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sudont
Stranger ThanFiction

Registered: 01/19/06
Posts: 129
Loc: Chicago
Last seen: 13 years, 11 months
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The Everlasting Cool Mist Question
#5403556 - 03/15/06 01:43 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Hi! Let me begin by saying that I've read dozens of Cool Mist threads, and haven't come across anything that would explain my predicament. Not sure why, but I can never get my container over 91%RH @ 80?F. I've been running a Cool Mist 24/7, plus Perlite layer, in a 66 quart container. At first, I assumed it was my cheap cigar hygrometer, but I went and got a decent digital one, (rated to 99%), and it reads about the same. The Cool Mist appears to be working as there is plenty of condensation in the hose. Since I am between cakes, I decided to experiment a little. After cleaning out the container, I put fresh Perlite and water in, and left the hygrometer in overnight. In the morning, I'm showing 90% RH. Great, right? So I turn on the Cool Mist, and half an hour later - 90%. So then I taped over the small holes I have near the bottom (half a dozen made with a heated nail), but that made no difference. I'm sure the container doesn't seal perfectly. I'm not even sure that's desirable. But shouldn't the Cool mist add something to the Perlite? BTW, my set-up is for PF cakes. I can really use some help here.
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agar
old hand


Registered: 11/21/04
Posts: 9,056
Loc: Somewhere Else
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Re: The Everlasting Cool Mist Question [Re: sudont]
#5404384 - 03/15/06 04:26 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Have you salt calibrated your hygrometer? It may be OFF.
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mushboy
modboy


Registered: 04/24/05
Posts: 32,274
Loc: where?
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Re: The Everlasting Cool Mist Question [Re: agar]
#5404403 - 03/15/06 04:31 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Do you have your cakes in your FC yet? Mine was reading 85%humidity(coolmist with hose, no perlite), moments after adding a few cakes it went to about 92rh. then i added my casings and took the cakes out and my rh is at 97. if i opened the lid to "fan" it, and turn off coolmist. it drops to about 92...
try different combos with your cakes, and having coolmist on a timer. When using casings ive found i dont really need to have the coolmist on to make it humid. it mainly works for FAE.. IMO/E
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 11 months, 3 days
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Re: The Everlasting Cool Mist Question [Re: mushboy]
#5404427 - 03/15/06 04:37 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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A coolmist will never deliver over 90%. If you want higher, you'll have to use perlite or an ultrasonic. It sounds like you might have standing water in your perlite or else the humidity would have been 98% after sitting overnight. Be sure to totally drain the perlite before you put it in the terrarium. Any standing water at all will lower the humidity. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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sudont
Stranger ThanFiction

Registered: 01/19/06
Posts: 129
Loc: Chicago
Last seen: 13 years, 11 months
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Re: The Everlasting Cool Mist Question [Re: mushboy]
#5405622 - 03/15/06 08:20 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
mushboy said: Do you have your cakes in your FC yet? Mine was reading 85%humidity(coolmist with hose, no perlite), moments after adding a few cakes it went to about 92rh. then i added my casings and took the cakes out and my rh is at 97. if i opened the lid to "fan" it, and turn off coolmist. it drops to about 92...
try different combos with your cakes, and having coolmist on a timer. When using casings ive found i dont really need to have the coolmist on to make it humid. it mainly works for FAE.. IMO/E
When I had cakes in there, it never went over 91%RH.
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sudont
Stranger ThanFiction

Registered: 01/19/06
Posts: 129
Loc: Chicago
Last seen: 13 years, 11 months
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Re: The Everlasting Cool Mist Question [Re: RogerRabbit]
#5405645 - 03/15/06 08:25 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
RogerRabbit said: A coolmist will never deliver over 90%. If you want higher, you'll have to use perlite or an ultrasonic. It sounds like you might have standing water in your perlite or else the humidity would have been 98% after sitting overnight. Be sure to totally drain the perlite before you put it in the terrarium. Any standing water at all will lower the humidity. RR
I am using perlite, and do have some standing water. I was under the impression that you needed water in there to "wick up". I'll try draining the water and see what happens. Can anyone explain why standing water would lower RH? Thanks!
Edited by sudont (03/15/06 08:28 PM)
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cappa
Nerd
Registered: 02/12/06
Posts: 854
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Re: The Everlasting Cool Mist Question [Re: sudont]
#5405651 - 03/15/06 08:27 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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RR to the rescue! Seriously, RR is THE source for oversimplified solutions! Love yaz RR!
-------------------- Their are 10 types of people. Those that understand binary, and those who don't. ~Cappa.
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mushboy
modboy


Registered: 04/24/05
Posts: 32,274
Loc: where?
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Re: The Everlasting Cool Mist Question [Re: cappa]
#5405682 - 03/15/06 08:33 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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I think thaat it has something to do with the evoperation rate of water. ??? and standing water doesnt evaporate as well as small amounts inside the perlite rock.????
im guessing btw
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sudont
Stranger ThanFiction

Registered: 01/19/06
Posts: 129
Loc: Chicago
Last seen: 13 years, 11 months
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Re: The Everlasting Cool Mist Question [Re: agar]
#5405710 - 03/15/06 08:38 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
agar said: Have you salt calibrated your hygrometer? It may be OFF.
Sadly, that's not the problem. As a cigar smoker, calibrating hygrometers is something I do pretty often. On the cigar tip, I'm in Chicago where indoor RH is quite low in Winter, averaging 50%, or less. I'm having a hard time keeping my cigars at 70%, and I'm sure this is a factor for the FC as well. Anyone who's overcome the RH problem in the Great Frozen North, please advise!
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Rahz
Alive Again


