Thanks for the information. We tried humidity trays and we can't get it higher that 40%. We have an 6 inch fan blowing through a swamp cooler that takes us to 45%. We have heard that the mist makers are unreliable and messy. How long have you had yours and is there a specific brand to buy.

Thank you again.

Thanks for the information. We tried humidity trays and we can't get it higher that 40%. We have an 6 inch fan blowing through a swamp cooler that takes us to 45%. We have heard that the mist makers are unreliable and messy. How long have you had yours and is there a specific brand to buy.

Thank you again.

Thanks for the information. We tried humidity trays and we can't get it higher that 40%. We have an 6 inch fan blowing through a swamp cooler that takes us to 45%. We have heard that the mist makers are unreliable and messy. How long have you had yours and is there a specific brand to buy.

Thank you again.

Thanks for the information. We tried humidity trays and we can't get it higher that 40%. We have an 6 inch fan blowing through a swamp cooler that takes us to 45%. We have heard that the mist makers are unreliable and messy. How long have you had yours and is there a specific brand to buy.

Thank you again.

Hi!

We built an orchidarium of similar dimensions and use a 'mist maker'. Search on well known auction sites under that name and you'll find plenty for under $30. You can also fill humidity trays with water and have small computer fans moving the moisture around the tank.

With fans and mist makers I have 65-80% humidity

Hi!

I have my fogger in a large candy jar (bell jar?), looks like an oversized brandy snifter (~12" tall, again found on ebay). This prevents the larger drops from landing outside the misting pool, keeps the orchidarium somewhat clean. The vibrating metal disc that forms the mist can corrode, however replacement discs are cheap and easy to install. The misters are so cheap that I don't think one brand would have benefits over another brand. I've had mine for 3 years, and I only use RO water for misting. Tap water will leave white spots over the inner walls of your tank and plants.

I too will second the recommendation of the MistMaker as it was cheap ($30). I've been using mine for over a year and have not had any problems yet -- it doesn't run constantly, but does come on for 30 minutes every hour. My orchidarium is 35in wide, 24 inches deep and 36in high. I grow Masd and Drac so I need high humidity -- I supplement this with a cool-mist humidifier that I got from Walmart for about $20. It comes on 4 times a day for 5 minutes just for a humidity "boost". I can keep the humidity at 85% or better this way.

As far as the MistMaker being messy -- yes it does tend to splash a little water. I also purchased the floating buoy. However, I have a large plastic basin (about 24inx18in) at the bottom of the orchidarium. The mistmaker floats (via the buoy) in this basin so any splash just falls back down in the water anyway. I just need to add water every 7-10 days. I don't have an RO unit yet, but I use distilled water to keep residue off the plant leaves.

You mentioned piping humidity into the case -- that could work as well. I don't do it now, but I did that with an aquarium I was using initially. I have some pics of that and the current (larger) case at:

http://www.ces.clemson.edu/~rboone/masdcase.html

I've built two orchidariums just using plastic sheeting (except for door which was clear, hard plastic so I can see the flowers :-). I found that double-layering the plastic (with about an inch between the layers) dramatically increased the humidity retention in the case and helped me maintain the temps better. Your mileage may vary.

Roggie