# Humidifier Recommendations Sought



## SethF (Feb 9, 2019)

Have a new 8'x10' cellar, installed a cooling sytem and all is well at 55 degrees.
Humidity has been dropping as low as 35%, so I quickly installed a cheap small cool misting desktop unit, that has brought it up to 50-60%. Have to change the water twice a day. I know there are larger capacity units, but would like to be able to hook up a water supply to a small unit that would get me to 65-70% during the winter.

I would like to find the least expensive methodology for the following:

1) Cool misting or evaporative tech.
2) Ability to hook up a water supply like a frig. supply (saddle on a cold pipe).
3) Ability to get the room to 65-70%.
4) I don't mind a lack of automatic humidity control, I can turn it off and on once in a while.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Seth


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## mainshipfred (Feb 9, 2019)

I'm in the same situation and still use a room humidifier but do maintain 70% and already have the water line run. I've been looking at the Trion Mister Mini but haven't yet bit the bullet.


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## Ajmassa (Feb 9, 2019)

Aw man. This is something I haven’t even looked into yet. But after 1 year in the new house the fluctuation is crazy in my wine area. 0% to above 100%
I figured would eventually just need 2 units. A humidifier and dehumidifier. 
Definitely an area I am not well versed in though. Will be paying attention to this thread.


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## mainshipfred (Feb 9, 2019)

Ajmassa5983 said:


> Aw man. This is something I haven’t even looked into yet. But after 1 year in the new house the fluctuation is crazy in my wine area. 0% to above 100%
> I figured would eventually just need 2 units. A humidifier and dehumidifier.
> Definitely an area I am not well versed in though. Will be paying attention to this thread.



I'm with you, that's why I haven't done anything yet. Waiting for the pros to chime in.


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## SethF (Feb 9, 2019)

mainshipfred said:


> I'm in the same situation and still use a room humidifier but do maintain 70% and already have the water line run. I've been looking at the Trion Mister Mini but haven't yet bit the bullet.


I looked at the Trion ComfortBreeze™ CB777, but was hoping for something less involved and obtrusive.

Can you fill me in on which humidifer you are using, and how you ran the line to it? 

Did you just slow down the flow to a dribble or does it stop when the receptacle is full?

Thanks
Seth


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## Ajmassa (Feb 9, 2019)

It can get pretty drastic too. The pressure swings as well as the humidity. My vessel levels could all be looking perfect, but one swing and wines up into the airlocks. Or The vented bungs the wines busted out even. 
But like I said, I haven’t looked into the stuff to be done to address it. 

@SethF you seem to have a pretty good start to figuring it out. #2 sounds like you already answered it to me. If you have a cold water line then can tap in a 1/4” line with a saddle. But I guess that all depends on what type of line is required by whatever unit is used to humidify. 
This whole world can be pretty tricky, and what tradesman would you even call? HVAC? Plumber? Steamfitter? This is why I haven’t jumped in yet- because it’s tough to even get started.


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## SethF (Feb 9, 2019)

Jersey - Too much of a swing. Perhaps double check with a new hygrometer? Depending on the type, it may need to be calibrated.


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## SethF (Feb 9, 2019)

Ajmassa5983 said:


> It can get pretty drastic too. The pressure swings as well as the humidity. My vessel levels could all be looking perfect, but one swing and wines up into the airlocks. Or The vented bungs the wines busted out even.
> But like I said, I haven’t looked into the stuff to be done to address it.
> 
> @SethF you seem to have a pretty good start to figuring it out. #2 sounds like you already answered it to me. If you have a cold water line then can tap in a 1/4” line with a saddle. But I guess that all depends on what type of line is required by whatever unit is used to humidify.
> This whole world can be pretty tricky, and what tradesman would you even call? HVAC? Plumber? Steamfitter? This is why I haven’t jumped in yet- because it’s tough to even get started.


How are you cooling?


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## Ajmassa (Feb 9, 2019)

SethF said:


> Jersey - Too much of a swing. Perhaps double check with a new hygrometer? Depending on the type, it may need to be calibrated.



It’s an oldie for sure. And the atmospheric pressure I’m simply judging from looking at the solution in the airlocks of my co2 free wines. 
I didn’t even know hygrometers had to be calibrated tho. Here’s a pic of it.


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## SethF (Feb 9, 2019)

Those can easily be off. I know about calibration from my cigar humidors.

https://www.neptunecigar.com/tips/how-to-calibrate-your-hygrometer

They can still be innacurate though. Try this first.

If your pressure is swinging that much, there may be significant air leaks at times, which could explain the humidity swings? How well sealed is your room, and if the humidity is down, are you opening or leaving the door open?

How are you cooling?


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## Ajmassa (Feb 9, 2019)

SethF said:


> Those can easily be off. I know about calibration from my cigar humidors.
> 
> https://www.neptunecigar.com/tips/how-to-calibrate-your-hygrometer
> 
> ...



