Current indoor humidity?

[ExtraSlow]

How many times have I complained about my humidifier?
Anyway? With the cold snap we are about to get, what's your current indoor relative humidity?

We can do a discussion too, but mostly I just want to see what people are able to maintain.

Mine is 30%, and humidifier is set to run 100% of the time the furnace is in a heating cycle. My heating cycles are quite short though, which means there isn't that long for the humidifier to work.
Also never use bathroom exhaust fans during showers or anything. Never run the furnace ventilator fan. Kitchen hood fan very rarely.

Happy weekend!

[killramos]

Sitting at 26% at my thermostat with the humidifier set to a minimum setting on my nest ( you don’t actually choose a % with Nest).

My windows have a tendency to freeze up though which drives that set point.

I use my hood fan and bathroom fans religiously.

[bjstare]

Ours is around 25%, and if I'm not mistaken our house humidifier is off entirely (although, we have a little humidifier in my daughters room so it gets closer to 30%)

[Darell_n]

Mine is at 32% and dropping. I you have a good humidistat it will have a remote sensor to mount outside and adjust the indoor setting according to outdoor temperatures. I don't imagine my humidifier will energize for the next week or so, looking at the forecast. Also noteworthy is having my furnace fan on constant allows me to run the humidity quite a bit higher without destroying the wood casing on my cheap windows. Cochrane is forecast for a low of -44 on Tuesday night, so I will need to get the RH down in the 20's if I don't want massive ice buildup on my windows and inside the bedroom closets, that are cantilevered in my house.


This is from my radon detector in the basement, so humidity is higher there than the main floor.
88998

[killramos]

88999

Nests humidifier setting is comical lol. But it works haha.

[sabad66]

Normally 36%, but cranked it up to 46% the past week as the entire family has been sick and wanted to make it a bit more comfortable.

That said I do have frost control turned on the ecobee, so once outdoor temp gets to -11, it reduces it to a max of 28% to avoid frosting windows. One of my favourite features of the ecobee actually.
89000

[Tik-Tok]

23%. I dont have mine set on at all. The water line was shared with the fridge icecube maker, and when its line burst, i just shut off that supply line altogether. I should probably hook it all back up one of these days.

[speedog]

Normally 36%, but cranked it up to 46% the past week as the entire family has been sick and wanted to make it a bit more comfortable.

That said I do have frost control turned on the ecobee, so once outdoor temp gets to -11, it reduces it to a max of 28% to avoid frosting windows. One of my favourite features of the ecobee actually.
89000

Do you actually have to cock your head 90 degrees to look at your ecobee?

[sabad66]

Yup, it’s a trade off for having a feature rich thermostat :nut:

But seriously not sure why it did that. Pic looks right side up on my phone, not sure how to fix that if I uploaded as an attachment

[ThePenIsMightier]

This thread is almost as great an idea as the "Any Psychro's Out There?" thread that I was about to start! But, since you beat me to it... I guess this one will have to do.
I was looking for a refresher on how to read a Psychrometric Chart to compare the absolute humidity from the outside air at -19° & 70%RH with the inside 20° & 40%RH. I'm trying to most effectively get my humidity down by using my HRV. I vaguely recall it's something about drawing lines along the wavy lines etc, but that's about it... It's the most relevant thread derail of 2020!

More on your topic... I have a "Certified Green" tight house and as a result, I can't get it below 35% pretty much no matter what I do. The unreliable dial on the wall says about 30% but my weather station says it's currently 41%. The water to my humidifier is literally shut off and we always use bathroom fans although rarely use stove hood fan (because, like all stove fans, it's 123dB).
I find some condensation on the windows if its above 40% but I try to get the levels down for a couple days before a real cold snap so I don't get ice and I'm using my HRV to do that.

[ExtraSlow]

Humidity in my kitchen has increased with a few showers and doing some dishes.
89002

[88CRX]

This thread is almost as great an idea as the "Any Psychro's Out There?" thread that I was about to start! But, since you beat me to it... I guess this one will have to do.
I was looking for a refresher on how to read a Psychrometric Chart to compare the absolute humidity from the outside air at -19° & 70%RH with the inside 20° & 40%RH. I'm trying to most effectively get my humidity down by using my HRV. I vaguely recall it's something about drawing lines along the wavy lines etc, but that's about it... It's the most relevant thread derail of 2020!

More on your topic... I have a "Certified Green" tight house and as a result, I can't get it below 35% pretty much no matter what I do. The unreliable dial on the wall says about 30% but my weather station says it's currently 41%. The water to my humidifier is literally shut off and we always use bathroom fans although rarely use stove hood fan (because, like all stove fans, it's 123dB).
I find some condensation on the windows if its above 40% but I try to get the levels down for a couple days before a real cold snap so I don't get ice and I'm using my HRV to do that.

