Once again, while browsing the vast expanses of Ali Express, I came across such a fogger.
I bought it... just for experimentation. As it turned out, it is a working element of, if not all, then most air humidifiers, and it works very well. The principle of its operation is that a membrane oscillating at an ultrasonic frequency creates a vacuum. Water in a vacuum is known to transform into a gaseous state at much lower temperatures.
In practice, the device is a cylinder with a diameter of about three and a half centimeters and a height of about two and a half. It is powered by direct current, voltage 24 V. In its upper part there is a sensor (electrode) in order to prevent “dry running” - as soon as the water level drops below it, the device stops working. When a connected device is lowered into water, it immediately begins to work - a “fountain” of mist bubbles forms in the upper part. The water level in the container with the device is important - if there is more than two or three centimeters above it, fog will not form. The bubbles will have time to dissolve in the water and we will only see a small fountain on the surface. Water consumption is quite small. I used such a fogger when making a homemade firebox for a false fireplace. There it is located in a square container measuring 30 by 18 cm. A water level of two centimeters is enough for about 4-5 hours of continuous operation. There is a rubber sealing plug on the cord that will allow you to seal the hole in the container through which you pass the cord.
The device can be used in a large number of different homemade products, both for practical purposes (air humidifiers) and decorative ones (fountains, “alpine slides”, decorative ponds, and so on). At the same time, you will find something similar on Ali Express
It can be powered, for example, from a computer power supply, from which you can easily remove the required voltage. Or you can buy a fogger on Ali Express with a power supply included. This set will cost you about 7 - 8 dollars.
And finally... When designing homemade products with this device, do not forget that its “product” is not water vapor, but fog! It is heavier than air and spreads downwards. If the device operates, for example, in a basin of water, then the basin will fill with fog, then it will become denser for some time, and only then “pour out.” True, you won’t clearly see the process of “pouring out” - the upper column will dissolve when it comes into contact with air...
Hi all!
In winter, the issue of humidifying the air in the apartment becomes especially relevant. A huge assortment of all kinds of devices comes to the rescue, some cope with the task, and some do not.
So, in pursuit of savings, about 3 years ago I made a not entirely correct choice and purchased a device with zero efficiency in terms of air humidification. After several days of trying to use this "bucket with fan" was turned off and put away from view.
Later, in the vastness of Aliexpress, a cheap device was accidentally spotted - the hero of today's review. It was decided to purchase it and modernize the above-mentioned “bucket”.
Read more about what came out of this under the cut.
Appearance, dimensions and weight
There's not much to say about shipping and packaging. Delivery is long (2 months), packaging is a regular bubble bag. I bought 3 of them at once in case one doesn’t work or as a spare.The device looks like a small cylinder with a wire. There is a hole on top into which a plastic nut is screwed, unscrewing it, we will see a membrane, which, of course, does not slide in. There's nothing else interesting there. There are slots on the bottom side for water to enter. 
Perhaps something can also be unscrewed from the bottom, but I couldn’t, and it’s a shame to break it.
There are modifications of the device with built-in LEDs.
Device dimensions:
Diameter - 35mm
Height - 29mm 
The power cord has a movable rubber plug with a diameter of 16mm. 
The weight of the device is 58 grams 
Cable length - 93 centimeters 
The connector for connecting the power supply is round, central plus, external minus. 
The power supply for 24V and 1A of the device was purchased separately. 
The power plug has a diameter of about 6mm. 
The length of the power supply cable is 91 cm. 
Demonstration of work
After connecting the device to the network and immersing it in water, it automatically starts working. As soon as the water runs out, the device automatically turns off. For normal operation, it must be immersed in water to a depth of 3-3.5 centimeters. If you lower it below 5 cm, then a small fountain without fog (steam) will emerge from the water.I demonstrate the operation of the device in a short video.