Registered: 11/10/05
Posts: 9,230
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Re: The Everlasting Cool Mist Question [Re: sudont]
#5405915 - 03/15/06 09:11 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Standing water reduces surface area. If you have an inch of perilite, and 1/2 inch of water, you only have 1/2 inch of wet perilite available, the rest is under water.
When I first bought my cool mist, I drilled 3 holes (inner diameter of tubing is about 1/2 inch) and ran one to the FC. I added equal length tubes to the other holes and let them vent into the room, this was to insure equal outflow from each hole. While it was empty, I tested the RH and it was sitting at 92% @ 72 degrees. This is in a house with an average RH of 50-55% during the winter. I planned on doing cakes at the time, needed the humidity higher, and didn't want to use perilite.
I took an aluminum pan 3"x6"x3"high, and cut out a hole for the tube near the top. I took a plastic cup, cut it 4" high, and cut out side sections and the top with a razor so it was basicly just a frame. I placed the cup inside the pan. I took a paper towel, folded it in half and folded it over the cup so the the ends ran down the side to the bottom of the pan. I filled the pan with an inch of water. I placed the pan in the FC, and drilled a hole so that the tube ran through the side of the FC into the pan. The towel wicked water and it evaporated into the cool mist inflow.
At first I was concerned with the possibility of contams, I changed the towel every three days, baked the pan and washed the cup. I got tired of doing this and dropped it down to once a week. I got tired of this and just quit cleaning it all together. How long til contam? It never did. Here's the trick, when you refill the pan, put a few capfulls of hydrogen peroxide in there. I also change the cool mist filter every couple months.
I would not give this advice if it hadn't worked for me, same towel in FC for 2 months and no growth whatsoever. RH in the empty FC using this setup? 99%. I also attribute the high RH to the fact that I wasn't running the cool mist full bore.
Your inflow rate has a hand in determining RH. Unless you're running to a martha, a cool mist is overkill on FAE. I run 3 tubes to 3 large tub FCs, more than ample FAE. Too much airflow and the "mist" never has time to mix in with the air.
Someone might scream about putting a wet paper towel in the FC, but it works great for me, and I never had to mess with perilite.
Rahz
-------------------- rahz comfort pleasure power love truth awareness peace "You’re not looking close enough if you can only see yourself in people who look like you." —Ayishat Akanbi
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sudont
Stranger ThanFiction

Registered: 01/19/06
Posts: 129
Loc: Chicago
Last seen: 13 years, 11 months
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Re: The Everlasting Cool Mist Question [Re: Rahz]
#5406139 - 03/15/06 09:54 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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[QUOTE]Someone might scream about putting a wet paper towel in the FC, but it works great for me, and I never had to mess with perilite.[/QUOTE] No reason a paper towel would be worse than perlite, contam-wise. It's an interesting approach, though.
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sudont
Stranger ThanFiction

Registered: 01/19/06
Posts: 129
Loc: Chicago
Last seen: 13 years, 11 months
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Re: The Everlasting Cool Mist Question - Update [Re: agar]
#5406218 - 03/15/06 10:08 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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OK, I decided to pull out the heavy artillery and hooked up a Vick's Ultrasonic Humidifier. Connected it via the same three-quarter inch hose I was using with the Cool Mist. The container is completely filled with fog, yet my calibrated, rated to 99%, hygrometer still shows 91% RH! I tossed my cigar hygrometer in there for good measure, and it reads the same! WTF? Can a thick fog really only be 91% RH? Or is my hygrometer incapable of reading over that limit, in spite of it's specs? BTW, the hygrometer is a "Giro's MET-800H", which I haven't been able to find on the web via Google. I got it at the local "Brew & Grow" store for $35. I'm not sure what to think here. Please, any thoughts?
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KaptKid
Spaced Pirate


Registered: 12/11/03
Posts: 6,252
Loc: Bright Side of the Sun
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Re: The Everlasting Cool Mist Question - Update [Re: sudont]
#5406261 - 03/15/06 10:16 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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-------------------- Child of the 60's, Tripping ever since.
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sudont
Stranger ThanFiction

Registered: 01/19/06
Posts: 129
Loc: Chicago
Last seen: 13 years, 11 months
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Re: The Everlasting Cool Mist Question - Update [Re: KaptKid]
#5410032 - 03/16/06 08:06 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
KaptKid said: http://www.shroomery.org/index.php/par/23375
Try this.
Thanks, but again, that's not the problem.
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sudont
Stranger ThanFiction

Registered: 01/19/06
Posts: 129
Loc: Chicago
Last seen: 13 years, 11 months
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Re: The Everlasting Cool Mist Question - Update #2 [Re: sudont]
#5410117 - 03/16/06 08:28 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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I managed to squeeze a coupla percentage points of it by raising the ambient RH of the room. I'm up to 93%RH in the chamber, and have mucho condensation now, at 70?F. The room is at 80%RH, which I achieved by running the hydrosonic in the room, you know, the way it was intended. Wouldn't mind less condensation, though. Can't even read the hygrometer now!
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