# Bought a humidifier, now what?



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I've listened to the advice about keeping the humidity up in my guitar cave. 

It's a small room so I chose a simple one gallon device.







Is there a recommended measuring device to make sure I don't turn the room into a sauna?

I was going to check Future Shop pr Crappy Tire for a hygrometer of some sort.

Any tips, pointers would be much appreciated.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

This is a thread from last year...might be helpful.

I don't think that many of the inexpensive hygrometers will be very accurate...so you really are measuring "relative" humidity twice (pun is intended...hopefully someone got it...LOL) 

http://www.guitarscanada.com/showthread.php?53692-decent-hygrometer-temp-gauge&highlight=humidity

Cheers

Dave


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

It's nice to get a unit with a built-in hygrometer, but realize they're probably much more expensive than that unit. 

You're going to want to make sure that there's no condensation on exteriors walls (keeping it off windows is very difficult). Might be a good idea to get one of those plastic films for the window.

I read online that 45% RH is good for guitars, so I would try to keep it to that. That's my goal with my home's humidity. Do you have a home humidifier for winter? I recommend the desert spring (once you swap the shut-off, it's stellar). You can just use that and make life easy.

If you want it more humid, you gotta start looking into psychrometry (essentially balancing humidity, airflow, and temp).

Tell me what your goal is, and I'll help as best as I can (it's part of what I do during the day).

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greco said:


> This is a thread from last year...might be helpful.
> 
> I don't think that many of the inexpensive hygrometers will be very accurate...so you really are measuring "relative" humidity twice (pun is intended...hopefully someone got it...LOL)
> 
> ...


I actually find that as long as you don't bang them, and don't move them around so much, you're okay. I use an $800 Delmhorst for work, and it's only about 2% off from my $40 stationary ExTech.

I only calibrate the ones I carry around every couple of years. 

The most important thing about the concept is avoiding dewpoint temperatures - and everyone can use their fingers to judge that


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

adcandour said:


> .....I actually find that as long as you don't bang them, and don't move them around so much, you're okay. I use an $800 Delmhorst for work, and it's only about 2% off from my $40 stationary ExTech.


That is encouraging. Thanks.

Cheers

Dave


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I picked up a cheap one for now. I was getting batteries and happened to see it so...


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

That is the same one I have been using for a few years now.

Cheers

Dave


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

That would be all you need.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

greco said:


> This is a thread from last year...might be helpful.
> 
> I don't think that many of the inexpensive hygrometers will be very accurate...so you really are measuring "relative" humidity twice (pun is intended...hopefully someone got it...LOL)
> 
> ...


Old joke I think.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Electraglide said:


> Old joke I think.


And I was so proud thinking that I created it...totally by myself. 

Cheers

Dave


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

If you have central heating the humidity will not stay in the room but the air from the ducts will take it throughout the home. If this is the case, you will need to get a whole house humidifier or block off the air from escaping from the room and heat it with some other form of heat.


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## Bubb (Jan 16, 2008)

Steadfastly said:


> If you have central heating the humidity will not stay in the room but the air from the ducts will take it throughout the home. If this is the case, you will need to get a whole house humidifier or block off the air from escaping from the room and heat it with some other form of heat.


Nonsense,unless that room has the only cold air return duct on that floor and no door.
My room has 1 supply duct and the cold air return is right outside the door , my small humidifier is too much for the room if left on all the time .


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Bubb said:


> Nonsense,unless that room has the only cold air return duct on that floor* and no door.*
> My room has 1 supply duct and the cold air return is right outside the door , my small humidifier is too much for the room if left on all the time .


As I said, you need to block off the air. If there is a door, and no return air in the room, then that will suffice to block most of the air from escaping the room. Some with escape but unless the room is super large, that should suffice.


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## Bubb (Jan 16, 2008)

FWIIW this is the unit I have.









Honeywell 890series,2 gal,cool moisture.( I thought it was only 1 gal.)
It has a 2 speed fan,which I run on low.

The door to my music room is almost never closed tight ,even in the middle of heating season,and I only run my machine 2-3 hours at a time.