Collective farming of a floating basket
The idea behind the modifications was to place a working sprayer in its water tank, and the standard moist air blowing system would do the rest.In order for the device to be permanently located at a certain depth, it was decided to take an ordinary plastic glass, make a hole at the bottom of the glass to supply water and attach some kind of non-sinking material to it. I didn’t have regular foam plastic of the required size on hand, so I decided to use the existing seal for windows and doors as a non-sinking material.
Not to look nervous! Wild collective farm!!!
Doping the existing “humidifier”
Next, I drilled a hole in the plastic water tank for the wire with a plug.I didn’t have a drill larger than 12mm, so the hole wasn’t very even.
We collect everything else and check how it works.
Great, you can install the top part with a fan.
The resulting result
Assembling the “bucket”, first turn on the water sprayer, then the fan on the “bucket”.A short video demonstration
The outer grille was made in such a way that it directed the humidified air downwards, so I removed it, turned it over and attached it back with double-sided tape.
conclusions
As a result of the improvements, the appearance of the original humidifier has remained virtually unchanged. Unfortunately, I can’t digitize the efficiency of the device; I don’t have a hygrometer, but as a result of the operation of the completed humidifier, the following is observed:1. After several hours of work, the windows began to fog up, and this was at -20 degrees outside.
2. After waking up, in the morning, there is no feeling of dryness in the nose, etc...
3. 8 liters of water that the tank holds evaporate in 2 days. In this case, the device only works half the time.
All of the above indicates the effectiveness of the resulting humidifier.
In the humidifier I use water from a reverse osmosis filter, so no limescale formations appear on the surfaces in the room.
I am satisfied with the performance of the resulting humidifier.
Of the minuses:
1. Another electrical outlet required
2. When the device operates, a slight “gurgling” sound is heard.
That's all.
Hello everyone and thank you for your attention!
Ecology of consumption. Home: Many people believe that purchasing an air humidifier for an apartment is an unsuccessful and unnecessary thing. But this is not true at all. This device is not a luxury at all. Moreover, you can make an ultrasonic air humidifier with your own hands.
Many people believe that purchasing an air humidifier for their apartment is a bad and unnecessary thing. But this is not true at all. This device is not a luxury at all. Moreover, you can make an ultrasonic air humidifier with your own hands.
Very often, humidifiers are purchased because of the need to regulate the air quality in those rooms where people constantly live. Such a need may be caused by the emergence of diseases, which may be caused by poor-quality, dry air, which makes breathing difficult and negatively affects overall well-being. In addition, dry air can harm not only people, but also furniture made of wood, natural parquet, as well as plants and flowers.
For a child's room, an air humidifier is simply an indispensable device, since insufficient air humidity is very harmful to the child's body. Dry air damages mucous membranes and increases the likelihood of respiratory diseases.
Any type of humidifiers for home and office does not require installation and has the ability to operate around the clock in an enclosed space, which can be an office, apartment or office. Such devices operate quietly enough, so they can be installed in the bedroom.
TYPES OF HUMIDIFIERS
Based on their design and operating principle, there are five main types of humidifiers:
- Cold steam devices.
This is the most traditional type of humidifier. The operation of this device consists of cold evaporation of liquid. Water is poured into the tank, then it is directed to the pan, and from there to the evaporation cartridges. The simplest models have replaceable paper filters. From the evaporative elements, the air, moistened, passes into the room.
Such devices not only humidify the air, but also purify it. All dirt accumulates in cartridges and filters. For cold humidifiers, distilled water is used. The advantage of such devices is that they save a lot of energy. It is also important that they operate virtually silently. This type of humidifier is usually installed in the children's room and bedroom, as well as in offices. The only disadvantage of such devices is that they have little power.
- Hot steam devices.
The operation of these devices is based on the evaporation of liquid by heating it. Such devices operate on the principle of an electric kettle. If the water in the evaporator has completely boiled away, the device turns itself off. Therefore, such devices are completely fireproof. This type of humidifier has a hydrostat, which allows the device to control air humidity and turn off automatically when this indicator reaches the desired value.