Same. Ours is always around 36-40%, never kicks the humidifier on and we run bath fans for 30 minutes after we shower.

[benyl]

89003

[Ca_Silvia13]

My humidifier hasn't worked in 3 weeks, currently 23% goes up to around 30% during meal prep and dishes

[The_Rural_Juror]

32% with circulation on all the time. I have to direct air towards the windows to stop the frosting.

[The Cosworth]

My ecobee says 18% right now based on the -22 reading. I never thought about circulating more and putting it higher. I'll have to give it a shot.

[16hypen3sp]

Psychrometric Chart

Now there's a term I haven't heard in a while and could have went the rest of my life without hearing it again.... haha

[sabad66]

Well I caved and turned off frost control and set to 40%. With the entire family still sick, the 18% humidity in the house has been killing us. I’m sure the windows will frost up this week but whatevs

[Pacman]

Normally 36%, but cranked it up to 46% the past week as the entire family has been sick and wanted to make it a bit more comfortable.

That said I do have frost control turned on the ecobee, so once outdoor temp gets to -11, it reduces it to a max of 28% to avoid frosting windows. One of my favourite features of the ecobee actually.
89000

ah, good to know. I've got an ecobee that defaults to 36% and my windows are a disaster.

[sabad66]

ah, good to know. I've got an ecobee that defaults to 36% and my windows are a disaster.

if you have really old windows, i would set that Window Efficiency factor to 1 which will limit your humidity down to like 20% or something.

[Pacman]

if you have really old windows, i would set that Window Efficiency factor to 1 which will limit your humidity down to like 20% or something.

From looking at the Ecobee website, I can simply keep my humidity level at the suggested 36%. Then, turn Frost Control on and finally, change the Window Efficiency factor (I'll do 1 as you suggested as the house is 20 years old with original windows). Then, it will target 36% default but then change automatically based on the outdoor temperature?

[dj_rice]

What does humidity do in winter? I've unplugged my water line to the humidifier for years now.

[Mitsu3000gt]

How do I lower my humidity and stop my window bottoms from freezing up? I set the thermostat to 15% (min) and flipped my humidifier to "summer" but it doesn't change at all, stays around 28-30% on the main floor and closer to 40% on the upper floor (where the bigger issue is). Do I need to physically take out the water line maybe?

The master bathroom exhaust fan drips as well when someone is taking a shower, so it's either blocked or the insulation isn't doing its job in this cold.

[ExtraSlow]

Hilarious, I started this thread looking for how to increase my humidity above 30-35%, and seems everyone else wants to drop theirs down to 20% or lower.

[realazy]

How do I lower my humidity and stop my window bottoms from freezing up? I set the thermostat to 15% (min) and flipped my humidifier to "summer" but it doesn't change at all, stays around 28-30% on the main floor and closer to 40% on the upper floor (where the bigger issue is). Do I need to physically take out the water line maybe?

The master bathroom exhaust fan drips as well when someone is taking a shower, so it's either blocked or the insulation isn't doing its job in this cold.

If you open the blinds half way up, it helps a lot. I have triple pane windows with the humidity reading at 29% and it still frosts up a bit if I have the shades open only 2-3 inches at the bottom.

If you leave the furnace fan on all the time, the circulating air helps warm on the windows more too.

To lower humidity quick, you can open the door or windows for a little bit, the -30°C air basically has no moisture.

As for the bathroom fan dripping, you probably have compacted insulation in your attic and it's not doing its job as well anymore.

[ExtraSlow]

To lower humidity quick, you can open the door or windows for a little bit, the -30°C air basically has no moisture. Yes, easy to drop indoor humidity by getting more outdoor air into your house.

[Mitsu3000gt]

If you open the blinds half way up, it helps a lot. I have triple pane windows with the humidity reading at 29% and it still frosts up a bit if I have the shades open only 2-3 inches at the bottom.

If you leave the furnace fan on all the time, the circulating air helps warm on the windows more too.

To lower humidity quick, you can open the door or windows for a little bit, the -30°C air basically has no moisture.

As for the bathroom fan dripping, you probably have compacted insulation in your attic and it's not doing its job as well anymore.

I actually have no blinds at all haha - house is new and we haven't got around to blinds yet.

If I leave my furnace fan on 24/7, is is also going to heat 24/7 because it's sucking in -30 air? I need to learn more about the HVAC used in new homes nowadays, I am just not used to it.

As for the bathroom fan, the house is brand new so I doubt anything is compacted (assuming that happens over time?). I'm going to try get the builder to come look at it. I wonder if something is blocked or if they forgot to insulate the vent.