Your house construction will determine how long you have to run your humidifier,but I've had virtually the same results in our present home(mid70's construction,7ft ceilings.oil F/A heat with woodstove in basement) and our previous house(1910 build,10ft ceilings,natural gas forced air) in similar sized rooms.


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## boyscout (Feb 14, 2009)

I have the Essick Air MA800, which had enthusiastic reviews when I was shopping a year ago and I've been happy with it. It includes a hygrometer-based device in the cord to automatically turn it on-off when needed. When I set it to 50, my THREE uncalibrated hygrometers (a Honeywell and two Accurites) all stay in the ballpark of 42-48.

My one regret is that I didn't get the MA1201. It's water capacity is about 60% greater than the one I have. Even though we have a whole-house humidifier on the furnace, while in season (now through April) I have to fill the MA800 in my basement guitar room every two days to maintain higher humidity there. (The MA1201 was not available in Canada at a fair price last year, every seller I could find was gouging on it, including Amazon, but this year Amazon.ca has it at a more-reasonable $155.)

I do know that the OP is asking about meters, not machines, but IMO having a machine that turns on/off as needed and is roughly accurate is better than having a go-all-the-time machine and frequently monitoring and managing humidity.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

Bubb said:


> Nonsense,


Indeed...nonsense. The humidity will migrate to a degree but there isn't *that* much airflow. I use a heat pump so my air circulates more than average and I never have issues. The coldest time of the year just requires that I fill the unit more often.


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## Bubb (Jan 16, 2008)

boyscout said:


> I do know that the OP is asking about meters, not machines, but IMO having a machine that turns on/off as needed and is roughly accurate is better than having a go-all-the-time machine and frequently monitoring and managing humidity.


That's why I plug mine into an outlet timer to cycle on/off.
Within a couple of days of monitoring you can get it pretty consistent .
That being said,if my present unit fails,I'd certainly look into a unit with a built in hygrometer.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

There's no doubt that a self regulating system would be much more convenient. I guess the way I see it is, I had nothing. Now I have something.

It seems fairly easy to kepp the room at 45~50% humidity. I just have to dial in the level setting.


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## ThatGingerMojo (Jul 30, 2014)

So let me see if I am following along. You need to put a humidifier in your gear room and keep it at around 40% relative humidity. This will prevent the wood from drying out and cracking. Too much humidity and the guitars warp and buckle. Damn cant win. I have never used humidifiers before and I leave my acoustics out on stands year round. I have never had issues where I felt it was time to invest in such a get up. And, my guitars stay in tune year round as well, (with normal tuning from playing). 

I have 2 12-strings, a six string and a nylon classical six. Am i being completely naive to believe I do not need humidity?


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

ThatGingerMojo said:


> So let me see if I am following along. You need to put a humidifier in your gear room and keep it at around 40% relative humidity. This will prevent the wood from drying out and cracking. Too much humidity and the guitars warp and buckle. Damn cant win. I have never used humidifiers before and I leave my acoustics out on stands year round. I have never had issues where I felt it was time to invest in such a get up. And, my guitars stay in tune year round as well, (with normal tuning from playing).
> 
> I have 2 12-strings, a six string and a nylon classical six. Am i being completely naive to believe I do not need humidity?


I can see the changes in my guitars from season to season and recently I've found a few new small finish cracks especially on a couple of acoustic instruments I have.

As some of my guitars are a bit on the pricey side I think it's a small cost to try and control humidity and temperature.


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## Bubb (Jan 16, 2008)

ThatGingerMojo said:


> So let me see if I am following along. You need to put a humidifier in your gear room and keep it at around 40% relative humidity. This will prevent the wood from drying out and cracking. Too much humidity and the guitars warp and buckle. Damn cant win. I have never used humidifiers before and I leave my acoustics out on stands year round. I have never had issues where I felt it was time to invest in such a get up. And, my guitars stay in tune year round as well, (with normal tuning from playing).
> 
> I have 2 12-strings, a six string and a nylon classical six. Am i being completely naive to believe I do not need humidity?


The old saying ,if you are comfortable,your guitar will be comfortable really says it all ,
A RH of between 40% and 50% is the goal ideally .

