House humidity

[HOBrian]

I have a couple of questions about humidity. I have hot water base board heat and hardwood floors.



1. What percent of humidity should your house have in the winter? (I have 30% right now. )



2. If my percentage is low what are the best ways to get the humidity up and keep it there with as little work on my part as possible?



Thanks guys for the help Oo.

 

[The patriot]

I have hot air heat, and it's a b---- to get some humidity in here.

I bought a humidifier last winter, but my wife didnt like it.

I boil water in a kettle in the kitchen. Pretty much constantly. :{

I'm told as a general rule you want whatever the temp is and humidity in the house to add up to 110-120.

70 deg and 40%-50% humidity.

I'm no expert...

Eric

 

[Jumbo Jet]

In our computer rooms we try for 65% to keep the static electricity down.

 

[fest3er]

30% isn't unreasonable. But it all depends on the outside temperature. You definitely do not want it so humid that water condenses on windows, walls and other places (like your vapor barrier). If it's 0F outside, you might consider dropping the humidity to 25%; if it's -20F, 20% might be more better.



Consider that, with no humidification, the air inside a house can drop to 5% or less relative humidity. Many deserts rarely drop below 12%. 30% is quite liveable in comparison.

 

[outlawram]

I keep mine at 60% if I dont I find it hard to sleep. I installed a humidifier on my furnace from a local dealer outlet. I just cut a hole in the furnace outlet and installed a water saddle valve and it came with a control to set it where i want it took about 45 minutes.

 

[NPloysa]

I don't know about household, but we (museum) have two 130 hp steam boilers to keep about 90,000 of our 110,000 square feet (don't know the building's cubic feet) at about 45-50%. The iWerks theater projection booth needs a minimum of 55% for static (film will shrivel and crack if not). This is a legal requirement by art shows/organizations to display art.

 

[rbattelle]

Like outlawram I have a furnace-mounted humidifier. As I'm typing this, the humidity in this room is about 39%, but most of the time it's closer to 30%. Outside temperature is roughly 40°F. The "normal" range on my hygrometer is 40% - 70%.



You want to be careful, as others mention, because too much humidity promotes mold growth.



Here's a website about it:

Link

Ryan

 

[RustyJC]

I know it's a different location and application, but our facility engineers at work try to keep humidity in the offices below 60% because of mold growth concerns. We're near the Texas Gulf Coast northwest of Houston.



Rusty

 

[outlawram]

In my post above i have mine set at 60%. This morning i bought a gauge and it wont get any higher that 51% so my built in one is off by about10%. So i guess mine is at 50%, still feels drier than a popcorn fart.

 

[HOBrian]

Like outlawram I have a furnace-mounted humidifier. As I'm typing this, the humidity in this room is about 39%, but most of the time it's closer to 30%. Outside temperature is roughly 40°F. The "normal" range on my hygrometer is 40% - 70%.



You want to be careful, as others mention, because too much humidity promotes mold growth.



Here's a website about it:

Link

Ryan

I was looking for about 45% humidity in the house. I get shocked getting up off the couch! I was thinking about getting a stand alone humidifier until I saw your link and read it. Since my house is old built in the 50's and has no vapor barrier, I think I will leave the humidity alone.



Guys thanks for all the help and Ryan thank you for the great link!!!!

 

[TowPro]

Here is from a sticker inside the cabinet of a "stick built" mobile home we own for my Father-inlaw



inside temp / Inside Relative Humidity (for 70F)

-20 or below / Not over 15%

-20 to -10 / Not over 20%

-10 to 0 / Not over 25%

0 to 10 / Not over 30%

10 to 20 / Not over 35%

20 to 40 / Not over 40%



They say over 40% you could end up with condensation in your ceiling.



My house has forced air heat. When I am running on the Heat pump I see around 45% humidity. Once I get below 25deg my heat pump switches over to oil (or I fire up the wood/coal furnace). The wood stove tends to drop the humidify, Its been burning for 3 days now and its 30%. I can tell you that 68deg feels warmer at 45% then at 30%.