chaniarts" wrote:
cubby wrote:
6%! *Man, after the problems we saw at 22%, I would jump into the bath
before your skin peels off.

normal rh in a lot of places is under 10% for a good deal of the year. my
current local temp is 65 with a rh of 15% for today. summertime, it's
frequently under 10% for weeks.

Wow. I guess your body must adapt. Here in MN it's can get pretty
humid in the summer and bone dry in the winter. Once the dry air hits
you really notice it and it's not pleasant. Out of interest, where
are you?

cubby wrote:
On Jan 21, 2:06 pm, wrote:
cubby wrote:
6%! Man, after the problems we saw at 22%, I would jump into the bath
before your skin peels off.

normal rh in a lot of places is under 10% for a good deal of the year. my
current local temp is 65 with a rh of 15% for today. summertime, it's
frequently under 10% for weeks.

Wow. I guess your body must adapt. Here in MN it's can get pretty
humid in the summer and bone dry in the winter. Once the dry air hits
you really notice it and it's not pleasant. Out of interest, where
are you?
Hi,
Same here in Calgary, AB, Actualy in winter RH can read negative.
When I moved from ON in 1970 on company x-fer I used to have nose
bleed, too dry. Humidifier in this neck of wood is a must. Not
maintaining proper humidity can increase heating cost. When too
dry you feel colder. At present RH in the house is ~35%.

On Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:35:14 +0000, "Steven L."
wrote:


I don't think either mold, mildew, or condensation is inevitable.


From the other replies, I might be wrong about the 50% and the 29%,
which I read in another thread here.**

Well....

According to my calculations, when the temperature is 70 degrees
Fahrenheit and the outdoor dew point is zero degrees Fahrenheit, the
relative humidity is only 6% (!!!).

The Relative Humidity isn't nailed at 6%. And it takes more than those
two numbers to know what the RH is.

I know the outdoor temp has something to do with what RH you want, but
I don't think it is the number to be used when calculating RH. When
people use a wetbulb hygrometer, the two thermometers are within an
inch of each other, with one totally dry and the other having a wet
wick or something around it. As the water in the wick evaporates, it
cools the second thermometer. Then that temp is divided into the dry
temp and they use other factors or addends to allow for the
arbitrariness of the Fahrenheit scale and maybe other things that
confuse things, and they calculate the Relative Humidity. Actually,
there is a little chart on the device.

So my point is that whatever the outdoor temp has to do with what is
the right RH to want, regarding condensation maybe, it doesn't
determine the RH.

**Until this year, I've never even tried to get a hygrometer, so I
don't know what my humidity has been. For a decade, I've been
planning to get a furnace-duct-mounted humidifier, a good one with a
humidistat, but now it seems that the new furnace will be the same
shape and pretty much the same size as the old furnace which only
provides about 3" clearance. All the fancy humidifiers need about 10"
and I have only 3 inches. The only one that will fit in 3", (actually
it only needs 1/2 inch except for a small part that needs 2") is the
one I have now! By General Filter.

For that one, there is no humidistat possible. The only variable is
the number of fiberglass T-plates that are put in it. EAch one
increases how much water evaporates into the warm air from the
furnace.

So even raising indoor humidity to 25% is quite a lot of additional
moisture--enough to cause condensation on any surfaces (like windows)
that are cooled by outside temp.

Then how about 20%?

BTW, a little condesnation won't hurt you. It will likely evaporate
at some point. It's only bad if it runs down the window and makes the
wooden window sills wet enough for long enough that they start to
deteriorate. And even if they deteriorate after 5, 10, 15 years, they
can be refurbished by painting them, perhaps filling any cracks with
wood filler or paintable-caulk or something before painting. And if
the aboslute worst happens, I think the molding around the windwo sill
can be pried off and the sill removed and replaced.

I have storm windows, but they close separately, and there have been
times when it gets cold before I close them, and they leak a little
bit, so I've had condensation on many occasions. Usually it
evaporates. The rest of the time, it runs down the window into the
aluminum window channel, which I think is solid on the bottom but I've
never looked inside.

There is even more condensation on the window frame, the part
underneath the windows. That's because it is continuous to the
outside, so it gets cold regardless of thermopane/no thermopane.

