Whats the low down on Humidifiers?

[katrina]

Those of you keeping your indoor humidity at a constant 60% or greater...do any of your worry about the potential mold issues?

Anything above 60%...over a sustained period...is considered very conducive to mold/toxic mold. And, unfortunately, you don't always see it before it's a problem. Mold is bad enough...the toxic stuff is a freakin' nightmare.

[Laserbeak]

I've got two of these 2 gallon ultrasonic humidifiers from Amazon, and so far they're great. I also use the 30-day cleaners in them to keep them algae-free and the ultrasonic platter clean.

Amazon.com - SPT SU-2020 Ultrasonic Humidifier, 2-Gallon

Cleaners:

Amazon.com: ProTec PC-1 Humidifier Tank Cleaning Cartridge (Pack of 2): Health & Personal Care

[Subrosa]

If you do get an ultrasonic unit RO, DI, rain or distilled water will allow it to work longer without maintenance than if you run mineral laden tapwater through it. Depending of course upon how mineral laden your tapwater is of course.

[jmmehler]

Does filling up the humidifier tank drive anyone crazy? I hate doing it, and wind up not doing it enough. I also added my own invention which helps a little. Didn't realize it would end up costing about $80.00 until I had all the components;

1. A 27 gallon storage container (heaviest duty one I could find)
2. An aquarium air pump big enough for 40 gallon tank
3. A submergible aquarium heater big enough for a 40 gallon tank
4. Two six inch air stones
5. Aquarium air hose
6. Aquarium air valves

I then put a 1/4 inch t-joint into the water supply of my RO filter, drilled a hole though the wall and ran a 1/4 inch supply line to the 27 gallon container with a cut off valve on the end.

So the idea is to keep the temp at 90 degrees, with the air stones possibly adding to the evaporation rate. Noticed that the tank drops about 3 inches a week.

...And the say orchid people are calm people

[orchidsarefun]

Originally Posted by jmmehler

So the idea is to keep the temp at 90 degrees, with the air stones possibly adding to the evaporation rate. Noticed that the tank drops about 3 inches a week.

...And the say orchid people are calm people

now if you added a couple of tilapia you would also have liquid fertiliser on tap !!!
I use an aquarium heater to ensure the water is at a constant temp for watering.

[jmmehler]

@orchids are fun
You had to bring that up! Didn't You?

Like I need to got there too.

Not that I haven't started thinking that since the container is under a bench with orchids, that I need to either move it, or put something under the plants, so that when I spray for bugs, I don't kill the fish.

So then, the next conundrum is how to develop a Hydro culture system without over watering the orchids?

Thanks a lot.

[RandomGemini]

I can't get my indoor humidity above 56%, it's just too dry here. I haven't been concerned about possible mold issues. I'll have to look into it, now that you've mentioned it though!

[Laserbeak]

I can get my humidity to 100% and with my windows cracked during the winter the temperature down to 50 60°F which is perfect for the Masdevallias and Draculas. I just have two 2 gallon humidifiers pointed at each other about 4 or 5 feet apart in front of the windows which are cracked open when it's like below freezing outside and further open when it's warmer.

I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do in the summer though...

[katrina]

Originally Posted by Laserbeak

I can get my humidity to 100% (

YIKES! And you keep it that high consistently?!

It's definitely perfect for masdies but not at all good for the walls, carpet, furniture, etc, etc, etc...and in the end, YOU. W/humidity THAT high over a sustained period...you are setting yourself up for serious issues w/black mold - aka Toxic mold.

I could tell you a really scary story about a friend of mine and her family's experience w/toxic mold. They went through a living Hell for 5yrs trying to get the situation resolved and in the end they had to walk away from the house. Financial ruin but they regained their health and after all they'd been through their health was all that mattered. As I suspect most would feel.

High/low humidity fluctuations are a normal part of things and you can't keep it low all the time but to artificially keep it high is asking for trouble. My house and my family's health is more important than my orchids...besides, most orchids do perfectly fine w/humidity levels that are comfortable and healthy for humans and the homes we live in. Hell, even g/h structures dont' have high humidity all the time...not unless they have special equip to keep it that humid.

Not trying to be preachy so I apologize if it comes off like that but I'd hate to see anyone go through what my friends went through. Do a little research on your own...and if you're still going to keep humidity that high in a house...at least you'll be doing it w/eyes wide open. Scary stuff, I'm telling you.

[Laserbeak]

It's only a small part of my apartment I can keep that high humidity (75 - 100%), right over the Masdevallias sitting on my radiator (which should always be off) cover between the windows and my other orchids on racks. The rest of my apartment is like 50%.