Humidity for indoor growing under l;ights

[cattjenn]

Hi all,
I'm stuck with growing indoors and have a 8 lamp t-5 fixture and grow mostly cattlyas.
I know cattleyas can get by with less humidity than some other orchids, but what kind of humidifier is recommended for growing indoors in a living room?
I have somthing made by Gerber which is noisy and probably not very economical.
The other thing is, I don't want to mess with filters.
I don't have a terrarium setup but would a Zoo Med repti-fogger work if submerged in a container? Or the Habba Mist system (also Zoo MEd)?
Anyone have any ideas?

[Zoi2]

I'm not sure this will help with your questions but here is my I'm not familiar with the products you've mentioned but I use a Vicks vaporizer (large one) in my orchid room in the winter. It usually keeps the humidity around 50-65%. The room can be shut off from the rest of the house and is only a 12 x 12. I'm in middle America and our summers are usually humid enough.
Joann

[stefpix]

How many watts is that Vicks vaporizer? wonder how much electricity does it use. i had a cool mist ultrasonic humidifier. was cheap but broke after a few weeks. could manage to get $ back.

The Vicks vaporizer may be more sturdy. How does it compare with a vaporizer? does it direct the steam or not?

[cattjenn]

I too,would like to know how vaporizors compare with humidifiers.

[Becca]

I use an Air-O-Swiss Humidifier that I bought from Bed Bath & Beyond. It holds about 2 to 2.5 gallons of water and I usually have to refill it once a day since it doesn't run at night for the orchid room (a spare bedroom). I wouldn't think a Vicks vaporizer would be able to keep the humidity up in a room very well. My husband bought one, but it soon found a permanent home in it's original box since it didn't seem to work very well for us (we bought it for when we had colds, not for humidity). Anyways...you get what you pay for and you will usually always have to have a filter cartridge for a humidifier or the minerals in the water will clog it up I do believe. The only way around that is to use non-tap water. I use RO water with mine and never use a filter with it. It works great! I think I paid around $150 for mine, but I bought mine for the house originally and not the orchids...lol. Anything smaller and it would be to much work to continuously refill the tank.

[Zoi2]

Stefpix, I don't know how many watts the vaporizer has, I've had it for about 6 years, the box and instructions have long since gone. I fill it 1-2 times a day (it runs 24/7) and clean it once a week with vinegar. As for directing the steam, you can move the head around but I'm not sure that is your question.
Joann

[stefpix]

It should say how many Watts it uses on the thing itself, usually near where the power chord is attched.
I am curious because I could buy one but if it uses 3/400 Watts the savings would be lost in the electricity bill and a cool mist humidifier woudl be more economical to run.

[dreamerfb2]

I use a gravel bed which I refill once a day, just to ALMOST cover the gravel. Two muffin fans work to give a little breeze and disperse humidity. Seems to work perfectly. My area is normally around 75-85% humidity. I say "normally" but now in severe draught on the Northern California coast. Last three days have been "normal" as the fog has not lifted at all! If I put plastic "green-house" cover over the plants I can get 90% humidity, and temps up to 85 degrees! Seems to work well, but I think temps get way to high. Gonna move ALL outside next week, let them adjust. New growth everywhere.

[Nana Trish]

I use the Crane Drop Cool Mist Humidifier. I got the one gallon size and do refill it every day or so, but run mine around the clock this time of year, anyway. It was only $40 or so and is super quiet. It claims to be energy efficient as well. You can adjust the amount of cool mist it puts out. I use distilled water in it and no filter to mess with. Also, it has an automatic shutoff when empty, which I like. You can use regular tap water in it, but have to clean it more often.

[theloyalplum]

I use one of those indoor greenhouses with a vinyl enclosure. Black trays with egg crate are fill with the plants on top and heating mats below to give that warm humidity. Computer fans cycle the air as to not have any mold. Depending on how much I open it up, I get 50-90% humidity with 60-85F night to day. I do have a humidifier meant for a small room, but I rarely need to use it, so it goes towards its intended purpose. I have a few hanging 'chids, so their daily watering also helps the humidity in there.