On Wed, 26 May 2004 16:07:14 -0400, Rob Halgren
wrote:

Doug Bolton wrote:

Ok, it's been awhile. An update.

I recently purchased a home humidifier that seems more suited to indoor use for
Orchids than the usual ones I've tried.

It's the FamilyCare HV760. Holds 3.8 litres. There's also a 7.6 litre version.
This is an impeller humidifier. It produces cool mist (more like a tiny spray as
it's not really fine enough to define as a mist) by, I'm guessing, agitation. No
nasty wick to maintain. The water here is very soft so I've had to add about 1/2
teaspoon of baking soda to get it to work. Working well now in a 6x12 room. Cost
$30cdn so it's quite inexpensive.



Probably ultrasonic. Which is agitation, just using sound waves.
Be aware that these types will also agitate whatever dissolved solids
that might be in your water into the water droplets. So, eventually you
might start to see a powdery substance building up on surfaces. Usually
white. You can get it off with lime-away, usually (works on most orchid
leaves, as well).

Donno about ultrasonic. Pamphlet makes no mention. Certainly doesn't produce the
fine mist that ultrasonics do.

Was told there's no white dust. Our water's so soft here that I had to add about
a half teaspoon of baking soda to make it work. Add more it works faster. And
makes quite a watery mess.

The evaporative humdifiers don't have the white dust problem. They
leave dissolved solids behind in that nasty wick. But I agree, they are
a pain in the rear. My problem is that I can never find new wicks, by
the time I change mine the models have all changed so that you have to
buy a new machine. I think that is planned obsolescence.

That's funny! I found that the wicks were drying out way to fast to be useful.
Would need some sort of swamp cooler continual wetting solution to make it work.

I like my
centrifugal fogger (jaybird) that whirls water into a fine mist. I use
RO water so that I don't get that nasty white dust. It is really too
much for a house application though, best in a enclosed room or a
greenhouse.

Rob

I did have a look at the JayBirds. Not practical for me. Too much I think and
there's no source of water in the room so I'd have to rig some sort of reservoir
thingy. Don't need a lot right now. Summer's different. Open windows suck the
humidity out fast enough that a centrifugal may be warranted then. Otherwise
not.

Doug