Autofilling Humi for Walk In

Originally Posted by wolfandwhisky

Thanks Bob - great info.

You actually touched on a question I was thinking of posting - why not use a filtration system as opposed to R/O or distillation? I'm thinking along the lines of Britta, etc.

You mention a drain - do R/O and/or distillation systems need a drain? I figured there would just be some type of part or filter that would occasionally be replaced. There is a drain in an adjacent room, but I doubt it would be practical to run a line to it. I could just punch a hole in the exterior wall and let the water out that way, though.

Filter systems (Britta, etc) usually don't do much to remove contaminants. They are usually just carbon filters. Running water through activated carbon will make it taste 'fresher'. Any chemicals or mineral deposits in the water will still be there though. Another problem with those is that they can trap some bacteria and other things inside, making the 'filter' a new home for germ breeding. If you get one that attaches to your sink, run water through it for about an hour per day for a month and then cut it in half. It will usually be full of 'slime'. No good.

Most distillers that I am familiar with do not have runoff. All water passes through a boiling chamber and only steam comes out which condenses into the holding container. You just take the boiling tank out and rinse it out every 6-12 months. Here in Reno running a distiller for 12 months I can fill a gallon zip-lock bag about half full with the 'sludge' that is left behind. I wouldn't put a distiller in the humidor itself though. They do generate a lot of heat. With a pump on the distiller you can run a water line in to the humidor from wherever the distiller is located.

RO systems are pretty good. Most do incorporate a runoff system which have varying degrees of efficiency depending on the system. Some can be as bad as flushing 7 gallons of water down the drain for every gallon of clean water they produce. I believe you can get the same pumps for RO systems that are available on distillers, so it doesn't have to be inside the humidor itself. Usually people put them under their kitchen sinks. My only issue with RO is that it's not 100% effective at removing contaminants. Certianly better than nothing if a distiller is not available though.

How much water is this humidor going to require? It seems like it would have to be an awful lot before a distiller is going to pay off.

Just a thought but what about a tank that you can periodically fill with distilled water? I am picturing one of the the 5 gallon water reservoirs our caterers use with a spigot in the bottom. Remove the spigot and install a hose fitting. From there the system would be the same. A float level in the humidifiers reservoir controls a solenoid valve in the water line that runs from the water tank.

I did something similar a ways back. My boss wanted to have 'bathtub gin' served out of a real bathtub at a party. We ended up flying an old clawfoot tub 9 feet off of the ground. I stole one of those water reservoirs from the caterers and rigged it to some tubing and fittings I got from the building engineer. It all worked great except the punch the boss mixed up was pretty weak.

[wolfandwhisky]

Originally Posted by Aloxite

How much water is this humidor going to require? It seems like it would have to be an awful lot before a distiller is going to pay off.

Just a thought but what about a tank that you can periodically fill with distilled water? I am picturing one of the the 5 gallon water reservoirs our caterers use with a spigot in the bottom. Remove the spigot and install a hose fitting. From there the system would be the same. A float level in the humidifiers reservoir controls a solenoid valve in the water line that runs from the water tank.

I did something similar a ways back. My boss wanted to have 'bathtub gin' served out of a real bathtub at a party. We ended up flying an old clawfoot tub 9 feet off of the ground. I stole one of those water reservoirs from the caterers and rigged it some tubing and fittings I got from the building engineer. It all worked great except the punch the boss mixed up was pretty weak.

Yeah - I like the idea of full automation, but for such a small scare humidor I don't think I'll be able to get there. Plus, I'd have to clean out the distiller anyways. Even without a 5 gallon jug (which is a great idea), it wouldn't be that much work to just keep a couple gallon jugs in the humi to pour into a unit now and then.