[sabad66]

From looking at the Ecobee website, I can simply keep my humidity level at the suggested 36%. Then, turn Frost Control on and finally, change the Window Efficiency factor (I'll do 1 as you suggested as the house is 20 years old with original windows). Then, it will target 36% default but then change automatically based on the outdoor temperature?

yup exactly. If you set your window factor to 1, as soon as it hits -11 or lower outside temp, it will override your humidity setpoint to 15% with Frost Control on. When it gets back up to hotter than -11 then it will honour your original setpoint of 36%.

You may want to try setting the factor to 3 or 2 insetad of 1 at first, but if you find they are still frosting then bump it down to 1.

[sabad66]

I actually have no blinds at all haha - house is new and we haven't got around to blinds yet.

If I leave my furnace fan on 24/7, is is also going to heat 24/7 because it's sucking in -30 air? I need to learn more about the HVAC used in new homes nowadays, I am just not used to it.

As for the bathroom fan, the house is brand new so I doubt anything is compacted (assuming that happens over time?). I'm going to try get the builder to come look at it. I wonder if something is blocked or if they forgot to insulate the vent.

In this cold weather you should be leaving your bathroom fan on for at least 30 mins after a hot shower to prevent the leaking. I installed these switches on all my bathroom fans which helps:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00313JXB0/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_BIkhEbSG9DXTY

[The Cosworth]

ah, good to know. I've got an ecobee that defaults to 36% and my windows are a disaster.

FYI I tried the fan running a lot thing and bumped my frost control up. Ice everywhere. So I bumped mine back down to 4.

[Mitsu3000gt]

In this cold weather you should be leaving your bathroom fan on for at least 30 mins after a hot shower to prevent the leaking. I installed these switches on all my bathroom fans which helps:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00313JXB0/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_BIkhEbSG9DXTY

Leaving the fan on after the shower makes the leaking/dripping a lot worse (faster and more water), so we have been turning it off about 5 minutes after showering and then it eventually stops, 10-15 min later or so. Also in case it's blocked, my thinking was it would be better not to suck a bunch of moisture up where it can't escape but I really don't know to be honest. It's the turning on of the fan that causes the dripping - if we don't run the fan it doesn't drip.

Good idea on the timer - that is probably something we should get regardless.

[Ca_Silvia13]

Leaving the fan on after the shower makes the leaking/dripping a lot worse (faster and more water), so we have been turning it off about 5 minutes after showering and then it eventually stops, 10-15 min later or so. Also in case it's blocked, my thinking was it would be better not to suck a bunch of moisture up where it can't escape but I really don't know to be honest. It's the turning on of the fan that causes the dripping - if we don't run the fan it doesn't drip.

Good idea on the timer - that is probably something we should get regardless.

You more then likely have a lot of ice build up in your attic. The increase in air circulation and exhausting of warm air is melting the ice thus you get more drips. If this is a new house cash in that new home warranty man. That's not good.

[Mitsu3000gt]

You more then likely have a lot of ice build up in your attic. The increase in air circulation and exhausting of warm air is melting the ice thus you get more drips. If this is a new house cash in that new home warranty man. That's not good.

Thanks I will get on it ASAP.

[lilmira]

Not much you can do about it without better windows when it's this cold. Assuming RH of 30% and room temperature at 20C, dew point is at 1.9C. If your sill is frosting, that means it's at 0C or less, so may the force be with you.

[benyl]

your issue is likely that the flap that stops cold air coming in is stuck open causing the moist air to condense and drip.

To get rid of your humidity, run your HRV, which I think is standard now, for longer periods or constantly. Mine runs every 20 minutes and keeps my humidity in check.

[firebane]

I have nothing in the house to tell me what the humidity is... but the switch is set to 45% and windows have no frost :D

[ExtraSlow]

Thanks I will get on it ASAP.

Get a look up there for sure before it warms up. If you have any frost inside your attic, get it documented withyour warranty people ASAP. "Attic rain" in newer houses is a super common problem.

- - - Updated - - -


I have nothing in the house to tell me what the humidity is... but the switch is set to 45% and windows have no frost :D

Sounds like you are winning at life. Hakuna Matata brother.

[benyl]

Get a look up there for sure before it warms up. If you have any frost inside your attic, get it documented withyour warranty people ASAP. "Attic rain" in newer houses is a super common problem.


This is the same problem that happens when people put their Central Vacuums in a subzero garage. They take humid air from inside the house, suck it into a frozen canister and wonder why it is damaged from "ingesting" water.

[Mitsu3000gt]

your issue is likely that the flap that stops cold air coming in is stuck open causing the moist air to condense and drip.

To get rid of your humidity, run your HRV, which I think is standard now, for longer periods or constantly. Mine runs every 20 minutes and keeps my humidity in check.