No no. The major swings in humidity are based on the whole year. Height of the summer consistently super high. And right now in winter it reads a perfect 65. 
I tapped into the exposed ductwork for ac and heat. I leave the vents closed in the winter. Right now it’s 57°. But it’s not sealed at all. Or insulated. Has two wall opening leading to an open crawlspace. So far all I’ve done is sealed he cinderblock walls with drylock. Haven’t started anything else yet. 
Are going to install something for dehumidifying as well as a humidifier?


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## SethF (Feb 9, 2019)

My room is extremely well sealed and insulated. The only issue I have is the negative pressure caused by my AC system which is exhausted out, but draws from the Cellar itself. At some point I will have it draw from the rest of the house with a new AC system, but not now.

I was speaking of your swings in pressure. I don't know where that's coming from and what you describe is pretty extraordinary.

You had first described swings in humidity of 0-100. Now it sounds like it only drops to 65% as a low? That sounds pretty normal for a house with higher humidity, in an unsealed basement.

It is unlikely that I will have to dehumidify. I have a very well sealed lower level/basement that is walk out, with no humidity issues whatsoever. I suspect it will still need some humidification in the summer, but hopefully not much.


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## mainshipfred (Feb 9, 2019)

SethF said:


> I looked at the Trion ComfortBreeze™ CB777, but was hoping for something less involved and obtrusive.
> 
> Can you fill me in on which humidifer you are using, and how you ran the line to it?
> 
> ...



It's just a cheap room humidifier. I have to manually fill it about every 3 days. I ran the waterline over to it and installed a float in the tank. Whenever the float calls for water it leaks at the base and I wasn't interested enough to figure out why just convinced it won't work. I can't seem to find a portable humidifier with an auto fill at a reasonable cost.


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## stickman (Feb 9, 2019)

Keep in mind for the cool mist humidifiers, they operate by generating small droplets of water that evaporate in the air. When they evaporate the minerals are left behind to float around in the air, and it starts to get dusty after a while. Not a big deal, but something to be aware of. Using distilled water would be best, but probably too costly depending on the amount needed.


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## mainshipfred (Feb 9, 2019)

stickman said:


> Keep in mind for the cool mist humidifiers, they operate by generating small droplets of water that evaporate in the air. When they evaporate the minerals are left behind to float around in the air, and it starts to get dusty after a while. Not a big deal, but something to be aware of. Using distilled water would be best, but probably too costly depending on the amount needed.



Not sure if it removes everything but I hooked up a small ice maker filter and a sediment trap to my water source. Still have to manually fill it but the water should be cleaner than the tap. I mostly did it to remove as much chlorine from the water as I could. Thanks for the tip though.


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## Ajmassa (Feb 9, 2019)

SethF said:


> You had first described swings in humidity of 0-100. Now it sounds like it only drops to 65% as a low? That sounds pretty normal for a house with higher humidity, in an unsealed basement.
> 
> .



I actually said 0 before looking at the gauge again. But it has read all way down below the lowest which is 35. And above 100 at the height in the summer. 

But as I said, I haven’t begun the build yet. Just something I keep my eye on. And paying attention to this thread since I will be addressing this eventually.


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## SethF (Feb 9, 2019)

mainshipfred said:


> It's just a cheap room humidifier. I have to manually fill it about every 3 days. I ran the waterline over to it and installed a float in the tank. Whenever the float calls for water it leaks at the base and I wasn't interested enough to figure out why just convinced it won't work. I can't seem to find a portable humidifier with an auto fill at a reasonable cost.


What is the model?
Float?
Can you send me a picture of what you did?


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## SethF (Feb 9, 2019)

Ajmassa5983 said:


> I actually said 0 before looking at the gauge again. But it has read all way down below the lowest which is 35. And above 100 at the height in the summer.
> 
> But as I said, I haven’t begun the build yet. Just something I keep my eye on. And paying attention to this thread since I will be addressing this eventually.


35 is typical for many homes in the winter. That's what I was getting before I started humidifying last week.
Summer, who knows. Will depend alot on your basement, and how you cool the cellar. I will bet if you put an independent system in, you will likely stay around 35-60 without intervention. In which case you won't have to dehumidify. Most independent cooling systems will dehumidify as a matter of course, and most require you to put in a drain, esp if you are humidifying.


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## mainshipfred (Feb 9, 2019)

Here you go. The humidifier is 2 parts, the base and the tank above. When we drilled the hole for the float and connected the water supply water leaked between the top and bottom section. When the valve was closed (full) there was no leaking. I thought water coming into the tank from the float created a pressure that separated the two parts. I drilled another hole high in the tank to releave the pressure but that caused the same leak as when it was filling. We then added a one way valve to equalize the pressure when filling but the same thing. Last we tried gluing the 2 pieces together but it still leaked when filling. I just bought the same one and now continue to fill it manually.

Float https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=114898

One way valve https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=32233

Humidifier https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KNBKJFW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## mainshipfred (Feb 9, 2019)

Forgot to add the pics


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## SethF (Feb 9, 2019)

mainshipfred said:


> Forgot to add the pics


Thank you!
Never would have found that float valve. 
It's amazing how I can get obsessed with stuff like this.
I have now scoured the net and there isn't a reasonably price evaporative or ultrasonic humidifier with autofill capability. There was one, https://www.alzashop.com/bionaire-airtek-pcmh45-dw-d379438.htm, now discontinued.

