Humidity rate in a house is kind of important, but don't give it too much hype. It' s very difficult to keep an ideal humidity rate in a house, especially for those who heat with electric baseboards like me. During very cold weather, air comes very dry and I can see the hardwood floor kind of "opening" from a few mm and during humid weather some dorrs just don't close thight because they "expend". I do have an humidifier for the winter, and a dehumidifier for warmer weather, but not easy to keep an ideal ratejunkone wrote: ↑ i got 8 of these electronic readers and placed all over the house. all of them shows reading that was close to each other by 1-2 points.
i have 1 outside the house so i can compare it regularly against weathernetwork and use it as a baseline.
my west facing room will get to 28 C degrees on a sunny day in this weather in afternoon.
i do have hardwood flooring all over the house. so humidity bettween 40-50 seems to be the right # based on the feedback above.
i do have a ventilation fan switch that i keep on all the time. i dont know what it does
This is correct. Outside RH readings can be compared to inside only if they are within the same temperature range. loosely speaking, 100% saturated air at around 0 degrees will cause rain and snowfall, but it is still way too dry for living spaces indoors.slim_shady wrote: ↑ Keep in mind the outside RH% is inflated because of the colder temperature of the air. You cannot directly compare RH% between air with significantly different temperatures.
40% for what temperature outside though. 40% at -35 is a window condensation nightmare, even with triple paneIndyBeak wrote: ↑ This is correct. Outside RH readings can be compared to inside only if they are within the same temperature range. loosely speaking, 100% saturated air at around 0 degrees will cause rain and snowfall, but it is still way too dry for living spaces indoors.
Also, running bathroom and kitchen exhaust for longer will only compound the problem. This is why when RH levels start to go below 40% in my home, I usually stop turning on the bathroom fan after shower, and will keep the bathroom door open so that the humidity can disperse a little around the house.
Again, that is not exactly relevant. If it is -35 outside, then you are going to get condensation. There is not even a question. Individual preference also comes into picture. If you let the humidity drop too much, you will generally feel dry throat, nose, dry skin, static current, and at worse nosebleeds. My approach is to keep the RH indoor around 45% and wipe windows when they condense.WikkiWikki wrote: ↑ 40% for what temperature outside though. 40% at -35 is a window condensation nightmare, even with triple pane
Theres people on her that posted anything above 15% in the winter can destroy your home and cause mildew in your walls. Well good luck keeping your house at 15% or less humidity in the winter. Even with wood heat the lowest I have ever got my house was 19%, and that was by accident.
Theres a catch 22 with humidity in the winter. To much, window condensation and potential damage. To little, dry as hell, static everywhere, itchy skin and nose bleeds. Wood furniture cracks and hard wood floors shrink and crack.
Also the lower the humidity, the cooler it is, so you crank the heat more. Its a toss up on whats the best humidity for winter. Ive been in houses in the winter where they are 70%, water is literally running down the walls from the window sills. But the wife thinks its to dry in there.
When its -25 or lower, I turn my humidifer right off. Others wont. Most sites say if you can keep your house between 30-50% in the winter, that is kind of the sweet spot, but at what temp outside?
My post already said what you just said. Condensation will happen, how much happens depends on your inside humidityIndyBeak wrote: ↑ Again, that is not exactly relevant. If it is -35 outside, then you are going to get condensation. There is not even a question. Individual preference also comes into picture. If you let the humidity drop too much, you will generally feel dry throat, nose, dry skin, static current, and at worse nosebleeds. My approach is to keep the RH indoor around 45% and wipe windows when they condense.
