Humidifiers for Guitar/Home Studio..

[Larsongs]

I live in Palm Springs, Ca.. Dry Climate.. Triple digit Hot in the Summer & mild 60-80 Degree Winters.. 

I need recommendations for a good Humidifier for my Home Studio Guitar Room… We have dual 5 Ton Heating & A/C Units… So we’re good there.. 

I do like to leave a few Guitars in my Studio to grab & play anytime. I also leave a few hanging on the Wall to grab & play at will. I’m starting to notice some sharp fret edges & signs of dryness on some of Guitars.

I think I need to address the Humidity situation. I’d like good quality & quiet. With Guages for Humidity etc..

Please post your recommendations.

Thanks,

L

Edited May 5, 2022 by Larsongs

[kidblast]

Ya  you're right to be on the look out

I'm in new england and it's just too dry most of the year.

how big is the room?  maybe a few cool mist humidifiers?   we have a few that don't have filters that need to be cleaned, and work with tap water but they have to be filled once a day.

 

[Larsongs]

The Room is 11 X 13...

 

 

[kidblast]

That's just a bit larger than my room.  2 might do it, they just need to be filled daily if you run them on like med or med-low..  not expensive...  maybe..

lets see what others can offer

 

[Larsongs]

Is there such a thing as purpose built Humidifiers for Guitar Rooms? I'd like it to be quiet, Gauges showing Temp, Humidity etc. Prefer it not to spray out water but a very light mist into the Room so as not to damage Guitars... Does that make sense?

Thenks

L

Edited May 6, 2022 by Larsongs

[rct]

Put a whole house humidifier on the HVAC return.  Nothing to worry about, whole house will be comfortable for you, the pets, and your guitars.

rct

[Larsongs]

42 minutes ago, rct said:

Put a whole house humidifier on the HVAC return.  Nothing to worry about, whole house will be comfortable for you, the pets, and your guitars.

rct

I’m going to check into that.. Thanks

[Larsongs]

5 hours ago, ghost_of_fl said:

I have this humidifier - I just use it for general use, especially during the winter.   Puts out tons of mist, definitely humidifies a room. You can add essential oils to make the mist smell nice.  

LEVOIT Humidifiers for Bedroom Large Room 6L Warm and Cool Mist for Families Plants with Built-in Humidity Sensor, Essential Oil, Air Vaporizer with Remote Control, Timer Setting, White

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MYGNGKK/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_X4DN2KYBE7WAABA7H9CP

It’s listed on 1 or 2 Websites as a good choice for Guitars.. Do you use it for Guitars? I have Acoustic’s, Hollow & Semi Acoustic Electric’s & Electric Solid Bodies…

Thanks

[rct]

23 minutes ago, Larsongs said:

I’m going to check into that.. Thanks

If you can cut a hole in ductwork and do some minor wiring you can do it yourself.  It really makes the whole house better.  'specially out there, that is a dry down.  Cheeky Monkey!

rct

[fortyearspickn]

Lars,  I'm surprised you got away without some type of humidifier for this long.   I live in South Texas -  low humidity in the summer, exacerbated by the heating system for a couple of winter months.  So, I need a humidifier running around 4 or 5 months of the year.  Have needed a room sized one for my music room - about the same size as yours - so I can keep my 3 acoustic hanging on the wall.   I' don't recall seeing any on the internet that had settings based on an integrated hygrometer.  Just a dial -  "Hi, Lo, Med."  And an automatic shut-off when they run out of water.   There are 2 types as I recall - one that basically uses a fan blowing on a wick to distribute evaporated moist air and a second ultrasonic type with a vibrating metal diaphragm that creates a mist for the fan.  I think the latter might be better.  Either way - you have a certain amount of maintenance upkeep -  bacteria and solids in the water you use have to be dealt with and/or avoided, etc.  I go through approx. a gallon of distilled water a week. Remember, when your room is dried out - that means your furniture, walls, flooring AND guitars.  They'll all compete for the moisture.  So, just having the air humidified doesn't mean your guitar automatically is.  I'd guess you need to keep the air humid for at least a week in order for the guitar to get back to 'normal'.   G'Luck.  

