Do portable evaporative humidifiers make it feel warmer ?
Worth getting one?
Comments
-
Warmer? If anything they will cool the air… in the nice dry southwest of this country they're called swamp coolers and do a great job at cooling things off.
Br. Jamie, osb
Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England0 -
I think it's a matter of feeling more comfortable, rather than 'warmer'.
It's certainly worth a try, especially if it's dry enough that you're getting static electricity. You want to avoid getting it too humid though, condensation on the window panes (or on whatever is the coldest indoor surface) is no good.
0 -
The theory is that humid air transfers more heat to your skin than dry air, making it feel as if the room is warmer. I skeptical of whether the difference is enough to allow you to setback your thermostat enough to offset the energy cost of a humidifier, though. Especially with the psychological aspect of knowing the thermostat says a lower number.
0 -
This. Humidity slows rate of evaporation from body. Hence, low humidity dry heat feeling cooler.
5 -
That explains a "dry heat", but I think @CoachBoilermaker is asking about a "moist cool".
0 -
It depends on the device you are considering.
This product will add moisture to the air and raise the relative humidity. The human body will respond to this by not evaporating as much water through the skin as it would otherwise in drier conditions.
So, the result is that you feel "warmer" at a given temperature when the relative humidity is 45% versus 25%.
If you get it, you need to keep a careful eye on the RH and have a gauge in the room. As mentioned, it is easy for a big unit to put excessive moisture into the air and then you have condensation on all the windows and the potential for mold growth.
I try to maintain 40% which seems to be the best compromise.
0 -
They locally cool the air, but the whole house will feel warmer and more comfortable. One of our ancient Waltons, running right now.
The bad finish on the free beater piano was pre existing.
Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.0 -
keeping the RH higher DOES lower Static Electricity shocks.
critical in computer rooms and printing.1 -
Given a constant temperature the higher the humidity the warmer you feel. The lower the humidity the cooler you feel.
2 -
Definitely. I once worked in a space where electronics were assembled which was kept just below saturated humidity. Three foot paper rolls for the plotter would expand by about an inch in width after being removed from the plastic wrapping. When going outside in the dry winter air I could literally feel the moisture leave my clothing and body.
0 -
I have I think a much older generation of this:
It uses an outdoor temp sensor to change the humidity setpoint so that it won't condense on exterior walls and windows and such as the outdoor temp gets colder.
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 86.4K THE MAIN WALL
- 3.1K A-C, Heat Pumps & Refrigeration
- 53 Biomass
- 423 Carbon Monoxide Awareness
- 94 Chimneys & Flues
- 2K Domestic Hot Water
- 5.5K Gas Heating
- 101 Geothermal
- 156 Indoor-Air Quality
- 3.5K Oil Heating
- 64 Pipe Deterioration
- 925 Plumbing
- 6.1K Radiant Heating
- 383 Solar
- 15.1K Strictly Steam
- 3.3K Thermostats and Controls
- 54 Water Quality
- 41 Industry Classes
- 48 Job Opportunities
- 17 Recall Announcements