A steam or ultrasonic humidifier is best used to create a comfortable climate in greenhouses. The positive qualities of steam devices are ease of operation and their use for inhalation. You just need to add an infusion of medicinal ingredients or aromatic oils to the device. Aromatic oils allow you to use the device also as an air freshener.
- Ultrasound devices
The operating principle of an ultrasonic air humidifier is to transform water particles into a “water cloud” state. This occurs not due to the boiling of the liquid, but due to high-frequency vibrations. Dry air passes into the humidifier. Then, using a fan, it is released into the room in the form of a cold fog. Such humidifiers do not heat the water, so they can be used in rooms where there are small children.
Ultrasonic humidifiers are suitable for rooms containing objects that need to maintain a certain level of humidity. Such items include antiques, antique furniture, and musical instruments. An ultrasonic humidifier can also be installed in a living room.
The operating principle of an ultrasonic humidifier allows for very precise humidity control. Of course, such devices are quite expensive, but they are quite easy to make yourself.
- Climate complexes
Such humidifiers help not only to humidify, but also to cleanse the air of any contaminants. The humidification process follows the operating principle of steam devices. The filter inserted into the device is most often anti-allergenic and antibacterial. If the device is equipped with a carbon filter, it will help rid the room of bad odors and tobacco smoke. These complexes can be installed in offices and children's rooms. Some models can accommodate aromatherapy capsules.
Although all these types of humidifiers have their own advantages, ultrasonic humidifiers, which you can make yourself, are still especially popular. The step-by-step instructions described below can help with this.
- Spray type humidifiers.
Such humidifiers spray a water suspension, which is tiny particles of water. When leaving the humidifier, the suspension turns into steam. Such devices are very powerful, but very expensive. Therefore, such humidifiers, also called atomizers, are installed only in industrial premises where they can justify themselves.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ULTRASONIC HUMIDIFIERS
The positive aspects of such devices are visible to the naked eye. These include a high degree of safety, ease of use, low noise and small size, which is very important for Russian apartments. In addition, such humidifiers save electricity despite their good performance. Precise humidity control is also an important advantage.
The only drawback of such devices is that they have strict water requirements. It is best if it is distilled.
CREATION OF AN ULTRASONIC HUMIDIFIER
In order to make an ultrasonic air humidifier with your own hands, you will need:
- Ultrasonic steam generator.
- Fan for computer.
- Plastic container for 5 or 10 liters.
- A plastic cup.
- Detail from a baby pyramid in the shape of a donut.
- 24v7 power supply.
- Flexible pipe, corrugated.
- Stabilizer.
- Aluminum corner
Everything you need to create a humidifier can be found at home or purchased at a hardware store. The total cost of this homemade technique will be no more than one thousand rubles, which is significantly lower than the cost of a factory humidifier. So how to make an ultrasonic humidifier? Let's describe the whole process.
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I don’t argue that you could buy a ready-made ultrasonic humidifier, it would be faster, but I had a problem with spare parts that it came out by itself. In the article I will show how and what I made it from, and at the end, I will tell you how I would make it now, based on the experience of the current run-in.
In March, an ultrasonic atomizer in a plastic case arrived to me, I was specially preparing for the summer, the structure was assembled, but one day, the level sensor built into the ultrasonic head did not work, and as a result of working dry, the sensor body melted and in some places burned out, though , I didn’t notice it right away - it turned out okay.
A week ago, an ultrasonic head came to me already in a metal case, which means I had to disassemble the entire structure and reassemble it again.
Will need
I had in stock:
- - office bucket with a capacity of 10 liters;
- - 12 volt power supply;
- - ultrasonic sprayer in a metal case;
- - black mounting box dimensions 100 x 60 x 25 mm;
- - any boost module, I happened to have the Xl6009 module;
- - speed controller 12 volts;
- - turbine;
- - power switch, several sockets and plugs for them;
- - handy little things appeared during the assembly process;
- - and also - the housing from the faulty speed controller - you will see it later.
Visual connection diagram
I had to try to make it all not look like a mess and be easy to understand.