It's really only high end *solid* wood acoustics or archtop guitars that are at high risk of damage in low humidity situations. 
Laminate guitars and electric guitars are much more resilient to to lack of moisture.
What a humidifier will do for electrics and laminated acoustics is maybe help keep necks and fingerboards a little more stable over the heating season,sometimes to the point of not even having to adjust the truss rod, in my experience.
I look at it this way..it's pretty easy to ad a bit of moisture and it can't hurt.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

Bubb said:


> The old saying ,if you are comfortable,your guitar will be comfortable really says it all ,
> A RH of between 40% and 50% is the goal ideally .
> 
> It's really only high end *solid* wood acoustics or archtop guitars that are at high risk of damage in low humidity situations.


I have seen many laminated acoustics with sunken tops....so its not just the solid guitars that are in danger of low humidity damage.


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## Bubb (Jan 16, 2008)

Fair enough.Any wood appreciates not being too dry .
I'd would stil say they would be less susceptible than solids though .

IMO


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

I'm curious: are you guys using these 'room humidifiers' in addition to whole home humidifiers?


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## Bubb (Jan 16, 2008)

Not me.

I don't have a humidifier hooked up to my furnace,might look into it but my well water has a high mineral content and it would probably need constant attention .


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

adcandour said:


> I'm curious: are you guys using these 'room humidifiers' in addition to whole home humidifiers?


Not me. 8910


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## boyscout (Feb 14, 2009)

adcandour said:


> I'm curious: are you guys using these 'room humidifiers' in addition to whole home humidifiers?


Yes, I am. The humidifier on the furnace is adjusted to just below the point at which moisture appears at the bottom of windows upstairs. With that alone, the guitar room in the basement is only humidified into the 30s. A room humidifier takes it into the 40s.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I'm having no trouble keeping my cave at 45~50% humidity with the little unit I bought.


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## boyscout (Feb 14, 2009)

ThatGingerMojo said:


> So let me see if I am following along. You need to put a humidifier in your gear room and keep it at around 40% relative humidity. This will prevent the wood from drying out and cracking. Too much humidity and the guitars warp and buckle. Damn cant win. I have never used humidifiers before and I leave my acoustics out on stands year round. I have never had issues where I felt it was time to invest in such a get up. And, my guitars stay in tune year round as well, (with normal tuning from playing).
> 
> I have 2 12-strings, a six string and a nylon classical six. Am i being completely naive to believe I do not need humidity?


I believe the magic number is 45%, not 40%. Having gone for years without supplementary humidification - so my guitars were seeing 30s and even high 20s at times - I haven't had a guitar crack on me either. However the setup on the oldest one (a Martin D18V) isn't great, it needs attention which is likely due to humidity swings. More importantly it, and a Taylor 12-string, and even to a lesser extent my Les Pauls, all SOUND better when the humidity is in the 40s. The acoustics sound *significantly* better. You may find humidifying worth the modest cost just for that reason.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Bubb said:


> Not me.
> 
> I don't have a humidifier hooked up to my furnace,might look into it but my well water has a high mineral content and it would probably need constant attention .


Try out the desert spring ($129). very easy to deal with. you just have to upgrade the float (for free - they ship). I'm on well water with a fair bit of mineral. I clean it once a year.


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## Bubb (Jan 16, 2008)

Thanks,I'll look into them.
I was kind of put off whole house units by the old one on my furnace at the old place,but it was quite outdated I'm sure .
Do you use water through a softener or straight from the well(I have both options available to me .)


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Bubb said:


> Thanks,I'll look into them.
> I was kind of put off whole house units by the old one on my furnace at the old place,but it was quite outdated I'm sure .
> Do you use water through a softener or straight from the well(I have both options available to me .)


Yeah, the old ones can get disgusting. My well goes through the sediment filter, softener, 2nd stage filter - none of which remove minerals. You must have something in place for the sediment? 

I use the softener very seldom. I hate those f'n bags.


