7

I am looking to make a ecofriendly humidifier. It should not use electricity.I suffer from sinuses and humidity is essential for me. So I thought of keeping a container of water in my room(s) near where the sun's rays hit the container of water. How do I sustain the humidity through the night ? I also want to know whether specific levels of humidity can be achieved with this simple approach.

2 Answers2

3

I've seen the technique that you describe used in hot desert climates, were it was used in rooms that were cooled by refrigerated air conditioning. Such air conditioning can dehumidify the air.

Having a container with a larger surface area; a flat pan rather than a tall narrow glass will increase the potential for evaporation of the water.

The effectiveness of the method depends on the amount of humidity already in the air and how much more moisture you can put into the air. During the night, you may need to have more containers in the room. Depending on air flow in the room, the closer they are to you the better.

Edit

This came to me some time after I posted my initial answer.

The other thing you could do at home is to "bring the jungle inside".

Plants transpire water, increasing the humidity around them - jungles and forest can create their own rain systems. By having plants with large green leaves inside the house you can increase the humidity inside house.

Also, in colder climates where some people air dry their laundry inside they have to be careful to provide proper ventilation otherwise they can create the ideal conditions for mould to appear on the inside walls and ceiling due to the increased humidity from the drying laundry.

Fred
  • 3,507
  • 1
  • 13
  • 28
  • good to see you here ! How many litres of water would I need for my humidifier ? –  Jan 21 '16 at 01:08
  • I also have bars on my windows and then meshes and then glass windows. Would you recommend I keep the glass windows closed or open during day and night ? The meshes cannot be opened. –  Jan 21 '16 at 01:20
  • 1
    @gansub: I've edited my answer to provide some info about plants & ventilation. As I state, one of the dangers of increasing the humidity inside is there is an increased risk of developing mould inside the building. One way to mitigate this is to provide adequate ventilation so there isn't too much moisture in the air. The bars & mesh over the windows will not be a problem. Regarding having the window open or closed depends on the atmospheric conditions. If the air is dry, close the window, you don't want to lose moisture, & if the air is humid open the window. – Fred Jan 21 '16 at 02:52
  • Regarding how much water you need; that's a difficult question to answer. It depends on evaporation rate & how often you are prepared to replenish the water in the containers. Also, water in a larger area pan will have a greater rate of evaporation and a tall narrow container containing the same amount of water. All I can advise is to experiment. Start with no less than 2 L in a shallower larger area pan or pans. – Fred Jan 21 '16 at 02:59
  • so during summers and autumn and winters - keep the windows closed. During monsoon keep the windows open ! –  Jan 21 '16 at 03:08
  • @gansub: Yes, with the proviso that during the summer, winter & autumn you open the window periodically for ventilation & to prevent mould developing. – Fred Jan 21 '16 at 03:18
  • Add this: hang wet cloth somewhere (high surface area to air), this is what doctors often advise – mart Jan 21 '16 at 15:00
1

Besides those mentioned in Fred's answer, there are more choices available that you could consider trying.

You can find non-electric humidifiers in most major online shops as Amazon. These are spheres that absorb water and restore moisture to the room bit by bit. I haven't tried them myself but the reviews are positive in general (although some of them consider the spheres too small).

More alternatives are offered here as drying your clothes in an inside clothes-rack (humidifying the room where they are hung in the process) or leaving the door of the bathroom opened while you take a shower.

S -
  • 1,512
  • 11
  • 26
  • 1
    I will take the non electric humidifer from Amazon. The other two as Fred pointed out may a) produce mould b) keeping the bathroom open - UGH....psychologically it is natural to keep the bathroom door closed due to bacteria etc... –  Jan 23 '16 at 12:24
  • Keeping the bathroom door shut increases the likelihood of bacteria since all of the moisture is concentrated in a small area i.e. the bathroom. Opening the door reduces moisture concentration. – nu everest Feb 05 '16 at 14:59