Cloth wicks installation

If you are replacing an old cloth wick with a new cloth wick, as an alternative you may overlay the new wick over the old wick for fast replacement, as overlaying paper towels.

Do not pull loose threads from a cloth wick, as it may break the wick apart (you may cut the loose threads off using scissors if desired). If you plan to use kitchen paper towels as wicks, click here.

• Wrap a cloth wick over the frame - Each cloth wick has 4 pairs of strips at each end. Tie the two middle pairs of strips at each end to a thin wire and wrap the cloth wick as shown in the picture (using quick-release knots, similar to tying shoelaces). Allow a small gap (~1/4 inch) between the thin wire and the edge at each end (indicated by the green arrow below) for possible later adjustment. Make sure the wicks are stretched (but not over-stretched to damage the wicks or the wires) between two ends to avoid sections of wick sticked to each other when wet. Click here to see some common wick-wrapping problems.

• Tying the side pairs of strips - wrap one strip around the thick wire once then forming a quick-release knot with the other strip from the other side of the thin wire to help stretch out the cloth wick. If you plan to place the frames at 45° angle, edges of the wicks should be aligned and in contact with a thick wire on one side (left side in picture below, this thick wire should sit on the pan surface to wick water up), and keep a gap from another thick wire on the other side (right side).

• Adjusting cloth wicks' tension when needed - Sections of wet cloth wick may stick to each other if not stretched enough. Separate them when it happens to maximize evaporation area. If it happens repeatedly, you need to untie the knots and retie them to further stretch the wick. A properly stretched cloth wick rarely needs re-adjustment unless you blow it with a high speed fan. Please note you may need to re-adjust the tension even you order VecoCuby humidifier with pre-installed wicks. 

For maintenance of cloth wicks, read the Q&A section about how to clean up the wicks.

#Note for kitchen paper towels as wicks: stretch paper towels carefully to avoid breaking the perforated lines, especially when wet. Tension needs to be adjusted under wet condition for paper towels to pull the folded fibers straight. The paper towels do not need to be continuous. If you break a perforated line, anchor the part you already stretch and start a new set of paper towels over the remaining thin wires.