# Indoor humidity issue



## Eisenfaust8 (Aug 29, 2016)

I live in the Pacific NW and have issues with indoor humidity, especially in the winter. In the summer the indoor humidity hovers between 55-65% (have the windows open a lot...) and in the winter it is usually 60-65% which is not good. I do not have AC, and my main source of heat is a freestanding propane stove that vents out the roof. Is the propane stove pushing a lot of moisture into the house? 

The house is a one story, 1584sq ft rambler occupied by two adults, so there is the human exhalations combined with cooking, laundry, etc of which I'd say we do the normal amount. I have been working to seal up air leaks and improve my attic ventilation this summer in preparation for winter. During winter I can tell it is much too moist inside just by the smell and feel of it. 

I hired an energy auditor to do an inspection and his advice was to get a bathroom fan of this model:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECMTXPA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

and tie it to a humidity switch and that this fan will be enough to draw the excess moisture out of the whole house. 

What do you guys think? I can't figure out what to do exactly. I go into other people's homes and check their humidity if it's on a thermostat somewhere and they are down in the 30-40% (ideal for winter from what I've read) and I'm dealing with mid 60s consistently.


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## nealtw (Aug 29, 2016)

Do you have hood and bathroom fan now and how good are you at using them.


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## Eisenfaust8 (Aug 29, 2016)

nealtw said:


> Do you have hood and bathroom fan now and how good are you at using them.



Yes, I do have them and run them when cooking over the stove or after a shower. Those are the only times that I use them, however.


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## nealtw (Aug 29, 2016)

Eisenfaust8 said:


> Yes, I do have them and run them when cooking over the stove or after a shower. Those are the only times that I use them, however.



Just change out the switch for the bathroom fan for a humidistat and make a habit of leaving that door open.

Have you checked all your sources of moisture like crawlspace and landscaping right up to siding.

The other thing to think about, if you are closing up all the airleaks and cracks, are you getting enough air into the house to replace the air that is being used buy furnace people and fans?


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## oldognewtrick (Aug 29, 2016)

Are you sure the free standing propane heat source vent is open and free flowing? They will introduce a lot of moisture into your controlled air space.


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## Eisenfaust8 (Aug 29, 2016)

nealtw said:


> Just change out the switch for the bathroom fan for a humidistat and make a habit of leaving that door open.
> 
> Have you checked all your sources of moisture like crawlspace and landscaping right up to siding.
> 
> The other thing to think about, if you are closing up all the airleaks and cracks, are you getting enough air into the house to replace the air that is being used buy furnace people and fans?



The crawlspace is dry with plastic down over the majority of it for moisture barrier. I did add extenders to all of my downspouts to get the gutter water further away from the foundation as well. 

Regarding the air leaks, I hadn't thought of that. I'm mostly dealing with the big ones that the energy audit found that likely contribute to my heat loss during winter.


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## Eisenfaust8 (Aug 29, 2016)

oldognewtrick said:


> Are you sure the free standing propane heat source vent is open and free flowing? They will introduce a lot of moisture into your controlled air space.



If I understand you correctly, when the stove is on I can see some heat escaping from the top of the stove pipe on the roof, which I assume is the hot air venting properly.


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## slownsteady (Aug 29, 2016)

FWIW: http://www.ehow.com/info_12140163_amount-water-natural-gas-propane-ventless-heaters.html
I didn't read the whole thing.... and it may be old news to you.


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## thematrixiam (Aug 31, 2016)

Having tight construction is good, it means you don't lose heat. You wont get condensation on your studs, etc. 

But it also means that you will maintain humidity better. You might be living in a plastic bag.

Do you have any air circulation?

What feeds outside? Just the range and bathroom?

What feeds the inside? 

One option would be go buy a much of cheap plastic humidity meters. Place them all over your house. Figure out where it's all coming from. Or just use one and move it around.

Can you be more specific on your propane heater?
Can you provide a link? Pictures?


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## Eisenfaust8 (Aug 31, 2016)

thematrixiam said:


> Having tight construction is good, it means you don't lose heat. You wont get condensation on your studs, etc.
> 
> But it also means that you will maintain humidity better. You might be living in a plastic bag.
> 
> ...



I do not have any source of air circulation except for ceiling fans. The only thing feeding inside would be the stove, feeding outside would be the range fan, bathroom fan, and a ceiling fan in the laundry room. 

I have a humidity sensing weather station that I have moved around the house. All areas were the same except for the master bathroom which was a few percentage points higher. 

This is the manual for my stove: http://www.lopistoves.com/TravisDocs/93508101.pdf


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## thematrixiam (Sep 1, 2016)

Ah, fake gas fireplace. Gotcha.

Well you got a few options.

- Use your fans more often.

- You could buy a humidity and have it turn on a fan as required.

- Or buy one of the stand alone dehumidifiers. 

If you had ducted heating you can also get dehumidifiers that will connect with your system.

Big things are figure out what your sources of water are, and turn on the fans when you have them.
Things like showers, cooking, laundry, hanging clothes, are the big ones.


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