Hopefully it's that, rather than an attic full of ice haha. Is the HRV just my ventilation fan (the one for the house, not the bathroom)?


Get a look up there for sure before it warms up. If you have any frost inside your attic, get it documented withyour warranty people ASAP. "Attic rain" in newer houses is a super common problem.


I think I can get them in by Wednesday, so it should still be absurdly cold when they come take a look and I should be able to easily demonstrate the issue.


EDIT: Just talked to the builder, they told me that they aren't allowed to put some sort of flap(?) on the exhaust fans anymore for hygiene reasons and the dripping is a common issue. They said everything is plastic for that reason so nothing can rot. They said to run the fan for minimum 20min after every shower (so the timer is a great idea). They are going to come look at it in 2 days regardless. They also said they have pictures of the attic and it's not going to be iced up. So hopefully it's all a minor issue.

[revelations]

The issue with low humidity is a common problem in cold climates:

- nasal membranes dry out (more chances of getting sick)
- dust floats in the air more readily (electrostatic charge) which also increases the total pollutant count
- skin drys out and cracks

I always aim for 40% in general - I swapped out the simple pad humidifier in the main house furnace to a drum and it immediately bumped % from 30 to 40%.

I also aim for 45-50% in the bedrooms. We have separate humidifer for each room.

It really does make a difference over the months.

Yes, our low-E, expensive windows still frost up but ill gladly deal with wiping off moisture on occasion, than dealing with being sick.

[rach]

mine is at 37% and wont go any lower
HRV running the whole time
huge skylight a the staircase, and can see frozen ice at the edge, and skylight at bathroom is always dripping water due to moisutre
windows have moisture and turns to ice.
not sure what else to do at this point to stop the mositure.
this only happens when temp is less than -15 outside.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Get a look up there for sure before it warms up. If you have any frost inside your attic, get it documented withyour warranty people ASAP. "Attic rain" in newer houses is a super common problem.

Make it a very quick glance because his moist air will be flooding up into that ice cold attic the entire time the hatch is open. Then condensing, freezing, attic rain...

[FishPoo]

mine is at 37% and wont go any lower
HRV running the whole time
huge skylight a the staircase, and can see frozen ice at the edge, and skylight at bathroom is always dripping water due to moisutre
windows have moisture and turns to ice.
not sure what else to do at this point to stop the mositure.
this only happens when temp is less than -15 outside.

Same problem. high 30% humidity no HRV.

Skylight at staircase and bathroom.

I sometimes aim a circulation fan at the window, helps keep it less frosty. Otherwise the moisture leaks onto the spackle/drywall and then it comes off in chunks over time.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Make it a very quick glance because his moist air will be flooding up into that ice cold attic the entire time the hatch is open. Then condensing, freezing, attic rain...

Werd. Also possible they missed a section of the exhaust pipe insulation causing condensation on cold pipe...or the exhaust was covered by snow.

[Tik-Tok]

#newhomeproblems

My 60yo house with 30yo windows has no problem with excessive humidity. :rofl:

[88CRX]

#newhomeproblems

My 60yo house with 30yo windows has no problem with excessive humidity. :rofl:

Cause your old house can't retain heat or humidity or air... cause its leaky AF. haha

This is a huge problem in new homes that are super air tight. Run your HRV, keep the humidifier on your furnace turned down in the winter, keep your blinds up (to get air circulation on and around the glass) and run your bathroom fans for 20+ minutes after you shower.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Is the HRV just the ventilation fan? Sorry I am a new home HVAC noob. I notice when I run mine it also turns on the furnace and blows heat - is that because it is sucking the -25C fresh air?

[Cagare]

It's a fresh air re-circulation. It draws air from your home, recovers heat from it, before discharging it outside and bringing in fresh outside air and heating it, which is why it is called a heat recovery ventilator.

Your furnace fan will always run when your HRV does, or at least it should.

[Mitsu3000gt]

It's a fresh air re-circulation. It draws air from your home, recovers heat from it, before discharging it outside and bringing in fresh outside air and heating it, which is why it is called a heat recovery ventilator.

Your furnace fan will always run when your HRV does, or at least it should.

Thanks - and yes it does, when I turn on the ventilation fan all the heat registers blow what seems like warm air. The exhaust fan it seems to be connected to is the main floor bathroom.

[realazy]

Thanks - and yes it does, when I turn on the ventilation fan all the heat registers blow what seems like warm air. The exhaust fan it seems to be connected to is the main floor bathroom.

Not all new houses have HRV, I think some builders get away with it by insulating the basement more to meet the energy standard. My 2018 build does not have an HRV but I have r20 insulation for the basement.

