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

11 January 2014

RE: [DIY] Re: Home humidifier

Thank you Laren. That was probably the best written (and easy to understand) explanation of

home humidity I’ve ever read.

-aki

From: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com [mailto:DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of LarenCorie
Sent: Friday, January 10, 2014 11:45 PM
To: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [DIY] Re: Home humidifier

> 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

Home base-LittleHouses YahooGroup
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LittleHouses/

Founder-WoodGas - Power from wood
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WoodGas

Founder-RefrigeratorAlternatives YahooGroup
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RefrigeratorAlternatives