When the air in the room becomes dry, it immediately affects the well-being, so the forced humidification of the atmosphere in the house is a necessity. It is quite possible to make a humidifier with your own hands if you do not want to spend money on household appliances. The principle of its operation is simple, and there are many manufacturing schemes and possibilities for implementation.
Air humidity
The optimum level of air humidity varies between 40-70%. In winter, in apartments where special devices for humidification are not used, it does not rise above 35%.
To measure the saturation of air with moisture, a special device is used - a hygrometer. The humidity level will be different in different rooms. In the kitchen, it is usually higher due to the fumes during cooking, so special attention should be paid to other rooms. It is especially important that the air is sufficiently humid in the bedroom.
The need for air humidification
The lack of moisture in the air contributes to the deterioration of the condition in chronic diseases of the respiratory tract, allergies. It is necessary to humidify the air in the room where the kids live. The child's body needs favorable conditions for growth and development.
Unpleasant effects of dry air in the house:
- drying out of the mucous membranes of the nose, throat, eyes;
- runny nose that occurs as a reaction of the body to insufficient moisture;
- irritation of the respiratory tract due to the increased amount of dust in the air;
- dyspnea;
- dry skin;
- drying out of wooden pieces of furniture;
- the spread of infection, since a dry environment is more favorable for pathogenic viruses.
To increase the humidity in the room, you need to evaporate some of the water. Having turned into steam, it will dissipate, the humidity will rise.
How the humidifier works
Various humidification devices can be classified according to their principle of operation:
- In steam air humidifiers, the design provides a heater located inside the device, which heats the water to a boil, and it evaporates.
- Traditional appliances that generate cold steam operate on the principle of atomizing moisture, which is blown out by a fan.
- Ultrasonic models are equipped with an ultrasonic frequency emitter, under the influence of which water turns into fine mist - mist.
- Air washers, in addition to humidification, purify and ionize the atmosphere in the house, eliminate unpleasant odors.
Home humidifiers can act as a night light or as an air fragrance.
Varieties of homemade appliances
If it is not possible to purchase a ready-made humidifier for your home, making it yourself will not be difficult. Simple options for devices made from scrap materials will do. Factory and homemade humidifiers work according to one of the principles: heating or ventilation.
Containers with water
To saturate the air with moisture, you can place containers with water everywhere. The method is ineffective if the air is very dry, because water naturally evaporates for a long time.
From a plastic bottle
In a bottle with a volume of 1.5-2 liters, you need to make a hole on the side about 10-15 cm long and 5-7 cm wide. The container is tied to the central heating pipe with the hole up. A long strip is made of fabric or a bandage folded in several layers. Its center is placed in a hole in the bottle, and the container itself is filled with water. The ends of the fabric strip are spirally wound around the pipe. The material will gradually be moistened due to the fact that the middle part is submerged in water. The liquid will quickly evaporate, increasing the humidity in the room, due to the high temperature from the battery.
Battery towel
You need to take a terry towel. Thin will not work because it will dry very quickly. The larger and thicker the towel, the better. It must be well moistened, squeezed so that the water does not drain, and cover the battery with it from above. If you do this in every room and periodically moisten the fabric, breathing will become noticeably easier.
Some users refine this method by attaching one end of the towel to the top of the battery and dipping the bottom into a container of water. The fabric does not have to be wetted every time.
From a plastic container
You can buy a large plastic container with a lid from the store. It is advisable to take on casters. Additionally you will need:
- fan or cooler;
- Power Supply;
- soldering iron, knife.
On the sides, you need to make small holes with a heated drill or knife, and in the cover there is a hole for mounting the fan. The cooler must be securely fastened so that it does not fall into the box filled with water, and connected to the power supply. Insulate the wires. Then water is poured into the box and the fan is turned on.
From expanded clay and buckets
Expanded clay is the filler in this homemade humidifier because it absorbs moisture well. To manufacture the device you will need:
- two large plastic waste baskets and two smaller ones;
- 12 liter bucket;
- aquarium pump;
- cooler with a diameter of 140 mm;
- construction hair dryer or plastic ties.
Small baskets need to be blown dry or fastened with ties. Two large baskets are also connected, but small ones fastened together are previously placed in them. A hole is cut out in the bottom of the upper basket and expanded clay is poured through it. The stones should be large enough so that they do not spill into the holes. Water is poured into a bucket and a pump for an aquarium is placed there. The basket structure is placed in a bucket. Tubes from the pump are brought to its upper part so that the water moistens the expanded clay. The liquid will drain back into the bucket. Above it is necessary to install a cooler, which will direct the air flow to the expanded clay so that the water evaporates more intensively.
Ultrasonic Air Humidifier
You can buy a ready-made home ultrasonic humidifier in the store or make one yourself.
Required:
- 12 V power supply;
- ultrasound transducer;
- corrugated pipe 30 cm long;
- plastic container with a lid;
- hot glue gun and glue sticks.
In the container, you need to make one hole on the side for the wire, and the other in the lid for the pipe along its diameter. A converter is installed at the bottom, a power supply is connected to it, having qualitatively insulated the connection. The hole through which the wire passes is poured with hot glue and the pipe is fixed in the same way. Then you need to fill the container with water and the device can be used. In half an hour, such a device is able to humidify the air in one living room.
From the fan
The fan is used in various home-made devices for humidifying the air:
- The easiest way is to hang a wet towel on the fan, on the side where the blown air is directed.Due to the movement of the flow, the water will evaporate rather quickly. Only as it dries, the towel will need to be moistened.
- Any container with water is placed under a running fan. The air flow will spread the evaporated moisture.
Most home-made devices use a fan or cooler as one of the main parts.
More tips for humidifying the air
Small household changes will help improve the home microclimate, increase humidity by a few percent, at least for a while.
It is recommended that you dry your laundry at home after washing. The humidity will rise a little, but that's better than nothing. If the laundry dries in the bathroom, you need to open the doors, and it is better to place it on a special dryer near a radiator or heater.
Indoor plants also help increase the humidity in the air. If the flowers are placed on the windowsills, the water quickly evaporates from the central heating battery after irrigation. You just need to water the plants regularly. Some plant species evaporate water at a particularly high volume. For example, cyperus is capable of releasing up to 3 liters of water per day into the air.
Wet cleaning has a double benefit. The air becomes cleaner because dust is wiped off all surfaces. At the same time, the moisture left behind after harvesting evaporates from a large area, thereby increasing the moisture level in a short time. Having removed, it is worth hanging the washed rags on the battery, so that there is even more benefit.
The aquarium promotes constant air humidification. For more intense evaporation, it does not need to be covered with a lid. The best option is an aquarium with snails and live plants.
Using a simple spray bottle, you can humidify the air by spraying water on curtains, indoor flowers. It is important that the water and the spray bottle are clean, otherwise stains will remain on the fabric.
Constantly working electrical appliances help to reduce air humidity.
In order for the air in the house to always be sufficiently humid, it is not necessary to purchase expensive household appliances, it is quite possible to do with home-made devices. They are all more or less effective. With the right skills, it is not difficult to assemble a device that is not inferior in performance to purchased models.