Newer ones would be vinyl clad I think, which iiuc prevent
condensation. I even vaguley recall metal window frames that were in
two parts, so a cold outside doesn't make the separate inside channel
cold. If you ever get new windows, they probably only sell vinyl clad
or other non-condensing window frames.

But like I say, this house is 31 years old and there has been a lot of
condensation over time on the frames and some of it reaches the wooden
window sills. The most it has done so far is raise the grain a little
on part of the part of sill nearest the frame. AT this rate, I'll be
100 years old before there is substantial damage, which as I say can
be repaired

If it is pouring down the window and creating big puddles, lower the
humidity, but if it's a millimeter of water from the window an inch
out, half the width of the window, some of the time, and dries other
times, don't let it bother you.

I don't see condensation as a big issue.

Or do they just live with the dry
heated air during winter?

Only since my the copper screen in the water supply line in my
humidifier got clogged. As soon as I can, I'm fixing that.

At least I'm glad to hear that other folks rely on humidifiers in winter
too.

I don't know about you, but 6% humidity (see above) makes my mouth and
throat feel incredibly parched at night.

Like I say, I've never measured the humidity here. Maryland is
supposed to be humid, but I don't know if that means in the winter
too. (Yes, the weather includes the humidity. It's 19^F and 40% RH
out now at 10PM. I didn't know that.) I live right next to a stream,
in a tiny valley, that is, only 10 or 20 feet deep, maybe 30 or more
if you go 1/4 mile away, but I dion't know if that has any effect on
my humidity.

I concluded the basement was very dry because water spilled on the
basement floor dried up very quickly, but this year I noticed that
heating oil dried up in only an hour! Well, I don't think heating oil
evaporates much at all so I finally realized it, and the water, was
soaking into the cement floor. I didn't know that was possible either
-- is it? -- but it accounts for the quick drying, and says nothing
about how humid the basement is.

Anyhow, my mouth and throat have never seemed dry. Maybe it's my
general good health, and I'm almost never cold and since my 2 weeks in
Panama, I'm almost never hot. My father said the same thing, that
since his time in -- darn I forget and it's too late to ask him -- he
was never hot again. So that doesn't say anything about humidity
either.

Are the new humidity meters, including the ones in the humidistats,
really any good?

On Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:28:24 -0700, Tony Hwang
wrote:



cubby wrote:
On Jan 21, 2:06 pm, wrote:
cubby wrote:
6%! Man, after the problems we saw at 22%, I would jump into the bath
before your skin peels off.

normal rh in a lot of places is under 10% for a good deal of the year. my
current local temp is 65 with a rh of 15% for today. summertime, it's
frequently under 10% for weeks.

Wow. I guess your body must adapt. Here in MN it's can get pretty
humid in the summer and bone dry in the winter. Once the dry air hits
you really notice it and it's not pleasant. Out of interest, where
are you?
Hi,
Same here in Calgary, AB, Actualy in winter RH can read negative.

What! It can read negative but I doubt it is negative. How would
that be possible? Wouldn't you need negative water or anti-water?

When I moved from ON in 1970 on company x-fer I used to have nose
bleed, too dry. Humidifier in this neck of wood is a must. Not
maintaining proper humidity can increase heating cost. When too
dry you feel colder. At present RH in the house is ~35%.

Oh yeah, that was a big reason I wanted the humidifier, to save money.
Although evaporating the water does drain heat** from the air that is
humidified, it is still cheaper if you turn the temp down, and most
people will because it feels more comfortable at lower temp with
moderate rather than low humidity.

When the furnace has been out of oil or broken on a couple occasions,
I boiled water on the stove, or ran the shower into a stopped bathtub
(don't let it overflow) and within 15 minutes it started to feel
noticeably warmer. Within 30 minutes the whole house felt warmer.

**Not only does a humidifier take heat from the air (the furnace air
in the case of a furnace-mounted humidifier) it takes a lot of heat.

The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of a pint of water
is so much, I don't remember. The amount of heat needed to evaporate
that pint of water***, but still be at the same temperature that it
was, is 5 or 10 times as much. But it's still well worth it.

***It's called the heat of condensation or the heat of evaporation,
something like that.

Here it is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_of_condensation

"Water is also commonly expressed as 539.423 calories per gram".

