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Post by zontar on Oct 24, 2021 9:23:18 GMT
Just something to try--I put this here as normally the humidifiers are used with acoustic guitars--although I also use an incase one for my full hollow archtop.
SO as reference--I changed/added/ or whatever the water in my in case humidifiers on Oct 23
Now check yours & lets see if this reminder thing helps.
Thank you
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Post by Die Bullen on Oct 24, 2021 12:56:00 GMT
Just something to try--I put this here as normally the humidifiers are used with acoustic guitars--although I also use an incase one for my full hollow archtop. SO as reference--I changed/added/ or whatever the water in my in case humidifiers on Oct 23 Now check yours & lets see if this reminder thing helps. Thank you Good idea to create this thread. The humidity isn't low enough here just yet to use humidifiers but it will be soon |
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Post by johnreardon on Oct 24, 2021 15:24:49 GMT
Luckily we rarely have any humidity issues
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Post by infant on Oct 24, 2021 15:47:50 GMT
When my Gibsons start crackling when I touch the necks, I know it’s time to humidify!
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Post by george on Oct 24, 2021 23:13:24 GMT
Yeah, 48 inside and it's supposed to rain a lot next week so ok for awhile but I need to order a filter for the console humidifier asap.
Best ever consoles IMO were the ones that Sears sold for about 40 years or more. Two tanks total 5 gallons, two fans/motors, cheap filters and they were quiet. Can't find them anymore and now I have this Aircare thing which is a noisy POS, one 2.5 gallon tank that needs to be filled with a hose. The Sears tanks had a cap on the side at the bottom just stick them under the tap no bs with a hose. The filter for the new one is about $25 and did I mention that it's a noisy POS.
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Post by Die Bullen on Oct 24, 2021 23:59:49 GMT
Yeah, 48 inside and it's supposed to rain a lot next week so ok for awhile but I need to order a filter for the console humidifier asap. Best ever consoles IMO were the ones that Sears sold for about 40 years or more. Two tanks total 5 gallons, two fans/motors, cheap filters and they were quiet. Can't find them anymore and now I have this Aircare thing which is a noisy POS, one 2.5 gallon tank that needs to be filled with a hose. The Sears tanks had a cap on the side at the bottom just stick them under the tap no bs with a hose. The filter for the new one is about $25 and did I mention that it's a noisy POS. I looked into having a house humidifier installed but the cost would have been ridiculous. Since we have steam heat they would have had to cut registers in the floors and run all kinds of plumbing. A few $6 Herco humidifiers seemed like a better deal... |
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Post by zontar on Oct 25, 2021 0:14:50 GMT
Just something to try--I put this here as normally the humidifiers are used with acoustic guitars--although I also use an incase one for my full hollow archtop. SO as reference--I changed/added/ or whatever the water in my in case humidifiers on Oct 23 Now check yours & lets see if this reminder thing helps. Thank you Good idea to create this thread. The humidity isn't low enough here just yet to use humidifiers but it will be soon It's a relatively stable climate here--but usually on the dry side. |
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Post by george on Oct 25, 2021 0:54:39 GMT
Yeah, 48 inside and it's supposed to rain a lot next week so ok for awhile but I need to order a filter for the console humidifier asap. Best ever consoles IMO were the ones that Sears sold for about 40 years or more. Two tanks total 5 gallons, two fans/motors, cheap filters and they were quiet. Can't find them anymore and now I have this Aircare thing which is a noisy POS, one 2.5 gallon tank that needs to be filled with a hose. The Sears tanks had a cap on the side at the bottom just stick them under the tap no bs with a hose. The filter for the new one is about $25 and did I mention that it's a noisy POS. I looked into having a house humidifier installed but the cost would have been ridiculous. Since we have steam heat they would have had to cut registers in the floors and run all kinds of plumbing. A few $6 Herco humidifiers seemed like a better deal... I have a condo so it’s easy to control. Some people, if they have a large house, just humidify one room and keep the instruments there. I was never too concerned about humidity before but I did have a bridge come flying off my guitar when I was living in university residence which was really dry. Since I now have a stupid amount of money tied up in instruments I like to keep them in a stable environment. On the other hand, vintage Martin guitars and others survived through some rough times. |
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Post by zontar on Oct 25, 2021 1:17:56 GMT
I once heard that if you've had a guitar in the same climate/environment for a number of years it's adapted & you may not need to use a humidifier
Anybody else ever hear that?
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Post by infant on Oct 25, 2021 3:30:40 GMT
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Post by Die Bullen on Oct 25, 2021 11:15:11 GMT
I tried a room humidifier and did not have good luck with it. At first these things pour lots of humidity into the room but they lose effectiveness quickly. You have to buy mineral pads, which are relatively expensive and once deposits build up on the element the unit becomes useless. The price of the one you showed is pretty low, maybe Honeywell makes them better. So if it works for you then please tell me! |
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Post by infant on Oct 25, 2021 21:31:49 GMT
I bought the unit in my post. I plugged it in and in 4 hrs it raised the humidity by 8%….it surprised me! I’ve shut it off for the time being as the humidity was already in the low 60s before I plugged it in. It should be good for when the humidity drops to the mid 40s in December/January.
