Questions about humidity

[oldhippie64]

I'm not going to be able to afford a dehumidifer for my grow at this time. my home is heated by a 120 yr old steam heating system that I add water almost weekly during the coldest weather and water condenses on the windows. what will be the affect of this high humidity environment? any good cheap ideas of combating this issue? was thinking of using damp rid but it doesn't offer any means of control levels.

 

[WizHigh]

I would say use fans. That will dry out the air alot

 

[crashnfool]

I'm not going to be able to afford a dehumidifer for my grow at this time. my home is heated by a 120 yr old steam heating system that I add water almost weekly during the coldest weather and water condenses on the windows. what will be the affect of this high humidity environment? any good cheap ideas of combating this issue? was thinking of using damp rid but it doesn't offer any means of control levels.

Damp rid does not work well for indoor grows....

 

[GigaGrew]

actually i think you have the answer in your question.

you say it condenses on your windows...does that mean you have single glazing?

if so when its warm inside but cold outside the glass is doing the exact job of a dehumidifyer.
you just need to use a small (small enough to easily become saturated) cloth to wipe up all that condensation and wring it down a drain, more will form on the windows as long as the temprature difference remains. the more you can put down a drain the dryer your entire premises.

also consider the humidity of your outside air...if its lower than your indoor air, then its probably this air that your grow room should recieve, aimed at the light first if its quite cold

edit: if this is an actual living condition problem too, you could always try to jury rig a towel laid on the windowsil catching the moisture, this towel then flows off the windowsill and gets twisted into a loose 'rope'. and have a pan underneath. the idea is that condensation rolls down the window and onto the towel, the towel tries to become equally saturated but the weight of the water causes it to drip at the end of the 'rope' causing a low pressure area which absorbs more drops at the top...you then just empty the pans when they are empty.

ive lived in a few dodgy places and had to learn to adapt to such issues, lol

 

[oldhippie64]

oh no they are double pain windows, the humidity gets tropical inside while it's frosty outside. My heating system works like a big tea kettle with multiple "whistles". the "whistles" or breathers are on the radiators,they are to allow air in/out go but not steam. they go pfft every now and then. I think it's a flaw of the system(allowing humid air out) or breathers aren't as good as used to be and allow some water vapor thru. A friend has similar steam heat and it makes his house humid too. this is why I'm thinking of shutting off radiator and using electric heat in the room & use attic for air exchange.

 

[Muttt]

Those vents should be closed. A steam heat system is a closed system. The little valves are on the radiators to allow you to purge air out of the system. If you get air in your steam system, it will cause a steam hammer. Which is a banging noise caused by the air in the pipes expanding and contracting when they get hot or cold. Close up those vents.


Normally there are valves on the bottom of the radiator that allow you to control how much steam goes to that radiator. These allow you to control the temps. Then, there would be a little valve on the top of radiator. I believe that is what you are referring to.

 

[GigaGrew]

if your house is really that humid i would just grow in a sealed tent and get your air from outside...even damp outside air will plummet in relative humidity once warmed to grow room temp =)

 

[oldhippie64]

Mutt my system isn't quite like that, here is info I copied from web about vents. "they are a mechanical thermostatically operated valve inside of the air vent, also called a steam vent, closes the vent so that steam does not continue to escape".
that " so that steam does not continue to escape" part indicates they are not always closed so my system isn't always closed. Some vents have adjustments to control how fast they let air out/steam up to radiators. they are adjusted so all radiators heat evenly, (that what my plumber friend said to do). the hammering you mention does happen but it's just little pings as it's getting filled with steam and vents allowing air to purge. the valves on bottom are only shut offs, they're not controls.

 

[GigaGrew]

muttt your plant of the month sig only points to october and not the main thread, we already have a november thread running

 

[Muttt]

I think I fixed the Plant of the Month in my signature block. If it don't work, PM me or somethin.

 

[GigaGrew]

your links all look valid again =)