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tye7
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Registered: 06/14/10
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DIY humidifier (humidibucket) problems maintaining humidity in GH
#15176992 - 10/04/11 02:25 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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I've searched around looking at humidifier bucket designs and created my own version, but I'm having problems getting over 70-80% humidity in the green house.
Its a 5-gal paint bucket, with an aquarium pump and air stone 24/7, a single-transducer ultrasonic fogger running 24/7, and an aquarium heater set to 80 degrees. I have 3 computer case fans rated for 38cfm running into the bucket.
I have it running into two greenhouses. The air flow feels strong enough coming out of the hoses, but the fog doesn't seem to make it all the way into the GH, so the humidity suffers. At one point i turned the A/C in the room down to 70 degrees and all of the sudden the fog was spewing from the hose and it hit 100 percent, so I added the aquarium heater thinking that temperature was the issue.
Should I crank the aquarium pump higher, or is there something else that could be the problem?
I've been working at this thing for a week
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SKrink
KING MOB



Registered: 01/29/11
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Re: DIY humidifier (humidibucket) problems maintaining humidity in GH [Re: tye7]
#15177053 - 10/04/11 03:03 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Can you post pics of your setup?
I completed my first GH-Humidibucket grow not long ago, took awhile to tweak but eventually got RH to stabilize between 90-100%. Still, lotsa work.
For all you know, it might be your hygrometer that's faulty. Or maybe you didn't calibrate it right.
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SWEET POTATO HOME FRIES
HOW TO USE A PENIS ENVY SPORE SWAB
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tye7
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Re: DIY humidifier (humidibucket) problems maintaining humidity in GH [Re: SKrink]
#15177273 - 10/04/11 05:03 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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You are right about the humidifier, I have two that I'm using.. a crappy analog, and a cheap digital one that will read "Hi%" when its 90+
I feel like they are accurate enough to tell me when I'm in the ball park, but right now I'm in the 50-70% range.
Here are some pics, let me know what you think

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SKrink
KING MOB



Registered: 01/29/11
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Re: DIY humidifier (humidibucket) problems maintaining humidity in GH [Re: tye7]
#15177951 - 10/04/11 07:31 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Hoses look abit convoluted, but since you said that airflow exiting the hoses feels strong, that's prolly not the issue here.
One thing I experienced with mine-- a drop in water level in the bucket can result in a very drastic drop in RH. Once water fell below a certain level, RH would go from 90 to 40 overnight.
I found that performance was optimal with water level not more than 5 inches below hose opening. I ended up refilling the bucket EVERY OTHER DAY to maintain water level.
(Bear in mind-- my setup only supplied 1 greenhouse. I only used 1 input fan (23cfm) running 24/7. I did not use an aquarium pump/airstone. I had 1 ultrasonic fogger disk running 15 on, 15 off. )
Given your extreme fans PLUS 24/7 pump action PLUS 24/7 ultrasonic fogging PLUS supplying 2 greenhouses-- I'd say keep a close eye on the water level in that 5gal bucket. Either that, or get a much bigger bucket where water level won't fall as quickly.
--------------------
SWEET POTATO HOME FRIES
HOW TO USE A PENIS ENVY SPORE SWAB
... Oh mighty masticator, salivator, vocalizer, swallower, licker biter sucker brow-knitter looker blinker rubbernecker thumber prodder up-yours fingerer ringwearer nosepicker waver drinker armlifter bodybender hipswiveler kneer springer runner ZERO::::::::OOOOOOOOO:::::::: RUN!!!
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SKrink
KING MOB



Registered: 01/29/11
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Last seen: 11 years, 10 months
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Re: DIY humidifier (humidibucket) problems maintaining humidity in GH [Re: SKrink]
#15177990 - 10/04/11 07:36 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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As an afterthought-- the simplest thing you might want to try for right now:
Just have one fan running and see what happens, keeping everything else the same. 3 of them at 38cfm each seems kinda overkill, even for 2 GH setup.
--------------------
SWEET POTATO HOME FRIES
HOW TO USE A PENIS ENVY SPORE SWAB
... Oh mighty masticator, salivator, vocalizer, swallower, licker biter sucker brow-knitter looker blinker rubbernecker thumber prodder up-yours fingerer ringwearer nosepicker waver drinker armlifter bodybender hipswiveler kneer springer runner ZERO::::::::OOOOOOOOO:::::::: RUN!!!
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tye7
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Re: DIY humidifier (humidibucket) problems maintaining humidity in GH [Re: SKrink]
#15178236 - 10/04/11 08:16 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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The water level has barely dropped in the bucket even after 2-3 days. I think most of the humidity condensates in the tubing and runs back into the bucket. Would that definitely indicate a temperature problem? Should i raise the buckets water temp or lower the room temp some? I'm not really up to speed on the physics of water vapor.
Edited by tye7 (10/04/11 08:17 PM)
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tye7
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Re: DIY humidifier (humidibucket) problems maintaining humidity in GH [Re: tye7]
#15178280 - 10/04/11 08:23 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Oh and about the fans.. I don't think these case fans are really designed to handle any back pressure. It doesn't feel like they put out anywhere near 38 cfm a piece. They are adjustable, and I've lowered them to a rated 20cfm, and still no mist.
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SKrink
KING MOB