[Larsongs]

11 hours ago, rct said:

If you can cut a hole in ductwork and do some minor wiring you can do it yourself.  It really makes the whole house better.  'specially out there, that is a dry down.  Cheeky Monkey!

rct

I’ll check out YouTube! Thanks

[Larsongs]

11 minutes ago, fortyearspickn said:

Lars,  I'm surprised you got away without some type of humidifier for this long.   I live in South Texas -  low humidity in the summer, exacerbated by the heating system for a couple of winter months.  So, I need a humidifier running around 4 or 5 months of the year.  Have needed a room sized one for my music room - about the same size as yours - so I can keep my 3 acoustic hanging on the wall.   I' don't recall seeing any on the internet that had settings based on an integrated hygrometer.  Just a dial -  "Hi, Lo, Med."  And an automatic shut-off when they run out of water.   There are 2 types as I recall - one that basically uses a fan blowing on a wick to distribute evaporated moist air and a second ultrasonic type with a vibrating metal diaphragm that creates a mist for the fan.  I think the latter might be better.  Either way - you have a certain amount of maintenance upkeep -  bacteria and solids in the water you use have to be dealt with and/or avoided, etc.  I go through approx. a gallon of distilled water a week. Remember, when your room is dried out - that means your furniture, walls, flooring AND guitars.  They'll all compete for the moisture.  So, just having the air humidified doesn't mean your guitar automatically is.  I'd guess you need to keep the air humid for at least a week in order for the guitar to get back to 'normal'.   G'Luck.  

I used to keep my Guitars in their Cases & for the most part still do.. But, I have been leaving several out over the past few years. Time takes it toll!

For sure I should have added a Humidifier some time ago… 

I’ve read that after a Guitar is rehumidified the wood will expand. Thereby correcting Necks with rough Fret edges & Bodies on Acoustic and Electric Guitars.. Is this true?

[fortyearspickn]

G-FL,   Thanks.   I do have a separate electronic hygrometer/thermometer I keep inside the glass paned door so I can check it easily.  Probably my Walmart model is not as accurate as the Oasis one.    I'll save the link for when I have to replace my humidifier - which will be soon - for one that is more sensitive and accurate.

Edited May 6, 2022 by fortyearspickn

[fortyearspickn]

16 minutes ago, Larsongs said:

I used to keep my Guitars in their Cases & for the most part still do.. But, I have been leaving several out over the past few years. Time takes it toll!

For sure I should have added a Humidifier some time ago… 

I’ve read that after a Guitar is rehumidified the wood will expand. Thereby correcting Necks with rough Fret edges & Bodies on Acoustic and Electric Guitars.. Is this true?

Yes, the unfinished fretboard wood will expand when it goes from dry to wet, how much probably depends how dry and how wet.  I think it's completely un-noticeable except for the fret ends.  If you never had rough fret ends, I'd guess you should be able  get it back to where it was. If you think they are especially exposed IE the wood super dry, you could get a BARELY damp cloth and wipe it down to give it a reprieve until you get a humidifier.  Of course, that wouldn't address the rest of the guitar and your strings might get rusty...    Maybe stick them back in their cases with some kind of damp thingy -  until you get a humidifier going strong.   Note: on a neck with trim on the ends of the fret boards, the fret ends usually have a dab of paint or something to blend in with the trim.  That could be part of what you're feeling.  I assume you haven't had your frets re-finished?  Leveled ?   

Oh - and your desire for a 'quiet' humidifier.  Many are  specifically designed to provide ambient 'white' noise for a sleep room, so you have to check on that feature as you narrow down your selection 

[Larsongs]

Great info… Luckily, I think I’m catching the early signs of problems & hopefully with a good Humidifier can prevent any further drying & shrinking. And, hopefully rehumidifying will reverse some, most or all the shrinking & drying.

I’m going to check out those D ‘Addario humidifier’s for Guitars in their Cases..

The Levoit Ultrasonic gets good reviews & may be the way to go..

I’ll keep you all posted..

Thanks,

L

Edited May 7, 2022 by Larsongs

[Larsongs]

This one seems to get excellent reviews & has all the bells & whistles.. I went ahead & ordered the Levoit Ultrasonic 6L Warm & Cool Humidifier today..