A HRV is a Heat Recovery Ventilator, its basically a heat exchanger that uses your exhaust air to heat the inlet air. HRVs can be run 24/7 or set to run on a timer. Usually houses that have HRVs dont have seperate bathroom exhaust fans (at least not in every bathroom) from what I noticed when I looked at show homes and friend's houses with HRVs.

In my experience last winter, I had water drip out of my ceiling speakers in my master bathroom, I took out the speaker and noticed that the insulation was a bit light above the speaker, the builder had the blown in insulation topped up for me.

[benyl]

Thanks - and yes it does, when I turn on the ventilation fan all the heat registers blow what seems like warm air. The exhaust fan it seems to be connected to is the main floor bathroom.

No, that is a vent switch.

HRV is a box connected to your furnace that looks like:

https://baileylineroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/HRV-Unit.jpg

There should be separate control for it near your thermostat. Unless you have a fancy thermostat that can control an HRV.

Your larger washrooms should have a timer that controls it as well. You smallest washrooms shouldn't even have a bathroom fan as the HRV should be able to handle the exhaust.

[jwslam]

Is the HRV just the ventilation fan? Sorry I am a new home HVAC noob. I notice when I run mine it also turns on the furnace and blows heat - is that because it is sucking the -25C fresh air?
HRV is a giant box you would see next to your furnace if it exists
89028

[Mitsu3000gt]

Not all new houses have HRV, I think some builders get away with it by insulating the basement more to meet the energy standard. My 2018 build does not have an HRV but I have r20 insulation for the basement.

A HRV is a Heat Recovery Ventilator, its basically a heat exchanger that uses your exhaust air to heat the inlet air. HRVs can be run 24/7 or set to run on a timer. Usually houses that have HRVs dont have seperate bathroom exhaust fans (at least not in every bathroom) from what I noticed when I looked at show homes and friend's houses with HRVs.

In my experience last winter, I had water drip out of my ceiling speakers in my master bathroom, I took out the speaker and noticed that the insulation was a bit light above the speaker, the builder had the blown in insulation topped up for me.

Thanks. I *think* I have an HRV because I have a switched labelled "Ventilation" that fires up my furnace and runs the main floor bathroom exhaust fan. All bathrooms have exhaust fans, and our master bathroom actually has two (one in the toilet area and one above the shower). I am pretty sure there is a heat exchanger in the mechanical room too but I'll need to double check.

- - - Updated - - -


HRV is a giant box you would see next to your furnace if it exists
89028

Thanks - I am 99% sure i have that. There is definitely a big rectangular box hanging next to my furnace. That's actually pretty cool that it uses the warm stale inside air to heat the cool fresh air before blowing it into my house. I've been afraid to run it because the HRV fan is above hardwood and if it drips like the master bedroom one does, it will wreck the floor.

[Swank]

12% - I'm going to put on wool socks and run around on the carpet to see if I can finally create a Hadouken. We just have a humidifier in the bedroom, that seems to suit our needs just fine plus the white noise sound helps with sleep as much as the comfort of the humidity. No frost on the windows but they are fairly new (~4 years old), they insulate incredibly well.

[Tik-Tok]

Cause your old house can't retain heat or humidity or air... cause its leaky AF. haha



I prefer the term "uncalibrated pressure relief"

[goldfish168]

ah, good to know. I've got an ecobee that defaults to 36% and my windows are a disaster.

Here's a chart I found that shows what humidity level Ecobee adjusts to according to outdoor temp and what window efficiency you have selected when Frost Control is turned on. You might want to check your settings if it's defaulting to 36%.

89030

[ThePenIsMightier]

12% - I'm going to put on wool socks and run around on the carpet to see if I can finally create a Hadouken.

I just fuckin died. RoFL!!!

[firebane]

12% - I'm going to put on wool socks and run around on the carpet to see if I can finally create a Hadouken. We just have a humidifier in the bedroom, that seems to suit our needs just fine plus the white noise sound helps with sleep as much as the comfort of the humidity. No frost on the windows but they are fairly new (~4 years old), they insulate incredibly well.

https://giantbomb1.cbsistatic.com/uploads/original/0/4/324840-street_fighter_blanka.jpg

[ercchry]

My old man analog wall mounted hygrometer/thermometer/pressure combo thing says low 40s... might not be calibrated, no frost issues. Windows circa 06, house late 70s

[rach]

Same problem. high 30% humidity no HRV.

Skylight at staircase and bathroom.