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Post by Die Bullen on Oct 26, 2021 0:00:07 GMT
I bought the unit in my post. I plugged it in and in 4 hrs it raised the humidity by 8%….it surprised me! I’ve shut it off for the time being as the humidity was already in the low 60s before I plugged it in. It should be good for when the humidity drops to the mid 40s in December/January. Do you need to use distilled water? |
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Post by infant on Oct 26, 2021 0:10:54 GMT
I bought the unit in my post. I plugged it in and in 4 hrs it raised the humidity by 8%….it surprised me! I’ve shut it off for the time being as the humidity was already in the low 60s before I plugged it in. It should be good for when the humidity drops to the mid 40s in December/January. Do you need to use distilled water? I believe that it is recommended but if using tap water, they have a calcium disolver pod to throw in the reservoir. |
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Post by Die Bullen on Oct 26, 2021 1:12:29 GMT
Do you need to use distilled water? I believe that it is recommended but if using tap water, they have a calcium disolver pod to throw in the reservoir. Yeah mine had the pads too. My advice is whatever you do, keep that thing clean. As soon as the slightest spot of lime scale appears, it's effectiveness will wane quickly Ireally hope you finds that this works out- if it does, I'd give it another try |
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Post by infant on Oct 26, 2021 2:04:16 GMT
I just checked the instructions and they don’t even say to use distilled water. They recommend tap water. This one also has no filters. The instructions show you how to disassemble and clean it all. Everything comes apart nicely
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Post by Die Bullen on Oct 26, 2021 10:06:38 GMT
I just checked the instructions and they don’t even say to use distilled water. They recommend tap water. This one also has no filters. The instructions show you how to disassemble and clean it all. Everything comes apart nicely Mine said to use tap water too but I think our water might have been too hard, even with the pads... |
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Post by infant on Oct 26, 2021 12:54:46 GMT
Oh, I’m sure that I’ll have calcium buildup. Nothing that white vinegar can’t take care of.
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Post by Die Bullen on Oct 26, 2021 14:15:15 GMT
Oh, I’m sure that I’ll have calcium buildup. Nothing that white vinegar can’t take care of. Watch that carefully because the reservoir is plastic, so if lime scale builds up it could damage the plastic itself- vinegar won't help that. I'm really eager to see how this works for you medium to long term! |
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Post by infant on Oct 26, 2021 14:45:17 GMT
The whole thing is pretty much plastic. My coffee makers reservoir is plastic too but I’ve never had calcium build up on it. I just had to descale it this morning in fact. Not a lot of stuff came out. Hey it was 39 bucks….my Oasis in case humidifier cost $20 and actuall does very little. We’ll see what happens but right now it’s off as my humidity is already over 60% in the man cave.
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Post by zontar on Oct 28, 2021 0:50:14 GMT
Well I'll still be following this thread--so keep it up so it reminds me to check those in case humidifiers...
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Post by george on Oct 30, 2021 23:55:04 GMT
I have a couple of the oasis things but only used them if was going somewhere that I might be staying for a few days. They are better than nothing but you have to replace the crystals in them every year and they may eventually leak. Then consider having 15 guitars and the oasis guys are or were $20 a throw. It’s cheaper to buy a big ass humidifier that will last 15 years.
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Post by Die Bullen on Oct 31, 2021 0:01:39 GMT
I have a couple of the oasis things but only used them if was going somewhere that I might be staying for a few days. They are better than nothing but you have to replace the crystals in them every year and they may eventually leak. Then consider having 15 guitars and the oasis guys are or were $20 a throw. It’s cheaper to buy a big ass humidifier that will last 15 years.Does anything last 15 years anymore?  I got rid of my flat top acoustics when I got the carbon fiber Rainsong- less worrying |
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Post by george on Oct 31, 2021 1:10:47 GMT
I have a couple of the oasis things but only used them if was going somewhere that I might be staying for a few days. They are better than nothing but you have to replace the crystals in them every year and they may eventually leak. Then consider having 15 guitars and the oasis guys are or were $20 a throw. It’s cheaper to buy a big ass humidifier that will last 15 years.Does anything last 15 years anymore? I got rid of my flat top acoustics when I got the carbon fiber Rainsong- less worrying Yeah, that thought occurred to me as I was writing that. I had one of the Sears consols that lasted 20 years and another of the same model that lasted 15. The one I have now I don’t like but this will be its 4th winter. I was thinking of replacing it but I don’t see anything around that would be as effective.They have a lot of fancy little ones now that seem to be more about design than utility. I played a carbon fibre acoustic once and was surprised at how well it sounded. |
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Post by Die Bullen on Oct 31, 2021 1:26:48 GMT
Does anything last 15 years anymore? I got rid of my flat top acoustics when I got the carbon fiber Rainsong- less worrying Yeah, that thought occurred to me as I was writing that. I had one of the Sears consols that lasted 20 years and another of the same model that lasted 15. The one I have now I don’t like but this will be its 4th winter. I was thinking of replacing it but I don’t see anything around that would be as effective.They have a lot of fancy little ones now that seem to be more about design than utility. I played a carbon fibre acoustic once and was surprised at how well it sounded. As much as i hate to admit it, just saying you bought something at Sears dates you now! Yeah the carbon fibre guitars sound pretty good and mine is stupidly big and loud. My Martin was a point of pride but every time I took it out of the case in winter I was afraid the top was going to crack. Wonderful tone but I sleep better knowing the carbon fibre one is rock solid. |
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Post by george on Oct 31, 2021 1:41:37 GMT
Humidity is fairly stable in my home and in the summer I only run the dehumidifier if it gets really wet so there is some variation but not a lot. Given the foregoing, I find it odd that the electric guitars seem more sensative to season changes and need the TR tweaked every now an then whereas the 5 acoustics that are in use haven't needed an adjustment in more than 10 years. I would have thought it to be the other way round.