- - the input 12 volts is increased by the module to 22 volts and supplied to the ultrasonic atomizer;
- - also, the input 12 volts are supplied to the fan speed control unit;
- - both of them are connected in parallel and connected to the input jack through a common power switch.
The finished speed controller immediately came to me faulty, and as it happens, it was put aside in a pile “until better times”; its housing with four convenient holes for mounting was used. You can see what happened to the filling. For some time, the current was so high that the wires leading to the socket on the ultrasonic head burned out and melted. However, both modules turned out to be serviceable and only the wiring needed to be replaced.
At the end of the office basket, I drilled four holes for installing screws to which the control unit was attached, even lower, you see a hole for passing the wire going to the ultrasonic head.
The first option, I put together in a hurry, and this solution revealed its shortcomings. If you look inside the basket, you can see that the screw heads have been corroded.
To get rid of rust, it was necessary to transform it with swabs soaked in a strong solution of food grade citric acid
After brushing and drying, the heads were sealed with clear acrylic glue from a hardware store.
Fan assembly
It should be completely protected from splashes and after a short deliberation, I decided to use a centrifugal turbine, which I glued into a black plastic box on strips of double-sided mounting tape based on 1 mm.
Through a smaller hole on the bottom lid of the box, air is supplied inside the basket. Please note that the intake hole on the top side of the box and the outlet hole on the bottom will be located opposite each other. Thus, no splashes will be able to reach the turbine engine. Along the perimeter of the resulting unit, I pasted a sealing tape used to seal the openings of opening plastic windows, and to the turbine itself, a piece of twisted cord was soldered with plugs at the end. The soldered contacts were sealed with hot glue.
Cover assembly
Back side.
The lid of the office bucket, as you know, is equipped with a rotating valve, and this gave me the most inconvenience.
- - first, I marked and made a hole for the water mist to escape;
- - then, I slumbered and cut out a rectangular window for the fan assembly;
- - to lock the valve, I glued a piece of foam rubber onto the entire inner area of the lid with waterproof glue;
- - the workpiece, in order to prevent it from poisoning steam, had to be well moistened with the same glue in several stages;
- - after drying, on an almost water-repellent foam rubber blank, I glued a blank from linoleum scraps.
Front cover. A half of a chocolate egg is inserted into the hole for releasing the drizzle. With some effort, it can rotate. I advise you to burn holes in it only on one side so that the flow of cold steam can be directed away from the fan assembly and the air intake hole.
As a result, this is the general appearance of a washed office basket without an installed fan assembly.
To give it a less collective-farm look, I glued the remaining sealant tape along the contour of the slot of the rotating valve.
Float assembly
I cut a round float from foamed polyethylene; displays and televisions are “dressed” in a frame made of this material.A yogurt cup is inserted into the float, into which an ultrasonic atomizer will be inserted.
The first tests immediately showed that the ultrasonic head should be recessed under the surface of the water, to the depth of the phalanx of the finger, but at the same time, individual splashes still flew out of the fog fountain. Therefore, I had to think about a drop arrester. It was made from the cap of a foam container, and luckily it had an eyelet with a hole for the foam supply tube.
The signs of rust are due to the fact that I used a metal pin instead of nylon cable ties, and after soaking in citric acid, this is what I will use during final assembly.
Actually, that’s it – the cleaning is finished, then there will be a series of photographs with explanations in which you will see the process of the final compilation of spare parts.
Following it, I will share my thoughts on what I would do differently and a video of the assembled humidifier in operation.
Electronics unit
The wires were soldered. At the same time, on the left, you see a socket for connecting the fan unit.
And the lid is closed. Two lower slots. The right one is the output to the ultrasonic head, the left socket is intended for connecting an external +12 volt power supply.
Ultrasonic head and float system
I had to cut the stock wire due to its poor flexibility and splice it with flexible conductors in a silicone sheath. The solder joints were generously sealed with hot glue. And, pay attention - the wire is passed through a silicone cap that seals jars of antibiotics.You saw a through hole in the office basket; a lid with a wire in its center will be inserted into it, which will not only serve as an obstacle to the escape of fine mist, but will also allow you to remove this entire assembly without cutting the conductors.