I sometimes aim a circulation fan at the window, helps keep it less frosty. Otherwise the moisture leaks onto the spackle/drywall and then it comes off in chunks over time.

this is exactly what happens to mine as well, seeing drips of water, and leaks to the sprayed ceiling and chipped the white stuff off

[rach]

and i dont see HRV helps that much
my old house without HRV dont have moisture issues as much as this one

[ThePenIsMightier]

and i dont see HRV helps that much
my old house without HRV dont have moisture issues as much as this one

That's because it's old. Old houses leaked warm, humid air out all over the place. New houses are sealed so fucking tight, they literally have to create controlled leaks (that's what the HRV does) so that your windows aren't permanently fogged up by your fart gas and shower steam.

The theme of the thread is how TréSlow is supposed to increase his humidity because his house doesn't have all this hyper efficient crap. Meanwhile, a bunch of us practically need two dehumidifiers plus our HRV running just to stop our allegedly super efficient, sex-paned mega windows from fogging up.

Tight houses introduce a significant new batch of things to deal with that are very foreign to homeowners. But, they do cut heating costs. My house is literally double the area of my old one and it costs half as much to heat. For serious. It's pretty amazing, but these frosty windows are a pain in the urethra.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Can someone tell me if this is my HRV unit? Looks like it actually might be connected to my humidifier.

89043
89044
89045


I ran my ventilation fan for several hours yesterday (with humidifier set to "summer" and thermostat set to minimum 15%) and did get about a 10% drop in humidity on the main floor, but nothing upstairs. No changes in my windows unfortunately.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

That definitely looks like an HRV to me.

[Ca_Silvia13]

^ Yes that's your HRV

[Mitsu3000gt]

Sweet, thanks guys.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Can someone tell me if this is my HRV unit? Looks like it actually might be connected to my humidifier.

89043
89044
89045


I ran my ventilation fan for several hours yesterday (with humidifier set to "summer" and thermostat set to minimum 15%) and did get about a 10% drop in humidity on the main floor, but nothing upstairs. No changes in my windows unfortunately.

Yes.
It is usually not controlled from a bathroom fan or anything of the sort. If you turn the humidity dial way up, it will trigger your humidifier to flow water and the air going through that will jack up your humidity. If you turn it way down, your HRV will come on bringing in dry air from outside and blowing out the wet air that you paid to heat and scavenging some of its heart on the way out.

[mr2mike]

16%
Zero maintenance required.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Yes.
It is usually not controlled from a bathroom fan or anything of the sort. If you turn the humidity dial way up, it will trigger your humidifier to flow water and the air going through that will jack up your humidity. If you turn it way down, your HRV will come on bringing in dry air from outside and blowing out the wet air that you paid to heat and scavenging some of its heart on the way out.

Thanks.

I have a switched labelled "Ventilation" and it turns on the main floor bathroom fan, as well as the furnace (just the fan though I think?). It blows a mixture of warm and cool air, so I imagine the furnace kicks in when needed, but the fan runs 100% of the time that I have the switch enabled. I don't know if using the Ventilation fan is using my HRV or not, I thought it did but maybe not.

[The_Rural_Juror]

My lifebreath doesn't have a control panel that I can see. I think it is permanently on unless I close off the ducts manually.

[88CRX]

Ran our HRV all last evening and got the humidity from 35% down to 31% but it wouldn't go any lower. And its back up to 34% this morning. Triple pane windows have a small amount of ice on the sill and mullions.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Thanks.

I have a switched labelled "Ventilation" and it turns on the main floor bathroom fan, as well as the furnace (just the fan though I think?). It blows a mixture of warm and cool air, so I imagine the furnace kicks in when needed, but the fan runs 100% of the time that I have the switch enabled. I don't know if using the Ventilation fan is using my HRV or not, I thought it did but maybe not.

Unlikely. I have a similar setup. If you can turn it off and then you go stand right under the HRV when someone flips it back on, you should be able to tell. The HRV likely has its own pair of small fans that you'll hear kick in when it actually comes on aside from your furnace fan merely coming on (without heat).

[The_Rural_Juror]

The problem with low humidity is that the hardwood floors might crack.

[MalibuStacy]

Dunno what it is but its too high haha

[Tik-Tok]

Down to 15% meow. I really need to hook that damn thing back up when it gets warmer out.

[mr2mike]

The problem with low humidity is that the hardwood floors might crack.

This gets said all the time but I have 65 year old hardwood and no cracks yet. Bought the house off a slumlord and the humidifier at that time was easily busted for decades.
As you guys dick around with HRV this and that, I'll just enjoy all your hassle and repair stories.

[?????]

Yes.
It is usually not controlled from a bathroom fan or anything of the sort. If you turn the humidity dial way up, it will trigger your humidifier to flow water and the air going through that will jack up your humidity. If you turn it way down, your HRV will come on bringing in dry air from outside and blowing out the wet air that you paid to heat and scavenging some of its heart on the way out.

