Hydra and 3,000 count cabinet and beads -- HELP! - Page 2

groogs · 01-10-2009, 08:06 PM

Not to knock the hydra, but I hate them. I would just use beads and some small PC fans or oust fans. Far less hassle, and no annoying alarms.

md4958 · 01-10-2009, 08:52 PM

i dont have a hydra, but ill just throw this out there.. perhaps there is a clog of some kind, somewhere??

DavenportESQ · 01-10-2009, 08:58 PM

Do you have any boxes in yet? If not I would add some and see if that helps.

shilala · 01-10-2009, 09:02 PM

Ian, you can get the RH up by adding a bunch of plates with wet sponges or wet paper towels.
If you want to season your beads with the hydra, place the beads and hydra in a tupperware container. It works great, I do it all the time.
I use a two gallon rubbermaid from walmart.
The small area won't let the alarm go off on the hydra and it'll stop making you crazy.
Once you've reconditioned the beads and you've alleviated the dryness in the cabinet with sponges, you can put the beads and hydra back in and it should keep up.
If it doesn't, your cabinet is leaking too badly for the stuff to keep up.
If I remember correctly you decided to use half the beads your cabinet calls for because friends of yours have gotten away with it. You may want to calculate your area again and make sure your cabinet has what it requires.

BengalMan · 01-10-2009, 09:06 PM

Scott,

I ordered half the amount from you, I had more than the other half already from Heartfelt. I bought 2lbs from you, I have 4 in there. I will add sponges and plates tonight and see how things look when I wake up tomorrow.

Hopefully it's not leaking really bad. If it is, I just have to figure out how to seal the damn thing, lol

HK3,

You can't turn the alarm off, stupid design, lol.

HK3- · 01-10-2009, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BengalMan

Scott,

I ordered half the amount from you, I had more than the other half already from Heartfelt. I bought 2lbs from you, I have 4 in there. I will add sponges and plates tonight and see how things look when I wake up tomorrow.

Hopefully it's not leaking really bad. If it is, I just have to figure out how to seal the damn thing, lol

HK3,

You can't turn the alarm off, stupid design, lol.

Huh... Mine has a button on the side that says "Audible, ON OFF"

BengalMan · 01-10-2009, 09:14 PM

Indeed it does, but that only works when the alarm is actively going off. It's pretty much like the silent button for your cell phone.

BengalMan · 01-10-2009, 10:02 PM

Haha, thanks Travis!

BengalMan · 01-10-2009, 10:07 PM

Ok, since adding the sponges and all the beads and setting the Hydra to 65, the hygro on the Hydra is now reading at 67.8 and the damn fan has turned off for the 1st time since I've owned it. I think at this point, the best thing to do will be leave the sponges in there and the Hydra on for the next 3-5 days at least and let everything in there level out. I will update the thread tomorrow when I wake up and see where things are at. Thanks again for everyone's help!

thebiglebowski · 01-11-2009, 09:52 AM

i just wanted to say... we're all counting on you.

BengalMan · 01-11-2009, 10:23 AM

Ok, got up this morning, and guess what, NO ALARM. lol. Not only was there no alarm, but the cabinet was at 69% (Hydra is set to 65%) so not only was the humidity finally up, but the hydra fan didn't even have to run. I pulled 2 sponges out, and will continue to pull 1 sponge per day until all 5 are gone. It seems to be that like some have said, the cabinet was still absorbing humidity, and then when I filled it up, the boxes were absorbing the humidity as well and the hydra just couldn't keep up. I think by the end of the week everything will be stabilized and fixed. Thanks for everyone's help!

shilala · 01-11-2009, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BengalMan

Ok, got up this morning, and guess what, NO ALARM. lol. Not only was there no alarm, but the cabinet was at 69% (Hydra is set to 65%) so not only was the humidity finally up, but the hydra fan didn't even have to run. I pulled 2 sponges out, and will continue to pull 1 sponge per day until all 5 are gone. It seems to be that like some have said, the cabinet was still absorbing humidity, and then when I filled it up, the boxes were absorbing the humidity as well and the hydra just couldn't keep up. I think by the end of the week everything will be stabilized and fixed. Thanks for everyone's help!

Go real slow, Ian. The boxes and humi will keep soaking for a good while.
If you want to keep your beads right on the money, set the hydra 3% below your desired setpoint.
That's what I do with mine and it works great.
When the hydra runs it seems to "run away". That little extra is enough to get the beads a couple %age points higher than the hydra's setting. That keeps the hydra from coming on until the beads lose a few %age points.
It's a neat little dance.
It doesn't break down until the hydra is empty.
In my winadors I never have to refill the hydras. Mind you, I took the foam out because they grow mold. That's gonna happen because of the high humidity inside the unit. It's impossible to avoid. So I tore out the mold foam and just use distilled water. I rinse out the cartridges on my hydras every now and then when it comes to ming so that the water stays clean.
In my displayadors (that leak) I have to refill the hydras now and again.
I haven't yet refilled them this winter.
If you go this way, you'll know when to refill the hydra when the evil squeal wakes you up in the middle of the night.
My point for this whole story is that if you find yourself refilling the hydra more than once a month, you've got a pretty massive leak.
If you can live with refilling it once a month, and you're happy with that, you don't have to fix anything.

If you find yourself refilling the hydra every couple days or every week, you'll want to see what you can do with your cabinet to seal it up.
If the door meets the frame pretty well, you're probably losing all your humidity from around the glass. If you pull the glass out of the door and put a bead of silicone behind it, that should do the trick.

