We've got a hot air furnace with an attached humidifier but in the winter we wake up with dry throats, our aquarium water drops quickly, and our windows never fog up. It seems to me that the humidifier isn't doing anything. The furnace has been serviced recently, the humidifier was cleaned and adjusted but the air still _seems_ dry. Is there something I can to to _test_ the RH in the house?
Chris
Chris,
1) Purchase a hygrometer, which is a relatively inexpensive device which measures relative humidity. Just do a Google search on the word "hygrometer." Very possibly you can borrow one from a friend, since many folks have one hanging on the wall (in conjuction with a barometer).2) You can also turn off the water supply to your humidifier for a while and observe whether the water level in the unit decreases significantly. If it does, then the unit is probably working ok. If you notice that the water supply was already turned off, then you've solved your mystery. :)
Good luck, Gideon
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Chris
That was already noted...I'd ask whether there is a humidstat on the humidifier and whether it is working or set properly. If the control is in the 'off' position or is set way low, may never turn it on...
or even if the water is turned on to the unit (or that it is fact GETTING any water to it).
if the unit is working, it will consume at least a few gallons of water per day.
Mark
humidifier
What kind is it? If it is the old spinning disks type, you might want to make sure your disks are hanging up on corrision. You could wash them in mild acid.
If it is an AprilAire type, you can pull off the cover and see if water is trickling through the element.
In addition to the information already given, I suggest that you should not expect the humidistat to be too accurate. Most are not, but they are close enough for what you need. In other words if you have it set to 50% and you get a reading of 40 - 60% you are likely OK.
Also note that it is not at all unusual for humidifiers to be disconnected or non-functional after a year to two or even less. People find out that they require maintenance and or that they did not last very long and don't take corrective action. Most brands are short lived. Most people, including myself, like the Aprilair line. Not the cheapest, but must of us who have them find that years later they are still functioning with minimal maintenance.
Get a humidistat, digital is better as analog need calibrating, Recently I went looking for a good analog and found all were instore reading
10-15% off. I bought a very large Taylor, who make 95% of the ones I see sold. which stated calibrate every 6 months. Digital are alot better basicly , but to really know you need better than 10$ units and need to calibrate it yourself, but any analog you can calibrate will work in a narrow range, the one your need to know about now .
I agree
You don't need a hygrometer, just a thermometer and a cotton ball. Cover the thermometer's bulb with the cotton and dip it in water. Shake the thermometer to help the water evaporate, and after a minute of this the temperature should stabilize. This is the wet bulb temperature. Compare it to the normal room temperature, which is the dry bulb temperature, and look up the readings in a psychometric chart to find the relative humidity. These charts are available from several Internet sites or in about any book about air conditioning, including factory auto repair manuals.
At 68F dry bulb, the following wet bulb temperaturs translate into these humidity amounts:
Wet Bulb Relative Humidity
46F 10% 48F 20% 51F 30% 55F 40% 56F 50% 59F 60%
Didn't you get the latest memo from General Jack D. Ripper? He said it wasn't good enough for the communists that we drank their fluoridated water, so they invented humidifiers to make us breathe it as well.
Yeah, that sounds a lot easier and more efficient than buying a $5 hygrometer. I'll get on that soon, but right now I'm out in the garage manufacturing some new brake rotors out of scrap iron. I figure I'll save 5 or 6 dollars per axle and only waste a couple of hundred hours of my time.
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At 68F dry bulb, the following wet bulb temperaturs translate into these humidity amounts:
Wet Bulb Relative Humidity
46F 10% 48F 20% 51F 30% 55F 40% 56F 50% 59F 60%
I didn't know hygrometers were available for as little as $5, but I haven't shopped for one in a long time. On the other hand the method I described takes only a few minutes and saves a trip to the store, although I use the humidistat built into my tachometer.
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