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Re: DIY humidifier (humidibucket) problems maintaining humidity in GH [Re: tye7]
#15179025 - 10/04/11 10:33 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Oh also forgot to say, your pic shows empty greenhouses. Once it's a full house packed with trays of substrate, RH is MUCH easier to maintain.
Yeah I'm no expert either but I doubt room temp/water temp is the problem here. The humidibucket design isn't THAT sensitive.
What I might try in your situation, is run each part individually for awhile and note down RH in the greenhouse each time (put lumps of damp clothes or something on the racks to simulate substrates). Compare and contrast your recordings, all that. Then try diff combinations. Can't hurt to straighten out those hoses either 
Anyway hope someone else with humidibucket experience chimes in.
Btw, what's the humidity like in the room itself?
--------------------
SWEET POTATO HOME FRIES
HOW TO USE A PENIS ENVY SPORE SWAB
... Oh mighty masticator, salivator, vocalizer, swallower, licker biter sucker brow-knitter looker blinker rubbernecker thumber prodder up-yours fingerer ringwearer nosepicker waver drinker armlifter bodybender hipswiveler kneer springer runner ZERO::::::::OOOOOOOOO:::::::: RUN!!!
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tye7
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Re: DIY humidifier (humidibucket) problems maintaining humidity in GH [Re: SKrink]
#15181633 - 10/05/11 02:19 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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The room itself is about 50%. I increased the water level to the top so that its close to the tube outlets. Humidity hit 85% on the digital and 95% on the analog.
I think my next step will be to elevate the bucket and shorten the hoses significantly. The hoses are so stiff and they are hard to straighten since they came on a roll.
I figured that a full house of wet substrate will change things, but at the same time it bugs me to know my system isn't operating correctly. From what I've read it seems like a fogger should have no problem maintaining 100% and is often overkill and needs a cycle timer.
Edited by tye7 (10/05/11 02:22 PM)
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SKrink
KING MOB



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Re: DIY humidifier (humidibucket) problems maintaining humidity in GH [Re: tye7]
#15182479 - 10/05/11 05:42 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
tye7 said: I increased the water level to the top so that its close to the tube outlets. Humidity hit 85% on the digital and 95% on the analog.
I think my next step will be to elevate the bucket and shorten the hoses significantly. The hoses are so stiff and they are hard to straighten since they came on a roll.
Glad it worked!
Yeah I know what you mean about wanting to get the system right before you have substrates in it. Woulda sucked to be scrambling about tryna fix things while your subs are steady drying out.
Anyway hope your grow goes well from here... hoses are a bitch to straighten but I wish I'd used hoses instd.
I went with 1" PVC and that's a whole other issue cos you need some way to support the weight of PVC pipes. Not to mention leaking at the connector points and complete lack of flexibility
--------------------
SWEET POTATO HOME FRIES
HOW TO USE A PENIS ENVY SPORE SWAB
... Oh mighty masticator, salivator, vocalizer, swallower, licker biter sucker brow-knitter looker blinker rubbernecker thumber prodder up-yours fingerer ringwearer nosepicker waver drinker armlifter bodybender hipswiveler kneer springer runner ZERO::::::::OOOOOOOOO:::::::: RUN!!!
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tye7
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Registered: 06/14/10
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Last seen: 9 years, 10 months
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Re: DIY humidifier (humidibucket) problems maintaining humidity in GH [Re: SKrink]
#15191528 - 10/07/11 12:46 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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It turns out that the A/C vent was blowing directly onto the GH's which caused a slight drop in humidity, once I redirected the flow of air, it hit 100% on both hygrometers in both greenhouses.
Moral of the story.. limit the air currents in the room to allow the bucket to do its thing. I don't even have holes in this GH, but the air flow around the bottom flaps was enough to ruin the humidity.
So far I get zero condensation with my fogger going 24/7. It may just be weak.
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SKrink
KING MOB



Registered: 01/29/11
Posts: 1,042
Last seen: 11 years, 10 months
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Re: DIY humidifier (humidibucket) problems maintaining humidity in GH [Re: tye7]
#15192524 - 10/07/11 04:36 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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Well, condensation is more an effect of temp differences inside vs. outside the GH. It has not much to do with humidity.
Looks like you're all set, glad it worked out for you. The biggest lesson Iearned from my automated GH is: Make sure your drip tray is big and deep enough.
--------------------
SWEET POTATO HOME FRIES
HOW TO USE A PENIS ENVY SPORE SWAB
... Oh mighty masticator, salivator, vocalizer, swallower, licker biter sucker brow-knitter looker blinker rubbernecker thumber prodder up-yours fingerer ringwearer nosepicker waver drinker armlifter bodybender hipswiveler kneer springer runner ZERO::::::::OOOOOOOOO:::::::: RUN!!!
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scatmanrav
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Re: DIY humidifier (humidibucket) problems maintaining humidity in GH [Re: SKrink]
#15193431 - 10/07/11 08:35 PM (13 years, 3 months ago) |
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You dont need condensation and you dont need over 85-90% humidity. I'd bet you have that or over.
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