# Humidity



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Minus 16 most of the day and the humidifier went through 2.5 gallons in 12 hours to maintain 45 on the hygrometer - it would be pretty damn dry and imploding guitars without this thing. Although keeping it constant in winter and summer and I haven’t had to adjust the rod on my acoustics for many years.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

About the same here. I had the room humidifier off for a few hours while I taught (unusual for a Sunday) and it dropped to 38%. I turned it back on and it's taken 6 hours to get back up to 42%. I don't like to let it drop below 40% as it takes some work to raise it.

It's winter.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

And water pourin down the windows..lol


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## 10409 (Dec 11, 2011)

I gave up so very long ago. They just stay in their cases during these months, I could leave the shower running 24/7 and still have a dry house


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2019)

mike_oxbig said:


> I gave up so very long ago. They just stay in their cases during these months, I could leave the shower running 24/7 and still have a dry house


Or a proper humidifier. I use larger evaporative humidifiers, and despite having a woodstove heating the whole house I can keep it at 45-60. The down side is they use replaceable filters that get all the minerals from the water in them.

https://www.factorydirect.ca/conten...ier-for-large-rooms-up-to-2000-sq-ft_550.jpeg


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I have the two tank console sort of thing that Sears used to sell; holds 5 gallons. Filters will last a winter no problem but you have to use a bit of bleach in them every now and then. There’s stuff you can buy but bleach works as long as you don’t over do it.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

my water bill is higher in the winter than it is in the summer time when I'm constantly watering lawns & gardens. 

I cut back this year, instead of keeping the whole house at 50%, I dropped the house back to 35% and I have a localized humidifier in the room with my guitars keeping that room at 50%.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Yeah, winter in Alberta is gonna be a different story.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Wardo said:


> Yeah, winter in Alberta is gonna be a different story.


It's very dry here and the furnace runs a lot.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I lived in Edmonton for most of a year but went runnin back to TO when the winter hit.. lol


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## Private Hudson (Jan 27, 2018)

I find the problem is the cheap thermostats in the humidifiers. Half the time they just run and run. I hooked one up in a very small room with the heat low and the door shut. It is switched by a raspberry pi, that is very accurate. It is always between 45 and 50% and I only fill every few days if I don't spend time in there. The switch setup costs about 100. I can post a parts list if anyone is interested. Some rudimentary Linux is necessary.

Edit - I have electric heat and it was -30 today.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Yeah, my humidifier is reading 33 but the hygrometer on the wall is a good one and it’s at 46. If I set the humidifier to 45 it would run non stop.


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## Private Hudson (Jan 27, 2018)

Wardo said:


> Yeah, my humidifier is reading 33 but the hygrometer on the wall is a good one and it’s at 46. If I set the humidifier to 45 it would run non stop.


Ya ... and to add insult to injury, the sensor is right in the middle of the "moisture zone". Maybe a ceiling fan or even a normal oscillator would help.


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## 10409 (Dec 11, 2011)

I have a proper humidifier. I just can’t and won’t be bothered to fill it up every day. 30ml in an oasis jobbie every couple days suits me just fine.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

You should try living in Calgary. We have a furnace humidifier, a fan/wick type in the office and an ultrasonic in our bedroom. I don't have a hygrometer, but my cracking nasal passages tell me it's still too dry in here. I keep my acoustic guitar in the office, since it is probably the most humidified room in the house.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

It has been colder than usual here since last November. My two story house has wood floors which now show signs of dryness. I used to put a humidifier in each guitar case for years but as I have too many guitars to care, I am now trying to get rid of all these aids : As my acoustics lay in their case in a large wardrobe, I just hung a hand towell which I now wet twice a day since the hygrometer fell to 45 this weekend. So, I may have to add a second towell...


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

How about electrics? My garage is holding at 30%. I put my electrics into their cases with the Guardfather for a few days every week. Acoustic in the house, in the case, with Guardfather.


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2019)

KapnKrunch said:


> How about electrics? My garage is holding at 30%. I put my electrics into their cases with the Guardfather for a few days every week. Acoustic in the house, in the case, with Guardfather.


30% will cause fret sprout, shrinkage and cracking finishes. I know from experience.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Until a few years ago I was pretty negligent in this context. Since about 2015 I’ve kept a little hudimidifier running in my guitar room. It’s not a big room so I’m generally able to keep it around 40 ~45%.

