Set up VecoCuby humidifier

Soak the entire wicks and place the VecoCuby humidifier in a desired location. Each frame sides with one handling slot on the pan. Place a waterproof layer underneath the pan if the floor is not waterproof to avoid accidental water damage. Pour water slowly into the pan to prevent it from splattering out. A watering can is recommended for filling water. Do not overfill the pan (keep the water level 1/4 inch~ 6mm below the low edges of the pan) so as to reduce the risk of water overflow. Prepare a towel to clean up water outside the pan. The pan has a low profile to improve evaporation. Avoid carrying the pan with a significant amount of water inside, as the water may go out of the pan. Instead, use a small cup to scoop water into a bucket, or use a towel/sponge to drain the water before moving.

To achieve higher evaporation rate, place VecoCuby in place with noticeable airflow through the cloth wicks, e.g., near a floor vent or a wall vent of a HVAC outlet/supply vent (NOT a return vent). On your HVAC control unit, set the fan to "ON" (not "AUTO") to increase airflow in the house. If you have only ceiling vent or no airflow, also check out how to maximize the rate. You may also use a portable fan. If you have a small room or wish to have a lower rate, choose a place with little airflow and/or remove one of the frames. 

(1) With vent deflector - You can get a vent deflector from your local or online store, or you can make one yourself. The pictures below show settings of a commercial deflector and a DIY cut&bent deflector using a cardboard in the shipping package (guide the air to the lower half of the frame so the top half doesn't become too warm). 

 

 

(2) Without vent deflector - The floor vent usually has angled bars at the exit to divert the airflow to opposite sides along the wall direction. Place VecoCuby on one side to receive the hot air, and with the permission of your HVAC technician, block half of the vent on the other side to increase the airflow (picture below). 

An improvement is to use a file folder/deflector or the like to guide the airflow to the lower half of the wicks (picture below, in addition a plate/box may be placed on the other side of the wicks to force airflow back to the upper half of the wicks in the center). 

You may also place the frames at about 45° angle to allow hot air to pass directly through the gaps in the wicks, as shown below (Note: all vertical sections of wicks should be in contact with the thick wire sitting on the pan to wick water properly). Allow the soaked wicks to settle for a few seconds or longer before tilting the frames, so the extra water on the frames and the wicks can run off. If any piece of wicks stays outside of the pan, make sure it is higher than the water level in the pan so the water will not be siphoned out of the pan. Keep the water level 1/4 inch (~ 6mm) below the low edges of the pan to reduce the risk of water overflow. Use a cloth hanger (see the picture below) or the like to reduce the risk of water overflow from the fallback/sliding of the frames. We recommend you use any of the horizontal settings above if feasible.

  • HVAC wall outlet vent: Caution - Do not place the humidifier near an HVAC return vent. Many houses have HVAC return vents on wall. An outlet vent should have hot air coming out when the heating is on.

  • HVAC ceiling outlet vent: With the HVAC heating running, place the humidifier in a location near the vent (NOT a return vent) capable of receiving the hot air through the gaps among the sections of the cloth wicks, preferably on a stable table (see the picture below). Note many vents have angled bars at the exit, so avoid placing the humidifier right below the vent since the airflow is weak. The evaporation rate for ceiling vent setting is lower than the floor or wall vent setting due to weaker airflow. 

  • No airflow: Place the humidifier away from corner and cold place like near the window, and on a stable table if possible. You may place the frames at about 45° angle (as described in floor vent without deflector above, see the picture below) to increase convection airflow from the evaporative cooling effect. The evaporation rate for this setting is about 3 times lower (4 times lower if the frames are placed horizontal) than the floor or wall vent setting.

  • Using a portable fan: This setting may be able to provide a throughput substantially higher than any of the settings above. One fan can blow several humidifiers at the same time.

  • Additional tip: It is recommended to place a piece of soaked kitchen paper towel on top of each frame to extract some mineral deposits from the water, which tend to accumulate on the wet top as seen in the picture below. Replace the paper towel when noticeable deposits appear. The paper towel also helps increasing airflow through the open-top gaps (now covered by the paper towel) among sections of the wick, when the HVAC floor vent is used to increase evaporation. This method works best for horizontal placement of the frames (thin wires horizontal).

  • Auxiliary tank: If you are one of the DIYers enjoying expanding VecoCuby's functions, an extra tank may help you reduce the times of refilling through siphoning. The picture below uses an IV line with adjustable rate. The dripping speed should not be higher than half of the evaporation rate of VecoCuby to reduce the risk of water damage from overflowing. A starting rate ranges from one drop per 10 seconds to per second for the IV line below depending on your VecoCuby setting and weather, and adjusted accordingly. There are a few helpful points to know for reducing the risk of water damage,
  1. secure the tubing at both ends to the pan/tank;
  2. water drop size depends on tubing material and size (proportional to diameter);
  3. plastic material degrades over time, especially some IV line, which may impact the flow rate;
  4. keep the tank's bottom dry at all time;
  5. the flow rate drops over time due to the drop of water level in the tank, raising the tank higher reduces the variation;
  6. watch closely the water level in the pan, and reduce the rate if the level rises. You may use another VecoCuby pan (5 cm depth) as the auxiliary tank to reduce the overflowing risk.

Disclaimers: User assumes all risks including but not limited to water damages associated with the use of an auxiliary tank. In no event shall ACH Ecosimpventive be liable for any direct, indirect, or consequential damages whatsoever arising from the use or misuse of this product.