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## Bubb (Jan 16, 2008)

No,all my water just goes through the softener,no sediment filter was required.
The water was analyzed and we are basically removing manganese,some iron is still present and calcium.
We go through less than a bag of salt a month,not bad at all.
I paid a little more than for the unit than the typical hardware store softener,but it seems to have been worth it,I've tasted some softened water that had so much salt in it ,it just made you thirstier.
We had a bypass installed so we could run straight from the well if the taste was off,but it hasn't bothered us or the plants yet,so the salt is minimal I'd say.
There wasn't anything in the way of water treatment in the house when my mother lived here,soap wouldn't lather,faucet screens plugged constantly etc.


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## esau (Sep 8, 2014)

On the main floor of my house I have a 20 yr old Ming Aralia , three 5 to 7 yr old Hybiscus standards and a Jade plant .The watering of the plants keeps my house in the proper range for my instruments at most times . But also have a dehumidifier and Oasis in case humidifiers should I need them . But as Isaid mostly the house stays in range because of the plants . In the summer time I move them outside and rely on the dehumidifier to control the humidity .


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## ThatGingerMojo (Jul 30, 2014)

I think I would like to nominate this thread as the most useful for 2014. GC Admins are you paying attention?? I currently have a 1968 Gibson 12-String in my guitar cave, and though I really did not think humidity was a real issue in this room, the excellent advice I am receiving here is leading me to invest in a humidity system as an insurance policy if not anything else. Thanks guys you really are the best group on the web.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I'm glad the thread is helpful to others. 

I'm definitely learning from it.

Yes, this site is among the best resources I have seen for music in general. I'm continuously reminded of how valuable it really is.


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## Bubb (Jan 16, 2008)

esau said:


> On the main floor of my house I have a 20 yr old Ming Aralia , three 5 to 7 yr old Hybiscus standards and a Jade plant .The watering of the plants keeps my house in the proper range for my instruments at most times . But also have a dehumidifier and Oasis in case humidifiers should I need them . But as Isaid mostly the house stays in range because of the plants . In the summer time I move them outside and rely on the dehumidifier to control the humidity .


That's surprising to me,my wife has a green thumb/hand arm and we have plants all over the place and still have low humidity in the winter.
Are you heating with a water boiler by chance ?
One of our apartments years ago had those old tall water radiators and it was very nice heat,the place never felt dried out .


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Well, this thread has made me rethink about getting a humidifier for my home, so yesterday I went and bought one. Even though the winter hasn't been that cold and dry here in the Niagara region, the humidity in our home was around 30%. After one day with the humidifier, it is now up to 35%. It will likely take a few more days before we get to 50% which is where I want to take it.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Steadfastly said:


> Well, this thread has made me rethink about getting a humidifier for my home, so yesterday I went and bought one. Even though the winter hasn't been that cold and dry here in the Niagara region, the humidity in our home was around 30%. After one day with the humidifier, it is now up to 35%. It will likely take a few more days before we get to 50% which is where I want to take it.


What one did you go with?


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## esau (Sep 8, 2014)

Bubb said:


> That's surprising to me,my wife has a green thumb/hand arm and we have plants all over the place and still have low humidity in the winter.
> Are you heating with a water boiler by chance ?
> One of our apartments years ago had those old tall water radiators and it was very nice heat,the place never felt dried out .


My house is forced air electric and currently I find myself using the dehumidifier at times during the day because of the plants to bring the humidity in line. The plants are more like trees in large pots and my house is basically staying in a range of 40 to 50 % . It may be because the house is not large . About 1000 sq. ft. on the main floor and could also be influenced by the temp. I keep my home thermostat at 67 degrees . Cant handle it too hot. 
Other than that I don't know why it works but in my home it does . Also i have redone all doors and windows so the house is pretty tight .


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

adcandour said:


> What one did you go with?


The Bionaire Cool Mist Tower. It has three manual speeds for the fan and three automatic settings. I should have had one years ago.


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## Rodavision (Feb 26, 2010)

adcandour said:


> Try out the desert spring ($129). very easy to deal with. you just have to upgrade the float (for free - they ship). I'm on well water with a fair bit of mineral. I clean it once a year.


I have looked at these Dessert Spring and the flow through design humidifiers a hundred times wondering if they are any better than the old sponge wheel. 

I hate the sponge wheel design. While they humidify the house they become disgusting every 30 days or so with fungus and calcium growth. 

So how would you say the Dessert Spring compares to the other furnace mounted designs?


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Mine is not a foam wheel.

It's more of a vaporizer. I have been putting a lot of water into that room to keep it around 45%, probably more than a gallon a day and it's only a 10' X 10' room!

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Steadfastly said:


> The Bionaire Cool Mist Tower. It has three manual speeds for the fan and three automatic settings. I should have had one years ago.



If you don't mind sharing the information, how much did it cost you please?


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Rodavision said:


> I have looked at these Dessert Spring and the flow through design humidifiers a hundred times wondering if they are any better than the old sponge wheel.
> 
> I hate the sponge wheel design. While they humidify the house they become disgusting every 30 days or so with fungus and calcium growth.
> 
> So how would you say the Dessert Spring compares to the other furnace mounted designs?


It's simply more efficient, easy to maintain, and cleaner. 

You need upgrade the float if you get one. Just call them - it's free.


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## boyscout (Feb 14, 2009)

Rodavision said:


> <snip> I hate the sponge wheel design. While they humidify the house they become disgusting every 30 days or so with fungus and calcium growth. <snip>


A year ago I bought the Essick Air MA800. (I like it a lot, but would like the larger-capacity MA1201 more.) Both models have a sponge medium for dispersing the moisture.

When I bought it at Lowes I also bought a bottle of something to control bacteria and another bottle of something to control mineral buildup on the sponge. Each ~950ml bottle cost (I think) under $5. Per instructions I add a fraction of a cap-full of each to the refill bucket - just a few drops - so I bought something like three years' supply of both for under $10. And they seem to be working; after a year in use I still don't think I need to pull the sponge (even though the machine's software has told me to replace it, of course).

EDIT: I just had to refill so...

BestAir Humidifier Bacteriostatic Treatment
BestAir Humidifier Water Treatment

at Lowes last year.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Milkman said:


> Mine is not a foam wheel.
> 
> It's more of a vaporizer. I have been putting a lot of water into that room to keep it around 45%, probably more than a gallon a day and it's only a 10' X 10' room!
> 
> ...


It was $50.00. I got it at Giant Tiger. I go through at least 1 1/2 containers of water a day which is way more than a gallon and it's struggling to keep the humidity in our living room at 30%. My living room is quite large, though. I think I need two.

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boyscout said:


> A year ago I bought the Essick Air MA800. (I like it a lot, but would like the larger-capacity MA1201 more.) Both models have a sponge medium for dispersing the moisture.
> 
> When I bought it at Lowes I also bought a bottle of something to control bacteria and another bottle of something to control mineral buildup on the sponge. Each ~950ml bottle cost (I think) under $5. Per instructions I add a fraction of a cap-full of each to the refill bucket - just a few drops - so I bought something like three years' supply of both for under $10. And they seem to be working; after a year in use I still don't think I need to pull the sponge (even though the machine's software has told me to replace it, of course).
> 
> ...


This is absolutely necessary for this type of humidifier (I worked in the industry for 25 years) in order to keep the sponge down, as well as the bacteria in the water. A small filter on the water supply line to filter out the minerals in the water is also helpful. I have had customers bring in the old sponge to get a replacement and they have been literally, as hard as a rock.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Steadfastly said:


> It was $50.00. I got it at Giant Tiger. I go through at least 1 1/2 containers of water a day which is way more than a gallon and it's struggling to keep the humidity in our living room at 30%. My living room is quite large, though. I think I need two.


Oh, thanks. I thought it was a higher end model. Mine was around $65. I want something with a built in hygrometer and that turns itself on and off as needed.


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## Woof (Jan 13, 2010)

I have been using a room humidifier in my little "music" room for a few years now and it does the job. I would like to be able to leave guitars all over the house  or at least in the basement room I have commandeered for practice space but it is larger and would need more than the small single unit I use. Fortunately (or not) the furnace should be replaced in the next year or two... I will definitely make sure a whole house humidifier is budgeted for.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

In additon (re desert spring) - it auto flushes every 12, 24, or 48 hours (your choice). Another way it keeps bacteria and the grossies out of your life.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Milkman said:


> Oh, thanks. I thought it was a higher end model. Mine was around $65. I want something with a built in hygrometer and that turns itself on and off as needed.


This one has the built in hygrometer, a filter indicator and either automatic or manual controls.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Steadfastly said:


> This one has the built in hygrometer, a filter indicator and either automatic or manual controls.


For $50 it has a built in hygrometer?

That's pretty good.

Thanks.


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## Option1 (May 26, 2012)

I have this one: http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/honeywell-quicksteam-4-gal-warm-moisture-humidifier-0435806p.html

But I have to admit the built in hygrometer is useless. I've had to buy a little standalone hygrometer (also a Honeywell similar to this one) to keep an eye on the humidity.

However, you have reminded me to check the manual so I can at least set the humidifier using the timer. 

The humidifier is in a walk-in closet, and I turned it on manually the other night with the intention of just bumping up the humidity a little. You can figure out what happened next... 

Woke up in the morning and the humidity was reading at 88%, with the clothes in the closet very damp. The hygrometer on the humidifier itself still believed it was at about 30%.

Neil aka Mr. Dumbass.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Milkman said:


> For $50 it has a built in hygrometer?
> 
> That's pretty good.
> 
> Thanks.


I went to buy another one for a friend and they were all gone. That's the problem with buying things at Giant Tiger and stores like them. They have good deals on things sometimes but don't expect to find them a second time. So I bought two today, one for my friend and one for myself. They were for a home up to 2000 sq. feet but they were $97.00 each. The humidity level in my home is finally getting up to where it should be.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

How to you guys get the water out of your house in winter? 

At that much water a day, you must have a mechanical means of controlling it. 

I'm DYING to check your attics for frost or condensation on your roofing nails.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Get the water out?

Without a hudimidifier it goes down into the 25% humidity level.

I'm only humidifying one small room.

My attic is finished.

I have no issues with condensation.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Milkman said:


> Get the water out?
> 
> Without a hudimidifier it goes down into the 25% humidity level.
> 
> ...


The same here. Today, with the larger humidifier, I'm finally in the 40% range.


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## TubeStack (Jul 16, 2009)

I just bought a Honeywell tower model and it works okay, however our living room is pretty big and is open to a lower floor and an upper level one, so I haven't been able to get above 32%. Sort of a split-level, open-concept type house. I think I need another one for the lower area, at least. Ideally, I'd love to get a whole-house unit, eventually.

One thing, the Honeywell is a cool water model and lowers the temperature of the living room by 5 degrees, which is not ideal. It's really noticeable when coming into the room.

Anyway, is anyone using those $10 hygrometers from Canadian Tire? Are they accurate enough?


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## boyscout (Feb 14, 2009)

Woof said:


> I have been using a room humidifier in my little "music" room for a few years now and it does the job. I would like to be able to leave guitars all over the house  or at least in the basement room I have commandeered for practice space but it is larger and would need more than the small single unit I use. Fortunately (or not) the furnace should be replaced in the next year or two... I will definitely make sure a whole house humidifier is budgeted for.


YMMV, but I have a good humidifier on the furnace and it's not enough to maintain proper humidity in my basement guitar room. I need a supplementary one. I'm not sure why this is true, but it is.

The furnace humidifier definitely works because I have a non-calibrated warning system in my house, my wife, who is very sensitive to dryness. I have not taken measurements on the main floor, but during the cold snap of the past few days most windows in the house are showing moisture at the bottom - humidity is too high and/or the furnace is running a lot.

I was away for a few days, my separate guitar-room humidifier ran dry, and when I returned the humidity in the room had dropped from ~45% to ~30%. Guitar room is in the basement, smallish room with door closed, ceiling heater vent pumping in the same air that the upstairs rooms get.

I too was under the impression that the furnace humidifier would be a no-hassle solution. However in last year's super-cold weather I was noticing pretty-significant changes in my guitars, and upon measuring humidity (in the mid-20s) I ran out and bought a humidifier for the room. What a difference. Even electrics seem to play better, and there's no doubt that acoustics do.

When you've got 2K-5K-50K-moreK worth of guitars hanging on a wall, $150 worth of humidifier is well worth it.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

TubeStack said:


> Anyway, is anyone using those $10 hygrometers from Canadian Tire? Are they accurate enough?


