21 replies to this topic

[theDarkness]

I was just wondering if an open heatbomb inside an Fc would give off good humidity? Has anyone tried this? Just wondering about mabey adding that along with keepin the perlite. Or mabey submersing the heater into the perlite/H20. Im sure someones done that before. Right now Im using a TiT w/ perlite at the bottem of the inside. I asked myself why not put the heater into perlite itself. Any known problems w/ this? Ideas? -Dark

[Hippie3]

very bad idea, imo
it'll overheat, fire hazard
heating element must be fully submerged in water at all times

[theDarkness]

I understand that, Im talkin fully submerging the element into the perlite with water, not just damp perlite. Just wondering if there are any drawbacks to doing this. Apparently Felix has everyone but Hip's tounge.

[CoyoteMesc]

you could if you kept the water level up, but you'd have to keep a close eye on it fersure, like Hip said it could be dangerous. Also Id err on the side of contam caution, H2o2 in the water would be a must IMO. They seem to love warm moist conditions like that.

[Hippie3]

i believe i answered you question,
you just apparently don't believe me.
the heater is designed to be operated under water,
not under water full of perlite.
perlite does not conduct heat like water.
it's not safe to operate under conditions
for which it was not designed.

[garrettee]

Aren't you supposed to drain the perlite? There was a good reason for that, right? And how cold is your house? From what I've read, room temp is quite warm enough in most cases.

[Hippie3]

correct
submerged perlite contributes nothing to the humidity,
it must be above the water line
to evaporate and boost RH .

[CoyoteMesc]

Aren't you supposed to drain the perlite? There was a good reason for that, right?

some teks have been written to where some water sits in the bottom and the upper portion of the perlite acts as a wick.

[CoyoteMesc]

im not putting words in H3's mouth but I would think the reason for the advice not to do this is simple really
The perlite is goin to surround the heater and the heater element. The thing is designed for water only, and even suggest that nothing be in contact with any part of the heater.

[Hippie3]

yes, and there are some crappy teks around.
but the right way
is damp perlite, with no standing water
and one should not place cakes on perlite for
any wicking as that will
over-saturate them leading to early contamination.

[Hippie3]

im not putting words in H3's mouth but I would think the reason for the advice not to do this is simple really
The perlite is goin to surround the heater and the heater element. The thing is designed for water only, and even suggest that nothing be in contact with any part of the heater.

correct

[CoyoteMesc]

and one should not place cakes on Perlite for
any wicking as that will
over-saturate them leading to early contamination.

I agree, Never put cakes directly on the perlite.
I was saying that the upper level of perlite sucks up the water from below when it starts to dry and that creates the humidity for a small FC.

The idea may be crappy and there are many ways that would be safer but it has worked.

[Hippie3]

it's just un-necessary
simple damp perlite will humidify a chamber for several weeks assuming one uses about a 3 inch+ layer.
all that extra water does is
a] reduce transpiration by covering some perlite
b] breed bacteria
the only benefit is not adding a little water once every few weeks.

[CoyoteMesc]

Great point,

Also Id err on the side of contam caution, H2O2 in the water would be a must IMO .

And id agree.

I never thought about this fact:

a] reduce transpiration by covering some perlite

[Hippie3]

any added peroxide will quickly break down once out of its' opaque bottle and exposed.
by quickly i mean totally ineffective in just a couple days
meaning the rest of the time
it's just water down there, still breeding bacteria.
peroxide will NOT keep the water anywhere near sterile,
and what little it does
is over in 48 hours or so.

[CoyoteMesc]

:thumbup:

[Hippie3]

test it,
pour some peroxide in a cup and let it set a couple days
then compare activity with fresh from the bottle
by exposing to 'dirt'
and remember-
it's not pure peroxide down below
but extremely diluted
meaning even it's weaker
also worth mention is the fact
that peroxide is largely ineffective against living microbes,
many of which can break it down harmlessly, including mycelia.
only spores [of mold] are killed,
and it's not mold spores breeding in that stagnant water
but bacteria
making even undiluted fresh peroxide of very limited value.

[CoyoteMesc]

I believe you,
makes sense that the peroxide would break down and "dissipate" over time.
But, wouldnt it be creating O2 for the fungi while doing so, and it is evaporating also,
so would you not be adding fresh peroxide to the perlite every couple days anyway

[Hippie3]

well a small amount of oxygen is released as peroxide breaks down, H2O2 become H2O leaving an extra O
but it's pretty insignificant in terms of sustaining growth,
i.e. peroxide breakdown is no substitute for fae .
but if you add peroxide every few days
where's all that water going ?
not all evaporating that quickly,
so it just builds up below, adding to the problem.

[CoyoteMesc]

:lol:
I love you Hippie..lol

BTW

so it just builds up below, adding to the problem.

.............^^^^^^^^^^^^^
............The story of my life right there..haha