Water heater for misting system
- Thread starter CELeafs
- Start date
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
A fish aquarium heater would work as long as it stays submerged. However, warm water will tend to grow stagnant faster and produce algae so you'll have to clean the reservoir more often. Heating the water will raise the evaporation rate too. But, sprayed water droplets cool down as it moves through the air so you might not gain much.
TortoiseAvenger
New Member
I'm new at this, but from what I've heard, you can get the water the reservoir pretty hot, because by the time it gets to the cham it cools down quite a bit. You'll want to test this out first, of course.
I've heard that a small aquarium heater works well. This is the system I'll be setting up in a couple days.
I've heard that a small aquarium heater works well. This is the system I'll be setting up in a couple days.
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Probably. You'd need a very large reservoir surface area to raise the room humidity very much just from evaporation. And, with a humidifier you can cycle it on and off with a timer to create cycles of higher and lower humidity in the cage.
kdc5019
New Member
Heating the water is probably just going to be a waste of energy. Most water droplets are so small they cool down by convection to room temperature just as if you did not heat the water. Some people insist however that there is a difference. Someone did a study on this a few months back and showed that heating the water made no difference in the temp out of the nozzle due to particle size.
I would just get a cheap humidifier to boost humidity. Or you can always wrap the outside of the cage in a trash bag or something tightly that isn't an eye sore to retain moisture as well as adding more live foliage.
I would just get a cheap humidifier to boost humidity. Or you can always wrap the outside of the cage in a trash bag or something tightly that isn't an eye sore to retain moisture as well as adding more live foliage.
Zephalia
Established Member
Yes, I would just buy a fairly inexpensive cool mist humidifier to up the humidity in the room and using Carlton's suggestion above you can have varying levels of humidity throughout the day. This is what I do and it works very well. The humidifier was $30 from Home Depot.
broderp
Avid Member
In my limited experience you don't need a heated humidifier. You can use a commercial fogger like the zoo med or monsoon or what ever, but I saw way too many bad reviews to throw out $60 ~ $120. So I searched You Tube, this forum and came up with my own solution:
Its a Walgreen's humidifier. I bought it new for $35 and added about $6 in PVC parts I got from the hardware store.
I'm still trying to get my cycle times right, but if you need humidity, this guy
works GREAT. (too good in my case! ) The image above is showing a humidity of 85% & 67.5 temp. I let the humidifier run too long after his bed time (lights out).
Within 2-3 minutes, I can fog up the entire enclosure to where it looks like a cloud. The humidity skyrockets to over 95%, and you can't see in the enclosure. Even with the heat bulb on and the temp at 90 degrees, it's able to keep the humidity.
Jackson, loves the cool mist and goes to it.
Here's his cage after about 2 minutes on the low setting:
Its a Walgreen's humidifier. I bought it new for $35 and added about $6 in PVC parts I got from the hardware store.
I'm still trying to get my cycle times right, but if you need humidity, this guy
works GREAT. (too good in my case!
) The image above is showing a humidity of 85% & 67.5 temp. I let the humidifier run too long after his bed time (lights out). Within 2-3 minutes, I can fog up the entire enclosure to where it looks like a cloud. The humidity skyrockets to over 95%, and you can't see in the enclosure.
Even with the heat bulb on and the temp at 90 degrees, it's able to keep the humidity.Jackson, loves the cool mist and goes to it.
Here's his cage after about 2 minutes on the low setting:
Last edited by a moderator:
Ninkylou
New Member
When I set up my Mister system I decided to try and add an aquarium heater. If you search the forums you will find some really great information including a thread that had comparisons of the mist temperatures heated and not when it reached the chams.
I used distilled water only. I did not use a heater that I could set, but rather one that was designed for a 1 - 5 gallon tank as the reservoir is 2.5gallons. I topped the vessel up every few days and after 2 weeks (it was busy Xmas holidays) I tore it down to clean it and the heater pad was slimy....I got rid of it that day. Slimy to me means that bacterial as well as algae could be growing. What I do it make sure my lights are on for an hour before the mister goes off. I use Raindomes so my guys will either sit under them or move out accordingly. I think they get some warning since the sound starts and about 5 seconds later the volume of water on the top of my screen is enough to start 'raining'
Live plants are great to maintain the humidity. The fogger work but an ultrasonic person humidifier would work just was well and probable be more durable. You can use some corrugated tubing to fashion your own 'fogger' to direct it into your enclosure. I think just pointing it towards it would improve it however.
I used distilled water only. I did not use a heater that I could set, but rather one that was designed for a 1 - 5 gallon tank as the reservoir is 2.5gallons. I topped the vessel up every few days and after 2 weeks (it was busy Xmas holidays) I tore it down to clean it and the heater pad was slimy....I got rid of it that day. Slimy to me means that bacterial as well as algae could be growing. What I do it make sure my lights are on for an hour before the mister goes off. I use Raindomes so my guys will either sit under them or move out accordingly. I think they get some warning since the sound starts and about 5 seconds later the volume of water on the top of my screen is enough to start 'raining'
Live plants are great to maintain the humidity. The fogger work but an ultrasonic person humidifier would work just was well and probable be more durable. You can use some corrugated tubing to fashion your own 'fogger' to direct it into your enclosure. I think just pointing it towards it would improve it however.
pinsetter1991
New Member
hey are you the one who made the tutorial for that? i remember seeing it on youtube haha, looks awesome.
Ninkylou
New Member
Not me, I think I saw the same video...
broderp
Avid Member
Me? No.
I think I know what You Tube vid you are referring to though.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_1zNE45hrA
or just search for "Walgreens humidifier"
Great stuff, gave me the confidence to do it rather then spend the money on a commercially made one.
I'm considering doing a video myself. It was actually kind of fun to make, and I've rearranged it a few times, but with a 10' section of PVC pipe (that cost a whopping $1.78
) and several elbows and such ($0.46 to .99) I have plenty of options if I move things around or change cages.Honestly the hardest part was finding an humidifier that was easily modified.
(Do we have a section on the forum for DIY? Be a nice addition if we didn't)
Psychobunny
Avid Member
The aquarium heater idea only works if you keep the tube lines (to and
from the pump) very short.
I had mine in the water tank and set to 90F. It heated the tank okay, but
by the time the water travels threw the pump and the 1/4'' tubing, it's
room temp as it comes out the nozzle!!
Unless you could wrape the tubing with some kind of heating tape, the water
will cool down before it gets to the spray nozzle.
from the pump) very short.
I had mine in the water tank and set to 90F. It heated the tank okay, but
by the time the water travels threw the pump and the 1/4'' tubing, it's
room temp as it comes out the nozzle!!
Unless you could wrape the tubing with some kind of heating tape, the water
will cool down before it gets to the spray nozzle.
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