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Post by Die Bullen on Oct 31, 2021 1:56:26 GMT
Humidity is fairly stable in my home and in the summer I only run the dehumidifier if it gets really wet so there is some variation but not a lot. Given the foregoing, I find it odd that the electric guitars seem more sensative to season changes and need the TR tweaked every now an then whereas the 5 acoustics that are in use haven't needed an adjustment in more than 10 years. I would have thought it to be the other way round. I'm surprised too- I wonder if it is the tension from the heavier strings? Humidity in my house is not stable at all. In summer it can go very high and in winter it literally goes to near zero, which is a huge concern. But as I said a whole house humidifier for me would entail just too much work. I'd rather just put the guitars in their cases with a two $10 case humidifiers. Spending $10-15k (or whatever it was) just doesn't make sense to me. |
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Post by infant on Oct 31, 2021 2:13:55 GMT
I have a couple of the oasis things but only used them if was going somewhere that I might be staying for a few days. They are better than nothing but you have to replace the crystals in them every year and they may eventually leak. Then consider having 15 guitars and the oasis guys are or were $20 a throw. It’s cheaper to buy a big ass humidifier that will last 15 years.Does anything last 15 years anymore? I got rid of my flat top acoustics when I got the carbon fiber Rainsong- less worrying It’s funny but I’ve got a ‘72 Ovation Balladeer that I have never really taken great care of. Up until 3 years ago, when I finally bought a proper molded case, it spent all of its life inside one of those thin cardboard guitar cases in my finished basement during humid summers and dry winters. With a carbon fibre bowl (sides and back) and a solid spruce top, you would think the humidity changes would wreak havoc on the joint between the dissimilar materials. Yet, the guitar is still in awesome shape and still plays well. However, humidifying my Martin and ES-137 worry me the most these days. |
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Post by george on Oct 31, 2021 2:36:52 GMT
Humidity is fairly stable in my home and in the summer I only run the dehumidifier if it gets really wet so there is some variation but not a lot. Given the foregoing, I find it odd that the electric guitars seem more sensative to season changes and need the TR tweaked every now an then whereas the 5 acoustics that are in use haven't needed an adjustment in more than 10 years. I would have thought it to be the other way round. I'm surprised too- I wonder if it is the tension from the heavier strings? Humidity in my house is not stable at all. In summer it can go very high and in winter it literally goes to near zero, which is a huge concern. But as I said a whole house humidifier for me would entail just too much work. I'd rather just put the guitars in their cases with a two $10 case humidifiers. Spending $10-15k (or whatever it was) just doesn't make sense to me. No idea but they have 13s and the electrics are 10s mostly. |
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Post by george on Oct 31, 2021 2:43:32 GMT
Does anything last 15 years anymore? I got rid of my flat top acoustics when I got the carbon fiber Rainsong- less worrying It’s funny but I’ve got a ‘72 Ovation Balladeer that I have never really taken great care of. Up until 3 years ago, when I finally bought a proper molded case, it spent all of its life inside one of those thin cardboard guitar cases in my finished basement during humid summers and dry winters. With a carbon fibre bowl (sides and back) and a solid spruce top, you would think the humidity changes would wreak havoc on the joint between the dissimilar materials. Yet, the guitar is still in awesome shape and still plays well. However, humidifying my Martin and ES-137 worry me the most these days. I have a 74 Balladeer 1621-4 that I bought new and never looked after. They often crack on the top because of the different expansion coefficients between the wood and the bowl. Mine has no cracks but the bridge came flying off it when I was in rezies at Queen's. The place was really dry and my neighbor who was musician and had humidifiers going all the time warned me about it. Ovation fixed it under warranty. |
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