DIY Humidifier

[F R e N c H 3 z]

After some frustration with a cool mist humidifier and some failed make shift wick replacements I decided to put together a make shift humidifier myself using only materials I've had laying around the work bench from past experimentation with peltiers, bog gardens and water buckets.

Materials:

5 gallon bucket with lid
Computer fan
DC power supply
Ultrasonic fogger
5 gallon water jug
Timer
Vinyl tubing
Electrical wires
Quick connect adapter
Straight valve
Gorilla glue & hot glue
Drill

I currently have it set for 30mins on and 30 mins off which keeps the humidity between 65%-70% when it's on during the day and 50%-60% when it's off. ~ 85% at night when the lights are off and the air gets a little more saturated. Ideally I would like to add a second fogger in the bucket to get the RH a little higher during the day time but I'm very happy with this set up as a first attempt for now.
I'm currently modifying a large 5 gallon water dispenser jug into a reservoir to make this relatively maintenance free. The reservoir will help keep the water at an ideal level for a prolonged period of time for the fogger to properly work.

While with a single fogger the RH is slightly lower than what a room humidifier could accomplish, this system is extremely quiet, will have a much larger reservoir and can be made from just a few parts. Had I not had a DC power supply laying around I imagine a computer along with a modified cell phone charger would have worked as well. If you're looking to increase your RH give this method a try!

The bucket fills up with a thick fog but I had the fan turned on which sucks the fog out of the bucket. You can see the condensation on the bucket wall.

 

[mass]

See.. that'd be perfect for my needs. Getting sick of filling 2 humidifiers twice a day.

 

[swords]

Cool, I'm considering something similar but I'm not sure I like the idea of fog passing through the fan and on those wires.

Take a look at Kyles DIY Humidifier setup, his fan blows INTO the bucket through a 4" PVC elbow and fog blows OUT of the bucket through a separate length of PVC. No water or water vapor on the fan or fan wires. Just thinking of fire safety...

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

See.. that'd be perfect for my needs. Getting sick of filling 2 humidifiers twice a day.

Yes, same here, definitely an annoying repetitive process...

Cool, I'm considering something similar but I'm not sure I like the idea of fog passing through the fan and on those wires.

Definitely a good safety measure, where were you yesterday?! I didn't realize this until late last night after it had been running the all day. When I looked at the fan I noticed that the middle (where the green sticker is) is completely dry, unlike the sides which do accumulate the condensation. I was able to literally swab dry dust off of it. That said though if I had to redo this setup I would go ahead and definitely flip the fan. The only down side of that being the loss of air pressure to dissipate and push the fog out.
For now, looking at the wires I think I will give them a coating of hot glue if to prevent any moisture from accumulating. I also checked the DC power supply and which will trip in case of a short. Any ideas?

 

[swords]

Hot glue isn't great when moisture is around, it detaches in high humidity.

See if you can find something called "Tool Dip" at the hardware store (if you can't find it ask 'em), this is a small can of liquid rubber that is used to seal tool handles in a rubber coating or seal wires. It cures to solid rubber when exposed to air, so you could paint that over the wires and connections and let it dry, that should waterproof it pretty well. If you can't locate that look for aquarium silicone and coat the wires in that. Tool Dip is nice cos it comes in colors and you can see if you've covered everything or not.

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

I have some epoxy and silicone laying around that sounds like it'll do the trick. I've actually got the entire fan hot glued in place on the lid. Hopefully will stick for some time. Hadn't heard of Tool Dip though, thanks for the tip!

 

[swords]

I guess Tool Dip is only one brand out there here's a variety from ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...l1313&_nkw=tool+dip&_sacat=See-All-Categories

Good stuff to have onhand if you're gonna be doing any DIY wiring that involves water! LOL

 

[lance]

Nice! Something I heard that I would recommend trying is attaching a flotation system to the fogger which will allow a LOT more water while the fogger sits at the right level to make fog.

