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).

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. 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

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a. See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase
more orchids, obtain more credit
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