But the floating platform had to be completely changed. The metal sprayer turned out to be heavy for her and her buoyancy was negative.
I took, as you can see, polystyrene foam, I was lucky, it’s dense foam plastic from a foam box measuring 24 mm in width and 100 by 115 mm on the sides.
The basket for the ultrasound head also had to be replaced with a whole yogurt cup. The sprayer was pressed tightly into the cup to the bottom, and with a soldering iron, holes were burned to allow water to enter this small container.
You will have to experimentally find out the buoyancy of the platform, but I will say right away that there is no alternative to foam plastic.
Test run
Water is poured into the basket, the ultrasonic unit is lowered to the surface, the plug of the ultrasonic unit goes through the silicone cap through the wall of the office basket. You can also see that the same sealing cord is glued along the inner perimeter of the basket.
System at medium speed.
The system consumption was 1.92A at maximum fan speed and with an external power supply of 12V. Without fan 1.72A.
So that I can change now.
Firstly, the lid, it seems to me, didn’t turn out very well. Go up to the picture where I showed the upside down lid. It will be better if you cut a blank from a single sheet of plastic the size of the inner side (step) of the lid. After gluing and checking for sealing, the fan assembly can be placed in the resulting space under the rotating flap of the office basket lid. I think there was also room for other electronics. Which?
For example, a humidity sensor. There are modules with humidity sensors combined with relays, and after calibrating and setting the module to 40% humidity, you can forget about playing with the switch. Humidity will always be automatically maintained at the optimal level.
Secondly, the security system. I can guess why the previous fog generator in a plastic case burned out. On it (as well as on this one), a capacitance sensor is installed in the form of a bracket and probably the fog generator, due to its lightness, was warped - the capacitance sensor ended up in water, and the piezo membrane ended up partly in the air, which led to overheating of the entire head. Compact capacity sensors are produced on the TTP223 microcircuit; it can and should be glued to the minimum water level in the basket on the outside, at which it is guaranteed that this ultrasonic head, although heavy, would still be in water. The sensor itself can control the boost module; the boost module has a controlled input.
Thirdly, the boost module can be cheaper, not necessarily the one I used - I didn’t have anything else at hand.
Approximate cost of the entire set:
- - office basket – 2.5 dollars.
- - ultrasonic nebulizer – 5.6 dollars.
- - boost module Xl6009, which may be different - $0.80.
- - turbine – 1.43 dollars.
- - black box 100x60x25 mm – $1.08.
- - ready-made speed controller – $1.32.
I had everything else available. I believe that this homemade product, which does not pretend to be the center of the holiday table like a samovar, nevertheless has all the necessary consumer qualities that, for this money, most likely cannot be found in a ready-made version.
Thank you for your attention.
Ruslan.
Now on store shelves there is a huge selection of household humidifiers, ranging from the simplest “donut”, which floats in a glass of water and is powered by a USB port, to expensive office humidifiers with sophisticated automation. Basically, most of these goods come to us from neighboring China, and therefore there is no point in talking about the durability of the device. For example, my 5 liter household humidifier in the mycelium worked for only six months, after which not a single workshop was able to bring it back to life. It’s good that for testing I ordered a small batch of mist maker from China, these are small ultrasonic fog generators that only need a 24-volt power supply. They look like this:
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The difference between these two models is only in the diameter of the ceramic-coated working plate; in the first photo the diameter is 20mm, in the second it is 16mm, and naturally the first one works much more efficiently. I only had to make a float and take a bucket under the container where the mist maker floats. It works reliably, I only add water. A little about water - the water should be as pure as possible, the ideal option is distilled, the durability of the ceramic plate depends on the water, and secondly, what salts are in the water, then when ultrasound works, all these salts along with the fog will float in your room, covering everything with a thin white coating. I told and showed how to make a humidifier in the video.
