Do it Yourself: RE: [DIY] Re: Home humidifier

13 January 2014

RE: [DIY] Re: Home humidifier

Do not believe that you will, unless you get the humidity up to the 45% to 65% range, anything less than 45% causes all kinds of static problems, and will dry your nasal membranes out. In fact electronic printing systems will not operate effectively below 40% humidity, it cause all kinds of paper handling problems, and the static will blow circuit boards.

From: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com [mailto:DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jerry Hnidy
Sent: Saturday, January 11, 2014 8:38 AM
To: Do It Yourself
Subject: Re: [DIY] Re: Home humidifier

Thank you for the informative article on indoor humidity. It makes it clear that I have misdiagnosed my problem.

At this location there are 2,5 ways to measure the indoor humidity.

The heating thermostat will tell you if you ask correctly

I own a Holmes whole house humidifier that has a humidity read out but that number comes from close to the humidifier.

I have been given a web bulb thermometer but don't know how to use it.

So lets look at what we have here:

According to the heating thermostat the house is 63 degrees and the humidity is 25%.

The Holmes reports 21% but that is likely because they want to sell more units. I have not fired up this unit yet this year.

The web bulb just sits there.

So my house is perfect. The problem lies elsewhere.

Beginning in late December, even though I have very peaceful dreams, I and the wife wake up with bloody noses. I do not remember punching her but she could have taken a shot at me I suppose.

The cat will not stay in the same room with any biped because if we reach for the cat, we generate about a quarter inch of spark that hurts our fingers and has to have quite an impact on the cat.

We have learned not to reach for a wall switch without first passing our hand over the switch so the spark goes to the screw holding the cover in place.

If there were any flammable vapors in this house, the problem would likely solve itself.

We have tried to fix some of these problems by changing the way we dress and the footwear we employ. For the bleeds, we can stuff Vaseline up our noses before sleep.

But the most effective way to fix this is to fire up the Holmes. I set the thing to 35% and hump water to the thing everyday. The Holmes reports 35% and cycles as the day goes on.

So let me restate my problem:

How can I reduce static and nosebleeds in my home during the winter without adding water to the house?

Thanks

Jerry's Laptop

Woodhaven, Mi

On Fri, Jan 10, 2014 at 11:44 PM, LarenCorie <larencorie@axilar.net> wrote:

> Posted by: "Jerry Hnidy" jhnidy@gmail.com

> My house is very dry

Hi Jerry;

How dry is it? In you part of Michigan, Winter indoor
humidity levels (away from exterior walls) should be around
30% at 70°F. The colder the weather, the lower the RH
should be, down to 25% or lower, in colder climates, like
Northern Michigan. Research has shown that people
generally can not tell the difference in humidity levels in
a range from 25% to 60%. High indoor humidity levels,
in cold climates produce excess humidity and condensation
inside of the exterior walls, which in turn produces mold,
rot and mildew. To keep your house healthy, in your
climate, keep your Winter interior humidity levels 25-30%
or lower (at 70°F). I live in a very cold part of Northern
Michigan, and keep my interior humidity at about 20%
(70°F) but I seldom have any part of my house that
warm, except right by the wood stove, so the RH is
usually 25-30%. My house is definitely not "very dry".
Here are some equivalent relative humidities, at
different temperatures.

70°F RH 20%
65°F RH 24%
62°F RH 26%
60°F RH 30%
55°F RH 33%

That shows that if you want to increase your interior
humidity, that one way is to lower your thermostat. If
that makes you cold, put on a sweater, or better yet,
a fleece pullover, and some warm socks..

There is another way to increase your relative humidity
while also saving on your heating bill. Modern tight built
houses do not have low humidity issues. In fact, they
need to have vents in their bathrooms and kitchens,
and even whole-house HRVs (heat recovery ventila-
-tors) to keep humidity levels down to healthy levels.
If you actually have low humidity, it is because your
house is leaking out too much of its humid air and
bringing in dry cold outdoor air. So, your first effort
toward increasing your interior humidity should be
with a caulk gun, and weather stripping, which will
cost you a lot less, and will likely save more on
your heating bills than they cost in maybe as little
as a month, this time of year. And, it will increase
your house's health, by reducing the potential
mold growth that is likely to happen when you
use a humidifier..

Here is a very good building science
article on Winter interior humidity.

<
http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/reports/rr-0203-relative-humidity
>

-Laren Corie-
Natural Solar Building Design and
Solar Heating/Natural Cooling/Energy
Efficiency Consultation Since 1975
www.ThermalAttic.com (many new
photos and pages, coming soon)

Read my Solar house design articles in:
-Energy Self-Sufficiency Newsletter-
www.essnmag.com

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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LittleHouses/

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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WoodGas

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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RefrigeratorAlternatives

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