Mechanics of the Household / A Course of Study Devoted to Domestic Machinery and Household Mechanical Appliances

The prevailing impression seems to exist that when air is heated, it loses its moisture. In reality, air that is heated only attains a condition in which its capacity for containing moisture is increased. If after being heated to a high degree—and is relatively very dry—the air is reduced to its original temperature, the amount of moisture will be the same as was originally contained. In heating houses with hot air, the seemingly dry condition is usually due to temperature alone. When a hot-air furnace is provided with the customary reservoir for moistening the discharged air, it may be made to produce excellent conditions of atmospheric humidity. The heated air readily absorbs the water evaporated in the furnace from the water reservoir and enters the rooms as relatively dry air but containing more moisture than the outside air; when it has been reduced in temperature by mixing with the cooler air of the house, its moisture content remains unaltered and at the lower temperature its relative humidity is increased.

Relative Humidity.

—Suppose that on a damp day the outside temperature is 50° and that the atmosphere is 90 per cent. saturated. The air that comes into the house at this temperature and humidity is heated to 70°. The rise of temperature gives the air the property of absorbing additional moisture so that the relative humidity which was 90 per cent. is now much less. From the table relative humidity, will be seen that at 50° temperature and 90 per cent. saturation the air contains 3.67 grains of moisture. When the air is heated to 70°, it still contains the original amount of moisture but its relative humidity has decreased with the change of temperature. It is really the amount of moisture present—3.67 grains—divided by the amount necessary to saturate the air at 70°, which is 8 grains; this gives approximately a relative humidity 40 per cent. saturation.

As the temperature goes lower, less and less moisture is required to saturate the air. If saturated air at 0°F., which contains 0.48 grain of water, is raised to 70°F.—where 8 grains of water is required for saturation—the percentage of saturation would be ^0.48⁄₈ or 6 per cent.

The Hygrometer.

—The instrument most commonly employed for determining atmospheric humidity is the hygrometer. This appliance is composed of two thermometers mounted in a frame with a vessel for holding water. One of the thermometers is intended to register the temperature of the air and is called the dry-bulb thermometer. The bulb of the other—the wet-bulb thermometer—is covered with a piece of cloth or other porous material which is kept saturated with water, absorbed from the water holder. The dryness of the air is indicated in the wet-bulb thermometer by the decline of temperature due to evaporation.

The rate of evaporation from the wet-bulb covering will vary with the humidity and if the air is very dry the wet-bulb thermometer will register a temperature several degrees below that of the other thermometer. If the air is saturated with moisture, no evaporation will take place and the thermometers will read alike. The relative humidity of the air as indicated by the readings of the thermometers is taken directly from a humidity table. The table is made to suit any condition of atmospheric humidity and the determinations require no calculation.

Fig. 157 shows the U. S. Weather Bureau pattern hygrometer such as is used at the weather stations. The wet-bulb thermometer has a muslin or knitted silk covering which dips into a metal water cup as shown in the figure. It is important that the covering of the wet bulb be kept in good condition. The evaporation of the water from the covering leaves in the meshes particles of solid matter that were held in solution in the water. The accumulation of the solids ultimately prevent the water from thoroughly wetting the wick.

An observation consists in reading the two thermometers and from the difference between the wet-bulb reading and that of the dry-bulb, the relative humidity is taken directly from the table. To illustrate, suppose that the dry-bulb thermometer reads 60° and that the wet-bulb reads 56°. The difference between the two readings is 4°. In the table of relative humidity on page 202, 60° is found in the column headed, Air temp. t, and opposite that number in the column headed 4 is 78, which indicates that under the observed conditions the air is 78 per cent. saturated with moisture. This table is suited for air temperatures from 35°F. to 80°F. and depressions of the wet-bulb thermometer from 1°F. to 20°F. The table, therefore, has a range of variations which will admit humidity determinations for all ordinary conditions.

The Hygrodeik.

—In Fig. 158 is shown a form of hygrometer known as a hygrodeik, by means of which atmospheric humidity may be determined without the use of the tables. In the figure the wet-bulb and dry-bulb thermometers are easily recognized. A glass water bottle W is held to the base of the instrument by spring clips which permit its removal to be filled with water. Between the thermometers is a diagram chart from which the atmospheric humidity is taken. An index arm, carrying a movable pointer P, permits the instrument to be set for any observed thermometer readings.