Some homes don't have a stand alone bathroom fan anymore. The bathroom fan switch is directly hooked up to the HRV and will put the HRV into max vent mode for x amount of time.


Thanks.

I have a switched labelled "Ventilation" and it turns on the main floor bathroom fan, as well as the furnace (just the fan though I think?). It blows a mixture of warm and cool air, so I imagine the furnace kicks in when needed, but the fan runs 100% of the time that I have the switch enabled. I don't know if using the Ventilation fan is using my HRV or not, I thought it did but maybe not.

Do you have a controller somewhere beside your thermostat for the HRV?

[Kijho]

Sitting at 15% also. Fuck, some of my neighbors windows are literally covered top to bottom in moisture on the inside. Idiots. :drama:

[Tik-Tok]

Unrelated to humidity (at the moment), but I've suddenly just realized I forgot to turn off the one of my outside taps, or drain the line.

[benyl]

When my lifebreath kicks in, you can hear it when you are in the furnace room. It's a distinctive sound.

I think that if you didn't "upgrade" your HRV, it is likely passive and linked to the Vent switch and the furnace. I have direct control of the my HRV with timers in all the bathrooms as well as a central control mounted on the wall below my thermostat.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Do you have a controller somewhere beside your thermostat for the HRV?

I do not - It's just a touch-screen WiFi Lennox Thermostat. Under that is my switch for the ventilation fan. So I am not sure if the HRV just runs automatically or not but I would assume so.

Next time I run the ventilation fan I'll go down and see if the HRV is running.

[ExtraSlow]

Unrelated to humidity (at the moment), but I've suddenly just realized I forgot to turn off the one of my outside taps, or drain the line.

Keep an eye on that when it warms up. But most outdoor taps are "frost free" which means the actual valve mechanism is about 12" inside the wall, so it should be safe from freezing.

[ThePenIsMightier]

I do not - It's just a touch-screen WiFi Lennox Thermostat. Under that is my switch for the ventilation fan. So I am not sure if the HRV just runs automatically or not but I would assume so.

Next time I run the ventilation fan I'll go down and see if the HRV is running.

My neighbour has virtually the same setup as me except for some reason their humidity dial is mounted right on one of the furnace ducts in the basement.
It's your humidity adjustment also located on that Lenox WiFi thing?

[Tik-Tok]

Keep an eye on that when it warms up. But most outdoor taps are "frost free" which means the actual valve mechanism is about 12" inside the wall, so it should be safe from freezing.

Not this one, it's a few decades old. It was leaky as shit anyways when it was open, so I should replace it come summer. I just hope I can close the supply valve without too much hassle when I get home. It's pretty close to the wall, so it might be frozen too.

[Mitsu3000gt]

My neighbour has virtually the same setup as me except for some reason their humidity dial is mounted right on one of the furnace ducts in the basement.
It's your humidity adjustment also located on that Lenox WiFi thing?

I talked to the builder today and they actually told me I need to keep it at least 30% or I void my hardwood warranty. They said in this weather my windows are going to frost up no matter what, and to just keep an eye on the water when it melts.

I have a manual humidity adjustment on my humidifier itself in the form of a flap that has "summer" (closed) and "winter" (open) settings. On top of that I can adjust the humidity directly within my thermostat settings to a minimum of 15%.

- - - Updated - - -


Not this one, it's a few decades old. It was leaky as shit anyways when it was open, so I should replace it come summer. I just hope I can close the supply valve without too much hassle when I get home. It's pretty close to the wall, so it might be frozen too.

I think I have frost free taps, but I bought some of these anyway - might be good for you too:

https://www.amazon.ca/Faucet-Covers-Outdoor-Winter-Protection/dp/B078BQZKQG/ref=sr_1_12?keywords=faucet+cover&qid=1579119388&sr=8-12

Maybe they do nothing, but I am paranoid about stuff like this haha.

[Swank]

I think I have frost free taps, but I bought some of these anyway - might be good for you too:

https://www.amazon.ca/Faucet-Covers-Outdoor-Winter-Protection/dp/B078BQZKQG/ref=sr_1_12?keywords=faucet+cover&qid=1579119388&sr=8-12

Maybe they do nothing, but I am paranoid about stuff like this haha.

Oh Canada, where even our faucets wear mittens :rofl: Seem like a good idea for dirt cheap though.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Oh Canada, where even our faucets wear mittens :rofl: Seem like a good idea for dirt cheap though.

Haha exactly. That's what I thought - for $10 if they do nothing, who cares it at least keeps the snow/dirt off them. If they help, great.

[sabad66]

I talked to the builder today and they actually told me I need to keep it at least 30% or I void my hardwood warranty. They said in this weather my windows are going to frost up no matter what, and to just keep an eye on the water when it melts.

