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Something is wrong

Hi guys.......Well when i place a tray in this "terrarium"and i manage to get humidity up to the high 80's but something is seriously wrong here.....Whenever i start cooling down the terrarium with ice bottles the humidity immediately drops a lot.......Sooo what "science" am i missing here What does cooling have to do with reducing humidity....At first i thought maybe its just a coincidence that the humidity drop the time i placed the bottle in but then i tried it out a few times and SAME results!!!! Once it even when as low as the 30's

Heres a picture when there is no ice bottles
RIMG2384.jpg


With ice bottles..Sorry for this blur pic...Anyways the it shows the humidity is 55%
RIMG2383.jpg


I already open a thread in another forum and can someone help me understand it??? They've been trying to explain to me but im a bit lost :-D

Heres the link http://www.forum.petpitcher.com/showthread.php?t=2657
 
Most likely because of the water vapor condensing on the bottle, and not just cooling down.
 
The moisture in the air is condensing on the frozen bottles, thus lowering the remaining moisture in the air (humidity).
 
Basically, humidity = water in the air.

The condensation = water removed from the air.

Less water in air = lower humidity.
 
Okay...i get it now...............So if there anyway i can still use this way of cooling down the terrarium(ice bottles) and raise the humidity???

I was thinking of getting an exoterra fogger but i have no idea how the thing looks like and how it works..Anyone has 1 and has a picture?????
 
Put the bottles in a bowl of water, or cover them with a soaked rag. That way, the condensation will be drawn from the rag, and not the air.
 
Mister!

Go to ebay and type in mist maker and you will see dozens of designs.
They all work on the same principal.
Vibrating water into little droplets.
Nice devices, tho some have a limited lifespan.

As far as humidity lowering when temp drops, its like anything....
hot water holds more salt (minerals) than cold water....
and hot air holds more moisture than cold air.
The water in the air will indeed condense on the coldest surfaces.
Just as in reverse, water will vaporize on hot surfaces.

Those of us in the north can tell you,
the air gets bone dry in the freezing temps of winter,
hence we use humidifiers in the winter, de-humidifiers in the summer!

Moisture drops out of the air when the temp drops.... rain! Snow!
When the temp outside gets really freezing, there isn't even any cloud cover!
A great time to view the stars and moon, if you can stand the cold!

Enough said! Good luck.... and humidify!
 
Ultrasonic humiditifier should be good...I have one at home
 
The problem with Ultrasonic humidifiers is they put out everything that is in the water, not just the pure water like others do. Also they don't work unless there is some sort of minerals in the water. Distilled water does not work because it doesn't conduct electricity. I had a friend that used an Ultrasonic one and it left a white residue on the leaves of his plant.
 
  • #10
I use an ultrasonic humidifier also, it's great to keep humidity up no matter what the temp is. I use RO water in mine, so no residue is left. Also, only some ultrasonic humidifiers need minerals in the water. Some use a float system and work with pure water also (luckily mine is this type).
 
  • #11
Dollar store option: go to the dollar store, get a spray bottle (for like a buck, at the buck store), spray the holy bejeebuz out of the tank when you put your ice in! Humidity will go up no matter what, AND temps will drop! Seriously, if you're taking the time to ice, then time to mist is minimal.
 
  • #12
As long as you have a temperature gradient in your tank (colder areas) you'll see that happen. Reduce the temperature gradients by evenly spacing several bottles in your tank and increase air circulation.

Even without air circulation if you wait long enough as the rest of the air in the tank cools you should see the relative humidity start to rise again.

If you move the humidity sensor next to the bottle you should see that the humidity has increased.

Of course as note previously by others the easiest the to do is add more water vapor to the system.
 
  • #13
Interesting that you took the hard way to discover the concept behind a dehumidifier...
 
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