The index is really a graphical method of expressing the figures given in the table on pages 202-203. In the picture the wet-bulb thermometer reads 65°, the dry-bulb thermometer 77°. To determine the relative humidity under these conditions the movable arm is swung to the left and the pointer P placed on the left-hand scale at the line 65°. The arm is then swung to the right until the pointer touches the downward curving line beginning at 77°, the dry-bulb reading. The lower end of the arm H now points to the relative humidity, where 52 per cent. is indicated by the scale at the bottom of the index.

The same result is obtained from the table of Relative Humidity. The readings of the thermometers in the figure give a difference in temperature of 12°, the dry-bulb thermometer reads 77°. Referring this data to the humidity table, the column marked 12, for the depression of the wet-bulb thermometer and opposite 77° in the air temperature column, is found 53 which indicates the per cent. of saturation. The hygrodeik gives further the temperature of the dew-point, on the scale to the right; and the absolute humidity may be found by following the upward curving line nearest the pointer, at the end of which line is given the value in grains of moisture per cubic foot. The hygrodeik or other instrument of the kind is very largely used in places where relative humidity is regularly observed by those of limited experience, as in school-rooms, auditoriums, etc. Such records are not intended to be perfectly accurate and the readings of the hygrodeik are very well-suited for the purpose.

In using the hygrometer and the hygrodeik the instruments are stationary; they are usually hung on the wall in a convenient location for observation and are placed to avoid accidental drafts in order that the conditions surrounding the observation may be the same at all times. The evaporation which takes place from the wet bulb is due to natural convection and does not always reach the maximum amount. The evaporation is furthermore influenced by accidental variations and consequently the results cannot be considered exact.

Under conditions that demand more exact humidity records than are obtainable with hygrometer, the psychrometer furnishes means of making more accurate observation. The psychrometer shown in Fig. 159 is of the form used by the U. S. Weather Department. Like the hygrometer, it is composed of a wet-bulb and a dry-bulb thermometer but no water cup is attached to the instrument for moistening the wick of the wet bulb. When ready for use the wick is wet with water before each observation.

The greater accuracy to be attained by the use of this instrument is on account of the maximum evaporation which is obtained from the wet bulb for any atmospheric condition. The evaporation which takes place from the wet-bulb thermometer in quiet air is not so great as that which occurs if the same air is in motion. In moving air, however, there is a certain maximum rate beyond which no further evaporation will take place.

The motion of the air may be produced either by blowing on the bulb with a fan or air blast, or by whirling the thermometer. With the psychrometer the latter method is used. This instrument is provided with a handle which is pivoted to the frame and about which it is swung to produce a maximum evaporation from the wick. When a motion of the air is attained sufficient to produce a saturated atmosphere about the bulb, the temperature will remain constant.

A velocity of air or the motion of the wet-bulb thermometer 10 feet per second is that usually taken as the rate for observation and the swinging is kept up 3 or 4 minutes or until the temperature of the wet-bulb thermometer remains stationary.

Then the temperature of each thermometer is read and the humidity found in the table. Relative humidity determinations may be made at temperatures below the freezing point if sufficient precaution is taken in the observations. When the instrument is not in use, it is kept in the metallic case shown in the picture, to protect it from injury.

Dial Hygrometers.

—Various forms of hygrometers are in use, in which a pointer is intended to indicate on a dial the percentage of atmospheric humidity. That shown in Fig. 160 is one of the common forms. Instruments of this kind depend for their action on the absorptive property of catgut or other materials that are sensitive to the moisture changes of the air.

These instruments give fairly accurate readings in a small range for a limited time, but they are apt to go out of adjustment from causes that cannot be controlled. Unless they are occasionally compared with a standard humidity determination, their readings cannot be relied upon for definite amounts of atmospheric moisture.

The Swiss Cottage “Barometer.”

—Fig. 161 is one of the instruments of absorptive class that are sometimes used as weather indicators. The images which occupy the openings in the cottage are so arranged that with the approach of damp weather the man comes outside and at the same time the woman moves back into the house. In fair weather the reverse movement takes place. The figures are mounted on the opposite ends of a light stick which is fastened to an upright pillar. The movement of the images is caused by the change in length of a piece of catgut which is secured to the pillar and also to the frame of the house. Any change in atmospheric humidity causes a contraction or elongation of the catgut which moves the pillar and with it the images.

Since stormy weather is accompanied by a high degree of humidity and fair weather is attended with dry atmosphere, the movement of the images indicates in some degree the weather changes; but the device is not in any way influenced by atmospheric pressure and hence is not a barometer.

Dew-point.