I have a manual humidity adjustment on my humidifier itself in the form of a flap that has "summer" (closed) and "winter" (open) settings. On top of that I can adjust the humidity directly within my thermostat settings to a minimum of 15%.


That switch on the humidifier itself is essentially just a master on/off switch that bypasses the humidifier. So if you have it set to closed, it doesn't matter what you set your humidity on the thermostat, it will never work because it's bypassed. Personally i always leave mine as on even in the summer. Not like our summers get crazy humid anyways.

[Mitsu3000gt]

That switch on the humidifier itself is essentially just a master on/off switch that bypasses the humidifier. So if you have it set to closed, it doesn't matter what you set your humidity on the thermostat, it will never work because it's bypassed. Personally i always leave mine as on even in the summer. Not like our summers get crazy humid anyways.

Good to know, thanks. And that sounds reasonable - I think I'll open it back up when I get home since it appears to be a losing battle anyway, and I don't want my hardwood to crack. We'll be back in the positive temps by Monday and all next week by the looks of things anyway haha.

I'm used to 15+ year old basic furnaces, no humidifier, and unsealed houses with no insulation, all this new stuff has a bit of a learning curve!

[88CRX]

You should be draining your hose bibs in Calgary. Growing up we had a garage hose bib (that wasn't drained) crack/explode and flood our entire garage and driveway in -30 weather, turned to 1" thick solid ice over night when it popped. That was a fun time chipping all that ice out of the garage and off the entire driveway.

- - - Updated - - -


Good to know, thanks. And that sounds reasonable - I think I'll open it back up when I get home since it appears to be a losing battle anyway, and I don't want my hardwood to crack. We'll be back in the positive temps by Monday and all next week by the looks of things anyway haha.

I'm used to 15+ year old basic furnaces, no humidifier, and unsealed houses with no insulation, all this new stuff has a bit of a learning curve!

Do you have real solid hardwood or engineered hardwood? If its engineered I wouldn't worry too much about the humidity.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Do you have real solid hardwood or engineered hardwood? If its engineered I wouldn't worry too much about the humidity.

It's engineered "white oak", but it has what is called an "antique" finish which is wire brushed before the polyurethane coating is apparently added. To me, it feels like raw wood and I wouldn't think it had polyurethane on it but apparently it does. It looks nice but it's actually really hard to keep clean because of the open-grain design. It seems like it would suck moisture up. I am used to hardwood that has a thick, glossy poly coating on it so this is new to me as well.

This is the exact product:

http://www.metrohardwoodfloors.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Barcelona.jpg

[pheoxs]

Reading through this thread now I'm confused. Wtf should I set the humidistat at? We do have real hardwood the entire main floor though I don't know if its engineered or not.

[ExtraSlow]

Reading through this thread now I'm confused. Wtf should I set the humidistat at? We do have real hardwood the entire main floor though I don't know if its engineered or not.

100% = win. :devil:

[lilmira]

Agree, if you want to be incredibly beautiful like super model, moisture is the key my friend.

[ExtraSlow]

Agree, if you want to be incredibly beautiful like super model, moisture is the key my friend.89061

[suntan]

Reading through this thread now I'm confused. Wtf should I set the humidistat at? We do have real hardwood the entire main floor though I don't know if its engineered or not.

Set it to 0xA87F.

[ExtraSlow]

Clearly the poll options were fucked when I made this. Should have had more options lower.

I'm down around 22% now. Realized my ensuite skylight was icing hard in these temps, and wasn't excited about it.

[killramos]

Clearly the poll options were fucked when I made this. Should have had more options lower.

I'm down around 22% now. Realized my ensuite skylight was icing hard in these temps, and wasn't excited about it.

My en-suite skylight always has icey. There isn’t much to be done about it.

Though I admit I have been more careful about humidity Thai go around and have had generally way less ice to go with it.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Clearly the poll options were fucked when I made this. Should have had more options lower.

I'm down around 22% now. Realized my ensuite skylight was icing hard in these temps, and wasn't excited about it.

So, you have dropped that low and "you can't get it up"?
Recalling your OP on trying to increase, I just remembered I used to put damp sponges right at floor heat vents and you could prolly put a big one at your cold air return.
Go on a boiled pasta eating frenzy.
Don't put your towels in the dryer. Figure out a way to hang them indoors. With humidity that low, they'll almost flash off steam.
Check that your water feeding the humidifier is working. The valves in those are constantly fucked from hard water and some areas of Calgary with ludicrously high water pressure. Is it one of those old-balls Air King rotating ones? If so, you can force it to turn 24/7.

[ExtraSlow]

Ah no, I turned it down, that's why it's so low. It would be 30-ish if I had it cranked to max.