Humidifiers for Phalaenopsis Orchid

[Mammatam]

If I wanted to get a small humidifier for the room I'm growing my phals in, would I want a cool or warm mist humidifier?
Also, what would I use to measure the humidity in said room?
It's the same room where just about all my other plants are too so I don't want to make it too humid.
I'm using just a box fan in there now, tilted towards the ceiling for air circulation. And I keep my house fairly cool. So I'm just not sure whether I need warm moisture or cool?
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[Mammatam]

Hey there ya'll! I am considering getting one. I did a little reading online and found one article that suggested using a cool mist humidifier. Everything else was just saying humidifier, nothing specific on the temp. I would really rather not heat up my house in Summer here in Texas, so I sure hope ya'll can concur that cool mist is the way to go to add humidity to the room they are in.

I am also wondering if I need one that would run for a long time b4 filling or would it be something to use only for shorter periods of the day? I am just not sure how that works...

[lijun]

i really am not sure, i think it depends on your collection,..

[raybark]

You're probably going to need a bigger humidifier than you currently think, as the device will be trying to humidify your entire home, not just the grow room, unless it is tightly sealed. You're also going to need to run it 24/7. I suggest you consult a salesman to help you size a unit capable of boosting the RH% to the 50%-60% range.

As to what kind - How mineral-laden is your water supply?

“Cool mist” or ultrasonic devices atomize the water and force the micro-droplets into the air. Any minerals dissolved in the water will precipitate as a white dust on plants, furniture, and any horizontal surface. The use of pure water prevents that, but some ultrasonic transducers won’t work with it. The mechanical atomization or “buzzing” of the ultrasonic transducer can be a slight problem, but it usually ends up as a mild source of “white noise” that is ignored.

“Warm mist” devices heat the water and add moisture to the air in the form of steam. With those, the dissolved minerals tend to build up on the heating element. Pure water solves that problem. Such devices are essentially silent in their operation.

A third type - the “wick” type of humidifier - is typical for the “whole house” device. Typically a cloth mesh belt or sponge is moved through a water bath (sometimes they just stand in it and capillary action draws up the moisture), and air is blown through the mesh to evaporate it. Mineral buildup will occur on the wick, but it tends to be slow, and generally the wicks are inexpensive and easy to replace, so you need not bother with pure water. The fan may produce a low noise level – probably lower than the cool-mist type of humidifier – but it is usually not an issue.

[Ron-NY]

I grew in a sunroom that could be closed off from the rest of the house and used a wick type humidifier

[Chris1140]

I grow in an enclosed room with a cool mist humidifier with a small mineral cartridge dropped in the tank to prevent white dust deposits. I only have to use it during the cool/cold six months of the year. I do believe that the plants appreciate it.

[Mammatam]

OK, thanks everyone for the info, I'll continue to monitor the ongoing situation and consider my options. We're in flux right now as we were just informed last week we have to move by end of month. I wont know what I'll really need till we get wherever we end up. We've been here 15 yrs so I'm sure y'all can imagine how much work we have ahead of us in the next few weeks! 15 years, 3 kids all grew up here, we have a lot of clutter to get through! Lots to pack!
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[Carolla]

Oh wow, that's crazy to have to move that fast! Good luck with it all.

[hulsey]

I use a cool mist humidifier, small one, like 2 liters. I use it at 80% of the mist strength. It's on timer, I don't want to run it 24 hours a day, I run it on every 30 minutes.

I use myself to measure humidity , when it feels like sort of being in a steam room, hot and wet.

[Kimber]

Thank you for all the advice written here. Does anyone have advice about what is the best brand of humidifier? I think I will need one that has both cool and warm options as in the summer, it can get pretty hot around here in Augusta, GA, and in winter, I use gas heat, so I know I will need to buy some kind of humidifier soon. Thank you in advance for your replies!