Author Topic: My Humidity Solution  (Read 2228 times)

Likesspace

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My Humidity Solution
« on: November 12, 2009, 01:51:09 AM »
Hi guys,
I use a couple of small wine coolers to age my cheese and one thing that I've battled from the first is low humidity in my caves.
Well I've been giving this a lot of thought over the past year or so and here's the solution I came up with:

Basically this is the same design as a cool mist humidifier that can be bought at most any store.
A humidifier wicking filter goes inside the PVC pipe and the computer fan blows upward drawing air across the filter and exhausting moist/humid air.
When testing this design I used a processor fan and 1.5" PVC pipe and although it worked well I wanted to try a larger fan and larger diameter pipe to see if it improved the results.
This time I used a computer case fan (12v DC) instead of the processor fan I tried before.
I have also upsized the PVC pipe from 1.5” diameter to 2” diameter.
Instead of taping the fan to the top (like I did on the test model) I made an adapter plate out of HDPE cutting board material and then epoxied it to the PVC pipe.
If the fan fails I can simply remove 4 screws and then replace the fan.
The entire device is a little less than 3” tall and about 2-1/2” in diameter which means it takes up very little space in the fridge.
I’m hoping that the larger fan and the larger PVC pipe will raise the humidity just a touch more although I have been getting in the 80 percent range with the other set up.
The epoxy is still drying but I will give this a test run tonight.
So far I am only having to fill the water basin twice a day (once before leaving for work and once before going to bed) so that’s not that bad.
As for price…...
The computer fan was $1.50 from newegg.com.
The PVC pipe I had in the garage but it would probably be around $.70 per foot at a hardware store.
The Wicking Filter was $3.50 at Wal Mart and will probably last a minimum of 4 months (judging from cool mist humidifiers we run at home).
The Cutting board was $3.75 at Wal Mart but I have enough material to make probably 6 - 8 of the adapter plates.
The epoxy putty I had in the garage but again, it’s probably less than $3.00 for a small tube.
The biggest expense is the 12v power supply…..around $15.00 at Wal Mart but if you have a 12v DC power supply laying around that makes this a pretty inexpensive set up.
Also, instead of buying the multi-voltage supply that I did, you can probably buy a straight 12v DC power supply for very little money, online.
Anyway, here’s some pics of the setup.

Dave

Likesspace

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Re: My Humidity Solution
« Reply #1 on: November 12, 2009, 01:56:33 AM »
Okay, I just re-read my post......
The device is actually a little over 4" tall instead of the 3 inches I posted. If I don't see the increase that I'd like to see, I will lengthen the pipe slightly (maybe to 5") so that more of the wicking filter is exposed. Even with that it's still a device that takes up very little space.

Dave

Likesspace

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Re: My Humidity Solution
« Reply #2 on: November 12, 2009, 03:06:51 AM »
Okay, after testing this for about an hour I'm running in the 80 - 83 percent range, depending on how often the fridge runs.
All in all I'm happy with the upgrade. Not only does it look better than the test unit, it seems to be performing better, even if ever so slightly.
I don't know much about electrical usage but I would think that 12V DC would not be a lot of current draw. Besides, what's a few more Kilowatt hours when it comes to protecting a wheel of cheese? :)
Just thought I'd give this update since humidity problems seem to be something that a lot of people are dealing with.

DAve

FarmerJd

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Re: My Humidity Solution
« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2009, 03:21:14 AM »
I just wish it would work backwards! ;D

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: My Humidity Solution
« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2009, 06:25:23 AM »
Looks like that would work just fine Dave. Sometimes dealing with humidity is harder than making a good cheese!