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

Nice! Something I heard that I would recommend trying is attaching a flotation system to the fogger which will allow a LOT more water while the fogger sits at the right level to make fog.

What do you recommend using as a flotation device? I did not have anything on hand to make the heavy float so instead I just went with the 5 gallon tank. Floating would save me the space of having a 5 gallon water drum!

 

[Kyle]

Well, the point of a floating fogger (buoy) in a 5 gallon bucket is that you can fill the bucket all the way up and it'll stay at the optimum depth for fog production. Therefore, you don't have to refill the thing nearly as often. You can buy buoys specifically for this purpose.

Here's my bucket fogger:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QBFh6kR59nk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Skip to about 2:45 for the humidifier and about 6:25 to see it "in action." If you have any other questions about mine, I'm happy to help.

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

Nice setup Kyle, I'll ask you the same question as I asked lance, what do you use to float your fogger? (Hope you didn't mention it verbally in the video as I'm not able to turn the volume on right now). The fogger I have right is just to heavy for anything I have laying around.

As a side question about your setup, do you not have mildew buildup with the rugs and electrical problems with your outlets so close to the humidifier entry vent? Your plants look like they're enjoying your new setup, well done!

 

[Kyle]

I mentioned in my post above that you can buy buoys specifically for them, that's what I use. I bought the fogger and buoy together. You can get one here, Ctrl+F "K011" and you'll find it. You can, of course, get them elsewhere, but that's just to give you an idea.

And thank ya and no, no mildew or mold or any electrical problems. The fog comes out about 18" away from that power strip and blows away from it, so there's no issues there.

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

Very nice, thanks!

 

[Kyle]

You bet, good luck!

 

[Archer15]

I mentioned in my post above that you can buy buoys specifically for them, that's what I use. I bought the fogger and buoy together. You can get one here, Ctrl+F "K011" and you'll find it. You can, of course, get them elsewhere, but that's just to give you an idea.

What fogger did you get Kyle to go with the K011 Float?

 

[gill_za]

@Kyle

If you don't mind me asking, what is the output on the power supply (V, mA) for the fogger you are using?

Thank you

 

[boxofrain]

Hot glue isn't great when moisture is around, it detaches in high humidity.

See if you can find something called "Tool Dip" at the hardware store (if you can't find it ask 'em), this is a small can of liquid rubber that is used to seal tool handles in a rubber coating or seal wires. It cures to solid rubber when exposed to air, so you could paint that over the wires and connections and let it dry, that should waterproof it pretty well. If you can't locate that look for aquarium silicone and coat the wires in that. Tool Dip is nice cos it comes in colors and you can see if you've covered everything or not.

AKA....liquid electrical tape, in the small wiring section of your local hardware store.

 

[lance]

What do you recommend using as a flotation device? I did not have anything on hand to make the heavy float so instead I just went with the 5 gallon tank. Floating would save me the space of having a 5 gallon water drum!

Hard to say...could make a bouy ring with fish floaters possibly...It will certainly save you the filling up time for about several days in that 5 gallon bucket.

 

[richjam1986]

Well, the point of a floating fogger (buoy) in a 5 gallon bucket is that you can fill the bucket all the way up and it'll stay at the optimum depth for fog production. Therefore, you don't have to refill the thing nearly as often. You can buy buoys specifically for this purpose.

Here's my bucket fogger:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QBFh6kR59nk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Skip to about 2:45 for the humidifier and about 6:25 to see it "in action." If you have any other questions about mine, I'm happy to help.

Wow. Talk about an intense setup!

 

[Kyle]

What fogger did you get Kyle to go with the K011 Float?

Oh, I got a fogger and buoy on ebay, a 3-disc fogger. I noticed in his picture that F R e N c H 3 z has a single disc fogger, so I pointed him in the direction of the appropriate buoy.

@Kyle

If you don't mind me asking, what is the output on the power supply (V, mA) for the fogger you are using?

Thank you

36VAC, 4.17A, 150VA