From the page on calorie:
* The small calorie or gram calorie (symbol: cal)[2] approximates
the energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1
°C. This is about 4.2 joules.
* The large calorie, kilogram calorie or food calorie (symbol:
Cal)[2] approximates the energy needed to increase the temperature of
1 kilogram of water by 1 °C. This is exactly 1000 small calories or
about 4.2 kilojoules.

So iiuc, it takes 519 times as much heat to evaporate a gram of water
as to raise its temp from 70^F to 71.8^F. Despite that, it's well
worth it economically, if you turn the heat down too. You'll be more
comfortable than at the higher temp.

On Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:45:00 +0000, "Steven L."
wrote:

Where I live, the weather forecast for this weekend calls for outside
temps to fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit. And I find that with the
heated indoor air being so dry, during sleep my throat gets parched at
night and my skin dries out too.

I've got a humidifier that I bought a long time ago but never used. I'm
thinking of using it. But the last time I used one of those, I got
condensation everywhere--the windows and window shades and even the
toilet bowl--and mold and mildew began to grow on those things.

Do folks here use humidifiers and just cope with the inevitable
condensation and mold and mildew? Or do they just live with the dry
heated air during winter?

BTW, I came upstairs to look for my box of humidifier parts, and read
my email and got into this thread.

The box isnt' here so I have to look in the basement some more.

I need to go online and order more humidifier parts.

-- Steven L.

On Jan 21, 10:38*am, "Don Phillipson" wrote:
"Steven L." wrote in message

m...

Do folks here use humidifiers and just cope with the inevitable
condensation and mold and mildew? *Or do they just live with the dry
heated air during winter?

In northern N.American winters, if the furnace has no humidifier
function, a room humidifier helps people feel more comfortable.
Condensation on window glass varies with local indoor and
outdoor temperature and the thermal efficiency of the window
(e.g. 1, 2 or 3 panes.) * Interior condensation should be mopped
up once a day. *This prevents the development of mildew on
these surfaces. *(The medical and structural danger of mildew
on surfaces we cannot see, e.g. within walls, is a separate
and more important topic.)

Which is why I don't see the point to mopping up condensation
once a day. If you have siginifacnt condensation, you should
be lowering the humidity immediately, not letting it get to the
point it needs to be mopped up once a day. The water that you
can't see or get to can be causing substantial damage over time

cubby wrote:
On Jan 21, 2:06 pm, "chaniarts" wrote:
cubby wrote:
6%! Man, after the problems we saw at 22%, I would jump into the
bath before your skin peels off.

normal rh in a lot of places is under 10% for a good deal of the
year. my current local temp is 65 with a rh of 15% for today.
summertime, it's frequently under 10% for weeks.

Wow. I guess your body must adapt. Here in MN it's can get pretty
humid in the summer and bone dry in the winter. Once the dry air hits
you really notice it and it's not pleasant. Out of interest, where
are you?

phoenix, az, where it's currently a brisk 70 and i had to put the top up on
the car for the commute in this morning.

On Jan 24, 4:49*pm, "chaniarts" wrote:
cubby wrote:
On Jan 21, 2:06 pm, "chaniarts" wrote:
cubby wrote:
6%! Man, after the problems we saw at 22%, I would jump into the
bath before your skin peels off.

normal rh in a lot of places is under 10% for a good deal of the
year. my current local temp is 65 with a rh of 15% for today.
summertime, it's frequently under 10% for weeks.

Wow. *I guess your body must adapt. *Here in MN it's can get pretty
humid in the summer and bone dry in the winter. *Once the dry air hits
you really notice it and it's not pleasant. *Out of interest, where
are you?

phoenix, az, where it's currently a brisk 70 and i had to put the top up on
the car for the commute in this morning.

Another factor in this discussion that no one has mentioned is a
humidifier
placed in one room versus a furnace mounted one. When using a room
humidifier to try to increase humidity in the whole house, that one
room
is going to always have a much higher humidity than the rooms farthest
away. Hence, you could have serious condensation in one room,
while other areas are not a problem. With a furnace mounted one,
the humidity is distributed evenly. If the room humdidifer is located
near a window, that would make it even worse.