MikeyC · 01-11-2009, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BengalMan

Ok, got up this morning, and guess what, NO ALARM. lol. Not only was there no alarm, but the cabinet was at 69% (Hydra is set to 65%) so not only was the humidity finally up, but the hydra fan didn't even have to run. I pulled 2 sponges out, and will continue to pull 1 sponge per day until all 5 are gone. It seems to be that like some have said, the cabinet was still absorbing humidity, and then when I filled it up, the boxes were absorbing the humidity as well and the hydra just couldn't keep up. I think by the end of the week everything will be stabilized and fixed. Thanks for everyone's help!

Great news! I wonder if you had the new larger Hydra if that would have sped up the process. I think using the smaller Hydra in an unseasoned cabinet was pushing the limits of the device which might be why you were running into all your problems with the alarm.

01-10-2009, 08:06 PM	#1
groogs Have My Own Room Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Grant Posts: 1,945 Trading: (62)	Re: Hydra and 3,000 count cabinet and beads -- HE Not to knock the hydra, but I hate them. I would just use beads and some small PC fans or oust fans. Far less hassle, and no annoying alarms.

01-10-2009, 08:52 PM	#2
md4958 Captain Cannoli Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Moe Location: Suffield, CT Posts: 5,712 Trading: (62)	Re: Hydra and 3,000 count cabinet and beads -- HE i dont have a hydra, but ill just throw this out there.. perhaps there is a clog of some kind, somewhere?? __________________ "One fart can foul the air for everyone" - Esteemed philosopher "If avoiding the nasty $hit is being a snob, them I am guilty as charged."- Same esteemed philosopher.

01-10-2009, 08:58 PM	#3
DavenportESQ Vaya Con Dios Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: David Location: Chicago Posts: 787 Trading: (15)	Re: Hydra and 3,000 count cabinet and beads -- HE Do you have any boxes in yet? If not I would add some and see if that helps. __________________ I was gambling in Havana I took a little risk Send lawyers, guns and money

01-10-2009, 09:02 PM	#4
shilala Dear Lord, Thank You. Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Scott Posts: 13,721 Trading: (252)	Re: Hydra and 3,000 count cabinet and beads -- HE Ian, you can get the RH up by adding a bunch of plates with wet sponges or wet paper towels. If you want to season your beads with the hydra, place the beads and hydra in a tupperware container. It works great, I do it all the time. I use a two gallon rubbermaid from walmart. The small area won't let the alarm go off on the hydra and it'll stop making you crazy. Once you've reconditioned the beads and you've alleviated the dryness in the cabinet with sponges, you can put the beads and hydra back in and it should keep up. If it doesn't, your cabinet is leaking too badly for the stuff to keep up. If I remember correctly you decided to use half the beads your cabinet calls for because friends of yours have gotten away with it. You may want to calculate your area again and make sure your cabinet has what it requires. __________________

01-10-2009, 09:06 PM	#5
BengalMan Have My Own Room Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Ian Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 1,280 Trading: (10)	Re: Hydra and 3,000 count cabinet and beads -- HE Scott, I ordered half the amount from you, I had more than the other half already from Heartfelt. I bought 2lbs from you, I have 4 in there. I will add sponges and plates tonight and see how things look when I wake up tomorrow. Hopefully it's not leaking really bad. If it is, I just have to figure out how to seal the damn thing, lol HK3, You can't turn the alarm off, stupid design, lol.

01-10-2009, 09:14 PM	#7
BengalMan Have My Own Room Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Ian Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 1,280 Trading: (10)	Re: Hydra and 3,000 count cabinet and beads -- HE Indeed it does, but that only works when the alarm is actively going off. It's pretty much like the silent button for your cell phone.

01-10-2009, 10:02 PM	#8
BengalMan Have My Own Room Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Ian Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 1,280 Trading: (10)	Re: Hydra and 3,000 count cabinet and beads -- HE Haha, thanks Travis!

01-10-2009, 10:07 PM	#9
BengalMan Have My Own Room Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Ian Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 1,280 Trading: (10)	Re: Hydra and 3,000 count cabinet and beads -- HE Ok, since adding the sponges and all the beads and setting the Hydra to 65, the hygro on the Hydra is now reading at 67.8 and the damn fan has turned off for the 1st time since I've owned it. I think at this point, the best thing to do will be leave the sponges in there and the Hydra on for the next 3-5 days at least and let everything in there level out. I will update the thread tomorrow when I wake up and see where things are at. Thanks again for everyone's help!

01-11-2009, 09:52 AM	#10
thebiglebowski Jack White's Roadie... Join Date: Nov 2008 First Name: larry Location: music city, USA Posts: 665 Trading: (0)	Re: Hydra and 3,000 count cabinet and beads -- HE i just wanted to say... we're all counting on you.

01-11-2009, 10:23 AM	#11
BengalMan Have My Own Room Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Ian Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 1,280 Trading: (10)	Re: Hydra and 3,000 count cabinet and beads -- HE Ok, got up this morning, and guess what, NO ALARM. lol. Not only was there no alarm, but the cabinet was at 69% (Hydra is set to 65%) so not only was the humidity finally up, but the hydra fan didn't even have to run. I pulled 2 sponges out, and will continue to pull 1 sponge per day until all 5 are gone. It seems to be that like some have said, the cabinet was still absorbing humidity, and then when I filled it up, the boxes were absorbing the humidity as well and the hydra just couldn't keep up. I think by the end of the week everything will be stabilized and fixed. Thanks for everyone's help!