I suppose it’s all about the size of the room you’re trying to control.


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## Jim9guitars (Feb 15, 2016)

I use the "in case" humidifiers for the only two acoustics that are worth anything. I have to soak them every few days but it seems to work. I used to live on Vancouver Island where we had a de-humidifier because it was too humid, some of the guitars I kept in a closet actually started growing mold on the cases. Now I'm in Ontario it's so dry my hair nearly electrocutes me when I run a hand through it.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Hadn't even thought about it lately but having read this thread I just went and checked. Guitar room is at 43% with no additional humidifying.

What's the recommended minimum?


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## Jim9guitars (Feb 15, 2016)

allthumbs56 said:


> Hadn't even thought about it lately but having read this thread I just went and checked. Guitar room is at 43% with no additional humidifying.
> 
> What's the recommended minimum?


 People and guitars are best kept between 40% and 60% give or take 10 or so%. If anyone in your household is getting nosebleeds it's too dry.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Most luthiers will say 40-50 percent is optimal. I have the big double tank humidifier and I also keep two 5 gallon buckets of water in the room with open tops. They get filled a few times per year.The humidifier gets filled every few weeks


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2019)

If you leave your humidifier water sitting for a week or weeks watch it doesn't start growing some biology in it... If the container feels slimy when you touch the inside, it is probably growing something. A good cleaning and a dose of Javex will do the trick.


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## sillyak (Oct 22, 2016)

Case humidifier!


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Case hudimidifiers are fine.

They’re functional, however having a guitar collection all tucked away in cases may be fine for collectors who want to preserve their investments.

It’s not so great if you want to grab and play. I really prefer to have my instruments tuned and ready to grab, so I use wall hangers and stands.

That means a simple room humidifier is best for me, and I would presume anyone who doesn’t want to have open a case every time they want to play.

Actually the one I use is pretty cheesy. I’f like to get one with a built in hygrometer and that turns itself on and off as needed.


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## NashvilleDeluxe (Feb 7, 2018)

It's unusually dry here this winter. Our furnace/whole home humidifier usually does the trick, but it's hovering around 40% these days. I've had to supplement the music room with a humidifier to keep it between 45% and 50%.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

My dad used to take the dryer vent off and put a piece of pantyhose over the dryer outlet. When they were drying clothes the moisture would hydrate the house. Not saying for guitars, but if your whole home is a problem (they burned wood), its a trick. They did it for about twenty years with no ill effects.


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## NashvilleDeluxe (Feb 7, 2018)

KapnKrunch said:


> My dad used to take the dryer vent off and put a piece of pantyhose over the dryer outlet. When they were drying clothes the moisture would hydrate the house. Not saying for guitars, but if your whole home is a problem (they burned wood), its a trick. They did it for about twenty years with no ill effects.


Did the lint from the pantyhose stick to your mom’s legs?


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

NashvilleDeluxe said:


> Did the lint from the pantyhose stick to your mom’s legs?


Smartass. 

I said: "No ill effects." 

Or, maybe you thought that would be a good thing... ;-p


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## NashvilleDeluxe (Feb 7, 2018)

I do like a woman who smells like Spring Breeze fabric softener... ; )


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

@NashvilleDeluxe 

OK. Understood.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Funny, it's something I've never really worried about. When I bought my most recent acoustic about 10 years ago, I kept a sound hole humidifier in it for the first winter but eventually got lazy. Had a room humidifier for a bit, but it was a hassle because our local water is chock full of minerals and it had to be cleaned quite often, and in the end, it didn't actually last very long before it died altogether. My '81 Tak has never been humidified. Currently our basement where I mostly play is at 23% and hovers in the low 20s most of the winter. I guess I've just been lucky.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I had the bridge fly off one about 20 yeas ago when it was left in a very dry building during the winter.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

Follow-up :

I said I used a wet hand towel hung in my two sliding door wardrobe : I have to wet it twice a day but it does do the job to maintain humidity around 50-55%.

I just take a glass of tap water and slide it from top to bottom on the towel while my other hand following behind the towel to maintain contact with water witnesses the towel actually gets wet on both sides.

No more fancy gadget...


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