Woodstove Steamers?

[HerHusband]

We have a small woodstove (Lopi Patriot model) and as anyone who uses a woodstove knows, the air gets very dry when we use it. Dry eyes, dry noses, and static electricity. So, I'd like to buy a steamer to set on the stove to add moisture back into the air.

Unfortunately, all of the steamers and kettles I have seen are rather large and wouldn't fit on the top of our small woodstove very nicely.

So, I'm curious if anyone knows where I could find a SMALL steamer (to fit on a 6" ledge), or what other options I might have for setting on the stove. I don't have a lot of money right now, so I'd prefer something under $50. It should also be black to match the stove, it shouldn't rust or leave marks on the stove, and it shouldn't be damaged if it runs out of water.

I'm currently using a glass pyrex dish which has helped with the air situation, but doesn't look very attractive. I'm also worried about it cracking when I need to add more water, and don't know what would happen if it ran dry.

Thanks,

Anthony

[Phisherman]

Your Pyrex dish sounds perfect--easy to clean, easy to see water level, fairly easy to clean, no rust, inexpensive. If glass is hot and dry never get it wet until it completely cools to room temperature. I bought a tea kettle (for $1 at Goodwill) to use a wood steamer for my shop--still works well after 12 years of use.

[terry]

Seems like a lot of fuss to get a bit of moisture in a room! Was going to suggest a stainless steel bowl of some kind, no problems with it cracking which might occur if new cold water was added to an empty hot pyrex dish. Also stainless does not rust. A stainless container could be of any size suitable; as small as a small milk jug/sugar bowl or as large as a mixing bowl. And yes, pick up something suitable for 50- cents or a buck at the good will store. If you want fancy maybe you have a vintage copper saucepan that would look 'nice' somewhere. Another alterntive, which we used 45 years ago, when our first was in diapers (nappies) was to hang damp clothes on a 'clothes horse' near the stove after we had put them through the wringer. That baby is now a departmental manager with a staff of 60 and her own all-electric house! Have fun.

[nicksanspam]

Not necessarily, with a fairly airtight woodstove in a fairly airtight house. It might only need 10 cfm of combustion air, vs an average US house that naturally leaks 225 cfm or ASHRAE's 15 cfm per occupant fresh air standard.

Evaporating water takes heat energy, ie more firewood. Airsealing the house will raise the humidity and decrease the need for heating energy, ie firewood.

Nick

[Harry K]

We use a common aluminum large kettle - not attactive but practical. The 6" limitation really cuts down on options - can't see a very large capacity anything fitting that. Just have to keep on top of filling whatever you use. We originally tryed using a whistling teakettle - that lasted only a few days due to the annoyance factor and it wouldn't hold enough water.

Drawback of pots/pans/bowls/trays whatever for that is the minerals in the water. The water evaporates and leaves them behind encrusting the container. Thus a clear container will soon look very ugly unless cleaned regulary and that stuff doesn't come off easily. Our kettle has been in operation for over 20 years and has a constant thin layer of minerals - as it thickens it tends to flake off. My BIL in Canada had so much sulphur in his water that his kettle would build a _thick_ layer in one season.

Harry K

[Harry K]

The additional humidity provided will, or should, result in less firewood. You can feel comfortable in a more humid atmosphere at lower temp. In any case, the energy that goes into evaporating a quart or so of water a day isn't enough to be of concern.

Harry K

[Bill]

A simple tea kettle will do! (Not the whistling kind...)

[salty]

Most hardware stores sell black cast iron kettles made for this purpose. $15 or thereabouts.

[still just me]

Been doing wood stoves for years... the evap rate for anything on top of the stove is very slow. I don't think it makes any appreciable difference in humidity. You'd do better by hanging the wash on a rack in front of the stove to dry overnight - you save on drying costs and humidify your house at the same time.

[John Barry]

Yet another option: on bringing wood indoors, stack it up with butts facing the stove sides for a few days. Moisture is released into house, and wood burns better and more cleanly. IME, no matter how it's stored outside.

I made a few simple small racks to support such stacks, and place them a couple of feet from stove sides, so wood temps do not exceed 150 deg F.

Do NOT EVER allow any flammables near stove to get so hot that you cannot hold your hand on side facing stove.

After a couple of days, move the wood farther away. YMWV.

FWIW, woodstoves do NOT dry the air. RH may drop, as with any other heating appliance. Biggest reason for drying you point to is infiltration of outside air with low absolute humidity.

John

HerHusband wrote:

[Cshenk]

"HerHusband" wrote

Interesting! I'm used to seeing ones that are much bigger and a copper kettle.

Here's an idea. It *might* break from the heat but it won't hurt anything if it does. If you have access to a sort of inexpensive asian grocery type place, they have those little ceramic teapots. They are actually quite sturdy under a brazier and can look very charming. Lots of color choices, you should be able to get one for 10$ or less. I think they will work as they generally only have a problem with rapid temp changes. For 20$, you might find a copper one (wont rust). My other ideas lead to terracotta sort of. The lower bowls you set under planters, this time filled partway with some black smoothe rocks?

Yard sales might have all those items. Careful on metal as you do not want rust (solid copper or brass is fine though).

[salty]

Just be aware that copper or brass kettles may be soldered. If they run dry, the solder may melt!

[nicksanspam]

Wrong.

But evaporating the water requires 10 times more energy than keeping the house warmer, for equivalent comfort.

A quart or so won't make much difference. Andersen estimates that a typical family of 4 evaporates 2 gallons per day in breathing, cooking, cleaning, showering, and so on.

How much will a quart a day raise the indoor RH if w = 0.0025 outdoors and a house leaks 225 cfm? How much will 2 gallons raise the RH if the house leaks 15 cfm?

This is a matter of science, vs old wive's tales :-)

Nick

[salty]

Depends heavily on your proximity to the stove. A steamer makes a big difference when you spend time near the stove. My old wife told me that.

[nicksanspam]

With some diffusion equations? :-)

Nick

[salty]

Not necessary. You tried to be scientific about this, but failed miserably, because you failed to look at the whole picture.

I have introduced just ONE obvious factor that makes all your equations useless and irrelevent.

[nicksanspam]

Wrong :-)

Nick

[SHOPDOG]

We have radiators and a woodstove. This is our first house and the other places that we lived all had forced air heat. After our first winter here, we had nasal issues and very dry skin. Our family Dr. told us to get a humidity meter and put coffe cups filled with water on our radiators. Since we have a baby, we also have a vaporizor. I filled it up and sure enough the humidity level in the house came into comfortable levels. Now we have two "cool mist" vaporizers, one for the first floor and one for the second. Works great! Once we get the SS chimney up I am hoping that by putting a cast iron pot with water on the stove top will work as well as the vaporizers.

They also make small hang on pots for radiators that hang on the front, but they are so small that you would have to fill them at least twice a day. Plus you would probably have to have one on every radiator. In my shop I have a kerosene heater on top I put a SS stock pot filled half with water and this works great...

SD

[Edwin Pawlowski]

The rest of us saw the other factor that trumps any and all equations. No sense of humor, Nick?

[nicksanspam]

Putting your head into the steamer pot would help :-)

Just physics :-)

Nick