News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on In a surprising finding, light can make water evaporate without heat. Parent comment

Re:In a surprising finding, light can make water evaporate w... by grishka on Thursday November 02, 2023 @10:27PM (#38123647)
Water particles produced by an ultrasonic humidifier are larger than those of real steam. I know it because I have one and if I run it for long enough, everything gets covered in a nasty white residue, probably salts from the water. Real evaporation doesn't do that.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:In a surprising finding, light can make water evaporate w... by tjmc on Thursday November 02, 2023 @10:41PM (#38123779)
Most datacentres ban the use of ultrasonic humidifiers for exactly this reason.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:In a surprising finding, light can make water evaporate w... by jordan_curve on Thursday November 02, 2023 @10:33PM (#38123712)
isn't it generally recommended to use distilled water in these humidifiers for exactly this reason?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:In a surprising finding, light can make water evaporate w... by ponyboy123 on Friday November 03, 2023 @12:42AM (#38124620)
I think the difference is that evaporation creates water vapor, whereas an ultrasonic dehumidifier is creating water droplets, some of which are very small, but are still droplets that can carry minerals from the water
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:In a surprising finding, light can make water evaporate w... by Modified3019 on Friday November 03, 2023 @05:15AM (#38126254)
Yep, both the minerals, and the microorganisms breeding in the water get thrown into the air.

For constant use, I personally recommend "evaporation humidifiers" that use a wick and fan to induce evaporation. The wick will need to be replaced every several weeks.

[ Parent | on HN ]