Auto filling room humidifier

[DavidE]

I'm thinking of heading to Florida for a couple of months this winter which would leave my wife to fill my humidifiers every couple of days. My upstairs furnace is small and stuck inside a closet and I don't think there's a way to get a "whole house" humidifier on it. I was thinking of buying one of those large console units if I can figure out a way to get water to it automatically. There is a sink in the room where I'd put it.

Any ideas?

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by DavidE

I'm thinking of heading to Florida for a couple of months this winter which would leave my wife to fill my humidifiers every couple of days. My upstairs furnace is small and stuck inside a closet and I don't think there's a way to get a "whole house" humidifier on it. I was thinking of buying one of those large console units if I can figure out a way to get water to it automatically. There is a sink in the room where I'd put it.

Any ideas?

It would require a small submersible float switch in the humidifier water trough. That would, in turn, actuate a small water pump that you'd place in a very large water barrel, or the like.

The water pump would, via a hose, fill the humidifier until the float switch said 'no mas'.

You'd have to set it up to make sure it's working by itself, and then figure out the average water usage. Do the math and figure out how long you can stay away without having to talk your wife into filling the barrel..........which is another issue.

Best,
Howard Emerson

[Mandobart]

I recommend against an auto-fill setup, particularly a home-made system. Most laypeople lack the skills to put together a reliable system Auto-fill = over-fill. Unless you have very soft/distilled water, deposits will quickly build up on your fill valve seat, making it leak by. You could end up with a much bigger problem than slightly dry guitars.

I have an Aircare 7D6 100 with its own humidistat controller and a 1 gallon tank. It cycles on and off to maintain whatever relative humidity you select. Depending on the humidity in your house and length of time you're gone she'll only need to refill it once or twice.

[The Bard Rocks]

Why not use flower beads (which hold more water but release it at roughly the same rate as other humidifiers) and then encase the guitar and case n a dry cleaner's bag?

Not very sexy and pretty low tech - but I'd bet it would work.

Or you could show your wife how to refill the humidifiers you already have.

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

I recommend against an auto-fill setup, particularly a home-made system. Most laypeople lack the skills to put together a reliable system Auto-fill = over-fill. Unless you have very soft/distilled water, deposits will quickly build up on your fill valve seat, making it leak by. You could end up with a much bigger problem than slightly dry guitars.

I have an Aircare 7D6 100 with its own humidistat controller and a 1 gallon tank. It cycles on and off to maintain whatever relative humidity you select. Depending on the humidity in your house and length of time you're gone she'll only need to refill it once or twice.

A 1 gallon won't last very long. I actually bought a 6 gallon with a top fill today (being shipped) and will set up a hose that she can use from a sink to the humidifier to fill it easily. I'll be gone for up to 3 months, so filling two humidifiers in two rooms every week was a pain. She had trouble opening the water containers and our sinks upstairs are not filling friendly.

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

Why not use flower beads (which hold more water but release it at roughly the same rate as other humidifiers) and then encase the guitar and case n a dry cleaner's bag?

Not very sexy and pretty low tech - but I'd bet it would work.

Or you could show your wife how to refill the humidifiers you already have.

"The" guitar? More like 50. That's the issue.

[s2y]

Color me curious. I'd love to become a snow bird some day.

[Kittoon]

One gallon of water would last at best 24-hours here in Minnesota in the dead of winter with forced air heat. Whatever system one uses always has the potential to breakdown and fail unexpectedly. This is on top of routine maintenance. I was in a similar position once. I ended up hiring the neighbor’s son, gave him a lesson on Rh, had a backup humidifier “just in case” and checked in 2x a week for an official “Rh” report! -The same kid watch’s pets on occasion for other neighbors. The point being, hire someone reliable and well fitted to the task.

[MikeBmusic]

I was filling the 2 2.5 gallon tanks in my console humidifier every 3-4 days during the driest/coldest winters. You need to add a biocide regularly, too, to reduce algae/bacteria growth. I never could get my wife to fill it, though the reservoirs fill easily in the nearby kitchen sink.

[The Bard Rocks]

Originally Posted by DavidE

"The" guitar? More like 50. That's the issue.

Aha... My eyes have been opened . By "the" I mean whatever one(s) you were working with. But with 50, yes a room unit makes more sense.

[rstaight]

Even though you say your furnace is in a closet, that is how most older homes are in the US.

Still, our humidifier doesn't take much space. Doesn't hurt to have someone check it out. May be a pleasant surprise. It will have other health benefits besides guitars.

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by rstaight

Even though you say your furnace is in a closet, that is how most older homes are in the US.

Still, our humidifier doesn't take much space. Doesn't hurt to have someone check it out. May be a pleasant surprise. It will have other health benefits besides guitars.

We mostly live on the first floor. The furnace for that floor is in the basement. I can get a whole house humidifier on that one. In fact, there's an ancient one on there now that doesn't work. But the guitars are upstairs.