question about bootleg humidity...

[fc3srx713b]

i went to walmart and i heard talk about humidifiers. so i see two types, i see a humidifier and i also see vaporizors. what would be best?

 

[Nickz123]

I use one that I got from walmart. It is an ultrasonic humidifer. I think it was $28. It works very well.

 

[rattler]

you want ultrasonic and not the evaporative type. beleive me the small evaporitive types DO NOT work well in small spaces

 

[fc3srx713b]

so humidifier or vaporizor?

 

[kccpguy]

Hey guys
That sounds like a great idea. I will check them out from Walmart.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

A vaporizer is nothing more than a steam unit. It will not really "humdify" the air, they are meant to heat up water and dispense an aerial agent such as vicks in the air to aid in respiratory illnesses. Humidifiers are meant to well, humidify the air, Evaporative type use a wick and cool the air by evaporating water, this also increase RH% if the air is DRY. Ultrasonic humidifiers break up water molecules by using high frequency transducers and produce a visable and effective "fog".

 

[rattler]

to add on to what i said. the evaporative types do not work in small spaces even in dry areas like NE Montana. they do not raise the humidity enough to be helpful when you take into consideration that the fan blowing the air through the wick pad does more to dry out the pots than raise the humidity. i thing the ultrasonics are best suited to the small space areas most of us are using(my space is 18 inches wide by 44 inches long by 36 inches high)

 

[chloroplast]

I have a Honeywell 1.5gal warm-air humidifier costing $25.  It is set to humidify my 4-room apartment to 50-60% (but could raise humidity to <90%). It has "low" and "high" settings each with different levels. It has a humidity detector which turns the unit on/off to keep humidity constant.  

Warm air humidifiers are cheap, easy to clean, sterilize the water before emitting it as vapor, and do not require replacement cartridges which, in my opinion, makes them much better than cool air humidifiers.

I've never tried vaporizers so I cannot comment on them.

 

[herenorthere]

I use a warm air humidifier and the major advantage it has over an ultrasonic is that it uses tap water.  An ultrasonic needs distilled or better water if it's in a human living space.  Water quality isn't as much of an an issue if the unit is in an enclosed plant living space, but the space will be dusted with whatever solids are dissolved in the water.