[TriLUG] [OT] ESD issues

[Joseph Mack NA3T]

On Sun, 19 Mar 2006, William Sutton wrote:

> It's usually 20-something percent humidity

too low. You're really interested in the dew point, not the 
rel humidity. At 70deg you'd want 40% or so. Since you 
aren't bothered by skin problems, just increase the humidity 
till the sparks stop. The problems will all go away by 
Memorial day when the humidity goes through the roof and 
won't be back till Nov.

> So does this require buying distilled water?

yes.

> Can I get away with tap water or is that filtered?

do not use tap water - it has dissolved minerals (eg silica, 
CaS04). The current generation of humidifiers are ultrasonic 
and spray whole water droplets into the air, which then 
evaporate leaving sharp edged micro-rocks in the air to 
settle into your lungs. (The previous generation boiled the 
water for you and you could use tap water - except that the 
heating element wound up covered with and the tank filled 
with hard boiler scale). I doubt if there's been any studies 
one way or another on the matter, but since the lungs seem 
to have problems with anything but air with a little water 
in it, I'll take the safe route. I use about $50 worth of 
distilled H2O (in 2.5gal jugs) in a winter. It's cheaper 
than the medical bills I used to pay each winter to look 
after my skin.

Most of the humidifiers seem to have been designed by people 
trying only to make them look attractive - they're hard to 
fill, control, too small a tank etc. I have a ReliOn 
H-0565-0 with about a 2 gal tank that I use in about 2-3 
days (2000sqft house) that I got at WalMart. It's OK apart 
from needing to carefully line the top and bottom halves 
after filling or they won't mate (oh and the filler cap 
cross threads by default - unless you are careful putting it 
on). This is better than the previous one.

Joe

-- 
Joseph Mack NA3T EME(B,D), FM05lw North Carolina
jmack (at) wm7d (dot) net - azimuthal equidistant map
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