There were threads about hygrometers in the past. That model I'm assuming you are referring to seemed to do well, IIRC. I have had one of those for quite a few years.

Here is the search results of old threads...enjoy!

http://www.guitarscanada.com/search.php?searchid=4091926



Cheers

Dave


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## Rodavision (Feb 26, 2010)

boyscout said:


> YMMV, but I have a good humidifier on the furnace and it's not enough to maintain proper humidity in my basement guitar room. I need a supplementary one. I'm not sure why this is true, but it is.
> 
> The furnace humidifier definitely works because I have a non-calibrated warning system in my house, my wife, who is very sensitive to dryness. I have not taken measurements on the main floor, but during the cold snap of the past few days most windows in the house are showing moisture at the bottom - humidity is too high and/or the furnace is running a lot.
> 
> ...


Being in construction I can tell you that these basements that people finish and just use the original little 4" supply ducts in the ceilings are usually not properly vented. Often there is also little or no air return. The supply ducts should be properly resized and brought out within 3 feet of the floor. So you likely just don't have good enough circulation in that room.

Also most furnace mounted humidifiers I've seen use a hygrometer mounted on the air return so you can adjust it to the level that you like.


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## boyscout (Feb 14, 2009)

Rodavision said:


> Being in construction I can tell you that these basements that people finish and just use the original little 4" supply ducts in the ceilings are usually not properly vented. Often there is also little or no air return. The supply ducts should be properly resized and brought out within 3 feet of the floor. So you likely just don't have good enough circulation in that room.


Thanks, that probably is the explanation for my room's dryness. The feed duct is in the ceiling, maybe a five-inch feed to it rather than four. The one return duct in the basement is 30 feet and two doors away.



Rodavision said:


> Also most furnace mounted humidifiers I've seen use a hygrometer mounted on the air return so you can adjust it to the level that you like.


Yup, got that. If I turn it down much more my other humidity indicator - my wife - sounds off.


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## Rodavision (Feb 26, 2010)

boyscout said:


> Yup, got that. If I turn it down much more my other humidity indicator - my wife - sounds off.


Yeah it's unfortunate that fogged windows usually make it necessary to lower the humidity. Good air circulation past the window can help a little but when it gets really cold there isn't much that can be done besides lowering the relative humidity.


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## Rodavision (Feb 26, 2010)

I guess I'll add in what I do. I have a cheap old foam wheel unit on our furnace that was there when we bought the house. I set that to 40% and leave it other that cleaning it out about once a month and changing the foam every fall. I've tried adding things to the water which seem to help a little but it still seems to get filthy.

I always used to have a humidifier in the music room and tried to keep it just perfect but it always seemed that when I went out to play I would set up and tune but my guitar would keep going out of tune and from the sound check through the evening I would have to tune it several times. Then after I got home the guitar would go out of tune again the other way.

It seems to me that everywhere I play it is always VERY dry. So one winter several years ago I decided to try not using my extra humidifier and only using the furnace one. I haven't found any finish cracks and while my instruments still seem to adjust when I go out to play it doesn't seem to be happening as drastically.

Having said all that I'm not sure how accurate my 40 year old hydrometer is in my music room or the how accurate the humidistat is on the furnace so I can't say for certain what my relative humidity levels actually are but I do keep our house at 22 C and our windows do have a slight bit of condensation on them on cold days. Also I don't have any vintage instruments, the oldest any of mine are is 1994 so I would likely do things differently if I had something vintage.

Not sure if that's any help to anybody, but hopefully it is. That's just what I do.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Rodavision said:


> I guess I'll add in what I do. I have a cheap old foam wheel unit on our furnace that was there when we bought the house. I set that to 40% and leave it other that cleaning it out about once a month and changing the foam every fall. I've tried adding things to the water which seem to help a little but it still seems to get filthy.
> 
> I always used to have a humidifier in the music room and tried to keep it just perfect but it always seemed that when I went out to play I would set up and tune but my guitar would keep going out of tune and from the sound check through the evening I would have to tune it several times. Then after I got home the guitar would go out of tune again the other way.
> 
> ...


From the information you gave it sounds like the humidity in your home is just about right.


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