Dumb question: If you connected the water line without the float, with the saddle valve turned down low to reduce the pressure, would it still leak? Would it overflow?

Also curious if your issue is simply an issue attributable to that unit.

I think I am going to go with an evaporative model, and may try to screw around with setting up an autofill.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012KO7DS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

This has 2 tanks, so I don't know if setting a waterline to only one would do the trick. I have to imagine that the system draws from only one tank, and then the other?


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## mainshipfred (Feb 9, 2019)

Never tried the first question but I'm pretty sure it would separate the pieces once full and I don't think it's a function of the unit because it worked perfectly prior to farting with it. Since I'm only filling it every 3 days I think I'll let it go for now. My ambient winter humidity is 32 but in the summer it closer to 70+ so I may only have to fill it every 2 weeks. BTW, US Plastics is a pretty cool site.


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## SethF (Feb 9, 2019)

So spent some time thinking about how these things work (I have a small ultrasonic one now).

I believe the water containers all act as if they are pet water feeders. Think about it. When you fill the container/bottle, and then invert it, it opens the bottom by the spring based mechanism, and the water stops "spilling" out once the water in the bottom reservoir reaches the opening in the bottle. The pressure and tension action retains this level as the water is dissipated. I'm an attorney, not a scientist so I did some googling:

https://www.google.com/search?q=how...rome..69i57.7312j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

More scientific explanation:
https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/88669/physics-of-the-inverted-bottle-dispenser

So you destroy that vacuum/pressure/tension scenario when you have the fill tube in place, and the valve causes an in flow. When you put the second hole, that permanently destroyed the scenario.

There are evaporative humidifiers that do not have "bottles" for filling, fill by pouring water in, and therefore don't rely on that pressure sequence.

https://aircareproducts.com/pub/sta...es/product-manuals/1B72811_831000_10-2018.pdf

In as much as I would like to eventually have this be trouble free/auto filling, I think I will go with one of these and then try your flow valve just below the fill line. I am going to try to find the smallest form factor for one of these.

And evaporative should mean less "dust" and mineral issues.

What do you think?

Seth


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## mainshipfred (Feb 9, 2019)

SethF said:


> So spent some time thinking about how these things work (I have a small ultrasonic one now).
> 
> I believe the water containers all act as if they are pet water feeders. Think about it. When you fill the container/bottle, and then invert it, it opens the bottom by the spring based mechanism, and the water stops "spilling" out once the water in the bottom reservoir reaches the opening in the bottle. The pressure and tension action retains this level as the water is dissipated. I'm an attorney, not a scientist so I did some googling:
> 
> ...



I think it's like you said before, you got obsessed with it, LOL!! But I do agree with you about the pressure sequence. I'm counting on you to come up with a solution.


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## SethF (Mar 9, 2019)

mainshipfred said:


> I think it's like you said before, you got obsessed with it, LOL!! But I do agree with you about the pressure sequence. I'm counting on you to come up with a solution.


So here is what I bought about a month ago:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WAC9VKQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Works great, water lasts for over a week, and I fill it with a 5 gallon bucket.

No powder residue, really quite.

Maintaining humidity like a champ.

I am going to run the condensate tube from the AC unit to the reservoir here, and see how long that lasts.

I may not bother with the water line. Easy enough to fill.


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## mainshipfred (Mar 10, 2019)

SethF said:


> So here is what I bought about a month ago:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WAC9VKQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
> 
> ...



Thanks Seth, mine is 6x10 so similar size. If you unplug it will it turn on when plugged back in or do you have to manually turn it on? I have an Inkbird humidity controller that kills the power when it's satisfied. I know this unit has a humidity control but I'd like to use the Inkbird as well. Also if you are getting over a week in the winter you'll probably extend that in the summer.


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## SethF (Mar 11, 2019)

Verified it does NOT turn back on. Sorry.

If set at 60%, it will keep my room fairly stable between 60 and 70 with my cooling system (winter). 

If set at 65%, it will run continuously. Haven't needed to do that.


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## JoP (Jun 17, 2021)

mainshipfred said:


> Here you go. The humidifier is 2 parts, the base and the tank above. When we drilled the hole for the float and connected the water supply water leaked between the top and bottom section. When the valve was closed (full) there was no leaking. I thought water coming into the tank from the float created a pressure that separated the two parts. I drilled another hole high in the tank to releave the pressure but that caused the same leak as when it was filling. We then added a one way valve to equalize the pressure when filling but the same thing. Last we tried gluing the 2 pieces together but it still leaked when filling. I just bought the same one and now continue to fill it manually.
> 
> Float Mini Bobby® Float Valves with 1/4" Compression Nut | U.S. Plastic Corp.
> 
> ...


Hello mainshipfred and all,
I hope this thread is still monitored.
I'm also looking for a humidifier solution with water hookup and can't find the right one yet.
I want to have an evaporative humidifier that can be controlled by a humidity controller like the Engbird *ITC-608T*.
If anyone of you can recommend one, please let me know.
BTW, the above link for the humidifier on Amazon, does not work, what was the brand and model number?
Thanks


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