—Dew is formed whenever falling temperature of the air passes the point where saturation occurs. The reduction of the temperature of air raises the relative humidity because of the diminished capacity to contain moisture. As the temperature declines there will come a point at which the air is saturated and any further decrease of temperature will cause supersaturation. At this point the moisture will be deposited on the cooler surfaces in the form of drops. The temperature at which dew begins to form is known as the dew-point. The sweating of cold water pipes, the dew that forms on a water glass and other relatively cold surfaces is caused by a temperature below the dew-point of the air.

Dew-point Table
Dew-point in degrees Fahrenheit, barometer pressure 29 inches

The temperature at which dew forms will depend on the amount of moisture present in the air, but with a definite humidity and air pressure it will always occur at the same temperature. If the dew-point is above freezing, the dew will form as drops of water, but if it is at or slightly below the freezing point, the dew will appear as frost. White frost is formed when the dew-point is only a few degrees below the freezing point. A Black frost occurs when the atmospheric humidity is so low that dew does not form until the temperature is much below the freezing point.

To Determine the Dew-point.

—The dew-point may be found by a number of methods, usually described in works on physics but practical determinations are made with a hygrometer or psychrometer and a dew-point table. Accurate determinations must be made by the use of the psychrometer; those made by the hygrometer are approximate. Suppose the reading of the dry-bulb thermometer is 68 and that this is designated as t; at the time the wet-bulb temperature is 57 and is called t´. The depression of the wet bulb for these temperatures (t-t´) is 11°. In the dew-point table above is found in the dry-bulb column, opposite this number in the column headed 11—under depression of the wet-bulb thermometer—is 49, which is the dew-point for the observed conditions.

As another illustration, suppose the dry bulb of the psychrometer marks 65° and the wet bulb indicates 56°F.; then 65-56 equals 9° of the cold produced by evaporation. The dew-point is determined in exactly the same way as with the hygrometer. Opposite 65, in the dry-bulb column of the dew-point table, under the column of differences marked 9, is found the dew-point for the observed conditions. This is 49° at which temperature dew will begin to form.

Frost Prediction.

—The formation of dew is always attended with a liberation of heat—the heat of vaporization—which tends to check the further decline of temperature. The heat thus developed is usually sufficient to prevent the fall of temperature beyond a very few degrees, but at times when there is little moisture in the air the fall of several degrees of temperature is necessary before the heat liberated by the forming dew balances the heat lost by radiation and the temperature remains stationary.

This condition of things was pointed out many years ago by Tyndall, who in his book on “Heat” states: “The removal for a single summer’s night of the aqueous vapor which covers England would be attended by the destruction of every plant which a freezing temperature would kill.”

The frosts of late spring and early fall which occur at times of dry air and cloudless sky are often caused by local conditions that are not forecasted by the weather department and often may be successfully combated.

At the time of suspected frost, the temperature of the dew-point in relation to the freezing point determines the probability of a freezing temperature. If the dew-point occurs at 10° or more above the freezing point there will be little danger of a killing frost. As the difference in temperature between the dew-point and the frost point decreases, the danger of frost increases. If the dew-point falls at the freezing point, frost is a certainty.

In using the table on page 214, the open diagonal line may be considered the danger line and any dew-point falling below the temperature thus indicated will be considered dangerously near the frost point. This table differs from the other dew-point table only in the range of temperature. The dew-point is found in exactly the same way as before. In the use of the psychrometer and table as a means of frost prediction it is first necessary to make a reading of the wet-bulb and dry-bulb temperature described above. The dry-bulb reading is found in the left-hand column of the table; then follow the horizontal line opposite the figure, till the perpendicular column is reached indicating the difference in reading between the dry and wet bulb. The number at the meeting will be the temperature of the dew-point. For example, suppose the dry bulb stands at 65° and the wet bulb at 55°, the difference being 10° and dew-point under these conditions will be 47°.

If the dew-point is 10° or more above the freezing point there is no danger of a frost, but if the conditions are such as to give a temperature difference less than 10° above the freezing point there would be danger. If the dew-point falls below the open diagonal line of the table there is danger and that danger increases as the difference in degrees between the freezing point and the dew-point becomes less.

As another illustration, suppose that at sunset at the time of suspected frost the dry-bulb thermometer read 54 and the depression of the wet bulb showed 10°. Referring to the table it will be seen that for these conditions the dew-point falls at 33 which is only 1° above the freezing point. It is highly probable that frost would form.

Dew-point Table for Frost Prediction
Depression of the wet-bulb thermometer