HVAC??

Is there a heater that "warms" the air instead of cooking it? I went through all this trouble of weatherproofing and sealing up the house, and when the heater runs, the humidity drops to about 15%. I have an old Lennox "Pulse" heater and it is working like it should. I am also considering using small space heaters if it can get the job done without turning me into a raisin.

are those "infra red" jobbers any good?

according to my father -in -law the "infa red" heaters do work pretty well

Short of adding a whole house humidifier, or replacing your heater, try an inexpensive humidifier, like the Vicks Warm Mist V790.

You need to add a humidifier. Raising the temp of a space without adding moisture will drop the relative humidity percentage.

The source of the heat doesn't matter. if you use the furnace or an electric heater the result will be the same.

Lennox stopped producing the Pulse in 1999 due to excessive heat exchanger failures. That means yours is at least 14 years old. The secondary heat exchanger and evaporator coil (Assuming you have central A/C) could have dirt build up on them causing the airflow through the furnace to slow down. This will raise the temp of the discharge air and could cause the unit to over heat.

I was a Lennox factory technician for 6 years. The chances of your pulse having a bad heat exchanger are very high. You should call your local lennox dealer and have the heat exchanger pressure tested.

I do, twice a year, thanks. He was actually here last week /emoticons/default_smile.png mine's 22 yrs old and purring like a kitten. actually it sounds like a jaccuzi when it fires up /emoticons/default_smile.png I have a hygrometer(and CO detectors) in the house and I can watch the humidity drop from 50% to 20% in minutes, and the air that is comming out is friggin' hot, reguardless if I have it set on 68(usually) or 80(test).

I am definately thinking about a new furnace. it's hard when this works so well, and we do run humidifiers, I was just checking out options. I know I am going to have to do something else soon. The house is like 1.3k sq ft, so a little heat goes a long way. I could prolly do pretty well with an electric radiator and a fan in the main room and one in the basement and be done with the furnace alltogether /emoticons/default_smile.png

thanks for the thioughts so far!

So, I'm wondering if you think the furnace is removing the moisture from the house. It's not. Thats impossible. All the furnace does is heat the air, that increases the air's capacity for holding moisture. Unless you add moisture to the air the relative humidity level will drop, but the actual amount of moisture in the air hasnt changed.

This is assuming you dont have any fresh air intakes connected to the house. If you do then you are removing moisture from the house...

anotherfreak said:

and the air that is comming out is friggin' hot, reguardless if I have it set on 68(usually) or 80(test).

Click to expand...

The thermostat is just an on/off switch, basically, so you should be getting the same "friggin' hot" air no matter where it's set. It will just kick off the heater sooner at a lower setting.

We use Vornado humidifiers which seem to work okay.

Good luck in whatever you find. Keep us posted.

"This is assuming you dont have any fresh air intakes connected to the house"

I'm not sure, I have two PVC pipes going outside, but I have a "water" drain from the furnace that just pours when the furnace is running. Thet's wheremy assumtion comes from, that the furnace is "cooking" my humidity out I have had to buy humidifiers every year 'cause i ran them into the ground. I am not opposed to this, I'm just looking for "opportunities" /emoticons/default_smile.png

anotherfreak said:

"This is assuming you dont have any fresh air intakes connected to the house"

I'm not sure, I have two PVC pipes going outside, but I have a "water" drain from the furnace that just pours when the furnace is running. Thet's wheremy assumtion comes from, that the furnace is "cooking" my humidity out I have had to buy humidifiers every year 'cause i ran them into the ground. I am not opposed to this, I'm just looking for "opportunities" /emoticons/default_smile.png

Click to expand...

OK, I understand your confusion. The PVC pipes are your fresh air intake and exhaust for the combustion air. The water draining from the furnace is from the combustion process. The air used for combustion is completely seperate from the air heated and circulated throughout your house.

Adding a bypass style humidifier to the furnace will remedy your problem. I recomend Aprilair.

Cool, I just checked and the folks who do my servicing deal with the Aprilair peeps!

I sure do appreciate your time and advice on the matter!!!

props! +10pts to yas!

No problem... Happy to help.

The Aprilaire is what I've been using for years now.

Nice little knob that lets you dial in the % of humidity you want, based on outdoor temps.