I’ll order the Hygrometer tomorrow.. Any other recommendations for them are appreciated.

Thanks,

L

https://levoit.com/products/lv600hh-hybrid-ultrasonic-humidifier

Edited May 7, 2022 by Larsongs

[Larsongs]

The Humidifier arrived today via Amazon Prime.. Quick! 

Set it up easily.. Simple & straight forward.. It does show the current % of Humidity in the room. The desired % of Humidity can be set on a Remote control or on the Unit itself.. It will automatically shut of when the desired % of humidity is reached.. I've got it set to 40% & will adjust from there as necessary..

I also purchased an inexpensive Digital Temp & Humidity Guage at Home Depot.. $14.00..

Surprisingly, even though I live in the Desert the humidity is 31%. I expected it to be much lower.. Today is about 80 degrees, Sunny as is normal for this time of year.  We do have an unusual bit of a breeze today..

 

[fortyearspickn]

Now you can rest easy. I’m going to look seriously at that unit next time it gets down to 40% here.   Our temp today on the back porch was 99.  “Felt Like” was 108.  
YOWCH! 
( Thanks Ghost FL for the tip) 

[Larsongs]

Question; OK, I turned on the Humidifier, my 11 X 13 room humidity is 30%. I set the humidifier for 40% humidity.. over the course of 3-4 hours the humidity in the room increased to 34%. It took a gallon of water to achieve that.. Seems like it will take a ton of water & a lot of time to get to just 40% humidity..

I’ll literally have to run this thing 24 hours & several days to get to 40%..  Which I’ll try to do til the room reaches 40% & Guitars are rehumidified.  How will I know my Guitars are re-humidified?

Next question, the minute I opened the door to my Studio the humidity escaped. In a short time the room dropped from 34% back 30% humidity.. If I can get the Room to 40% humidity for a few days & when I open the Door, Even though the room humidity dropped, will the Guitars still retain any humidity increase? Seems like they should….

 

Edited May 9, 2022 by Larsongs

[duane v]

Here is the one I use for my room. I can have up to 12 guitars hanging from the wall.

I set it to 40% RH. You need to change the filterers every 6 months and use the bacteria additive so you don't get algae. 

 

 

 

[duane v]

On 5/6/2022 at 10:41 PM, Larsongs said:

This one seems to get excellent reviews & has all the bells & whistles.. I went ahead & ordered the Levoit Ultrasonic 6L Warm & Cool Humidifier today..

I’ll order the Hygrometer tomorrow.. Any other recommendations for them are appreciated.

Thanks,

L

https://levoit.com/products/lv600hh-hybrid-ultrasonic-humidifier

Send it back. You don't want a humidifier that sends water vapors into the air like that one. It's bad for amp electronics, your electronics in your guitars and eventually you'll have bacteria build up in your room causing some lung issues. 

[duane v]

I'm just warning you with those humidifiers.....  they can damage the wood in a guitar and can swell tremendously, causing glue joints to fail, finish to lift, and neck angles to go bad.

The humidifier you are using are for people with sinus issues.

[duane v]

I have no idea what they use specifically, but I would think it's not a mist system or they would have rust all over things.

I use what I use and I don't have dew residue in my room and when the RH drops below 35% it kicks on. 

[Larsongs]

1 hour ago, duane v said:

Here is the one I use for my room. I can have up to 12 guitars hanging from the wall.

I set it to 40% RH. You need to change the filterers every 6 months and use the bacteria additive so you don't get algae. 

 

 

 

I went to their website & typed in the model #HD1409 & this is their Link, https://www.sylvane.com/aircare-valiant-whole-house-humidifier.html?_srt=ssr&keywords=hd1409

It looks good but do you think it's overkill for an 11X13 Room?? I like the idea of a 5 Gallon tank & able to use Tap Water.. How expensive are the filters & how often do you change them? 

Is there a way to check if your Guitar is at a proper Humidity level?? And, if so, how? And, what is the proper humidity level??

Thanks..

Edited May 9, 2022 by Larsongs

[duane v]

I found that every six months the code on the LCD for changing the filters will come up. But my room is 2X the size of yours.

Actually you will save money on the bacteria solution and the filters because of the smaller size of your jam room.