Boveda two way humidity control yes, or totally damaging ?

[marco mancini]

Hi there folks   my luthier told me that   in winter the Boveda two way humidity control  are totally damaging  , i thought that two way humidity  gives the guitar the right level of it  in all seasons , he also  told me to  keep them in the oven and warmed them up a bit , what  do i have to do  keep them   or get rid of them for good both in the acoustic and electric guitars ?

it looks like a confusing matter !

 

cheers 

[Gibson29]

I suppose everyone has an opinion, there have been reports of breakage and leaking, but they’ve made their pouches safer for potential leaks.  Other than that reason, they work fine.

If you’re storing your guitars in freezing conditions that would have an impact regarding making them more susceptible to leak and they’d be useless in any case.  But regular room temps they’re solid.

Edit: just wondering after rereading your luthiers advice, what he’s taking about.  Warming them?  Voodoo.

Edited November 11, 2023 by Gibson29

[marco mancini]

he simply said  that in winter they just amplifies  humidity  into the woods , indeed when i pull out the bovedas from the guitar they are quite chilly , but i can't tell whether that "CHILL " kept inside the guitar  in those envelops  is dangerous  in the longer term .

[Dave F]

I used them for about 5 years with no issues. Just be sure to change them as recommended. I only stopped because I got a room setup with a humidifier and dehumidifier.

[BoSoxBiker]

Can you describe to us how your guitars are stored in the Winter time, including the temperature of your room(s) and location in terms of near external walls, windows, etc. ? 

I don't use Boveda, but I do use the D'Addario humidpacks. I've read they are the same maker. The Winters where I am are not severe, thought we do get below freezing most nights for a few months. I had one disintegrate inside a guitar maybe 7-8 years ago. It was a beater, so I lucked out. I read a couple years ago that the disintegration problem had been solved, so I'm back using them with no issues to date. 

[marco mancini]

well  in  autumn winter here in northern Italy .... my hygrometer  signs 72 fahrenheit  with 51 percent of humidity  into the cupboard  where i store the guitars , all guitars are kept into case  some gig bag some other hard case , and  that should be at least the temperature and humididy rate into my room also .

[BoSoxBiker]

Sounds like you keep your guitars in kind of a normal manner to me. I would think standard maintenance 2-way humidipacks/Boveda packs would be an easy and valid way to go.

I wonder if your Luthier was talking about reviving Boveda packs by using an oven in an effort to remove moisture as one might do to remove moisture from silica gel packs? That would seem like the opposite thing one would want to do in Winter, but I'm just guessing what he meant by all of that.

[the other side]

I have been using the Boveda humipak system for over ten years in my gibson hummingbird and epiphone hummingbird and have never had not 1 single problem. BTW, the Daddario Humipaks are the same as Boveda because Boveda makes them for Daddario. My opinion is if Boveda tells you to put em in the oven, put  em the oven. I think some of the problems people say they have had issues with them is because they are not using them according how Boveda instructs you to properly use them. I have read stories like recharging them in the freezer, put em in a pot of water etc...... Boveda doesn't say to do that at all. I have never used another type of humidification except Boveda/Daddario.

[philfish]

Marco your temperature and humidity levels are at good levels for your guitars, if they remain in this range I see no need for any humidification   

[the other side]

On 11/11/2023 at 5:39 AM, marco mancini said:

Hi there folks   my luthier told me that   in winter the Boveda two way humidity control  are totally damaging  , i thought that two way humidity  gives the guitar the right level of it  in all seasons , he also  told me to  keep them in the oven and warmed them up a bit , what  do i have to do  keep them   or get rid of them for good both in the acoustic and electric guitars ?

it looks like a confusing matter !

 

cheers 

Just curious what your luthier means or his terminology "Damaging in the winter" refers to? How does it damage the guitar? I'm curious to learn something.

[Sgt. Pepper]

I use them with no issues. The ones from D'addario are the same and made by Boveda. 

[marco mancini]

3 hours ago, the other side said:

Just curious what your luthier means or his terminology "Damaging in the winter" refers to? How does it damage the guitar? I'm curious to learn something.

he basically says  that in winter the boveda two way humidifiers amplify  the moisture  in the wood 

[Sgt. Pepper]

4 minutes ago, marco mancini said:

he basically says  that in winter the boveda two way humidifiers amplify  the moisture  in the wood 

Last I checked winter is when the humidity goes down, so the pack would let out more moisture for the lower humidity level. Unless they live near the equator and its humid there 99.9999% of the time.

Edited November 13, 2023 by Sgt. Pepper

[the other side]

9 hours ago, marco mancini said:

he basically says  that in winter the boveda two way humidifiers amplify  the moisture  in the wood 

Thanks for the info, thats interesting. I did learn something; to continue following Bovedas instructions for humidification. If you'd like to solve the confusion, give Boveda a call. They're nice folks.

Edited November 14, 2023 by the other side

[Murph]

On 11/12/2023 at 5:11 PM, philfish said:

Marco your temperature and humidity levels are at good levels for your guitars, if they remain in this range I see no need for any humidification   

Bingo. If your house is at 51% you don't need anything. That's fine.

I never use them, my room varies, but my guitars go outside often and to many different environments and it balances out to an average 40-60% and I never even think about it much anymore.

 

[Remmuts]

I think if they are used according to manufacturer’s directions, everything will be fine.

They do not recommend “recharging” them, and those that do risk a mishap.

I contacted D’Addario and was told that the guitar case should be stored flat when using the packs in the guitar case!

As usual, ymmv!

[sbpark]

I've been using the Boveda and D'Addario brand humidipacks for years with no issues. 

[Gibson29]

21 hours ago, Remmuts said:

I think if they are used according to manufacturer’s directions, everything will be fine.

They do not recommend “recharging” them, and those that do risk a mishap.

I contacted D’Addario and was told that the guitar case should be stored flat when using the packs in the guitar case!

As usual, ymmv!

I store them upright, no issues in the last few years.  If you think about it, they’re hanging in the bag either way, not sure the angle of the bag would be of any significance.  
 

Which begs another question, how many of us lay our cases flat vs propping them against a wall or in he closet?
 

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

My cases are stored sitting on the side. No issues and I have been using them for years now. 

[BoSoxBiker]

My somewhat rhetorical question on this automatic system is this. A humidipak/Boveda pack indicates that it is out of moisture by feeling dry, crinkly or even downright hard. What is the indication when the packs have reached their moisture capacity?  There is none.

While these packs are indeed two way, the only safety feature in place is for the absence of moisture condition within the pack - the dried out pack. These packs do not completely eliminate the guesswork and anxiety(their words) of too much humidity.

Along that line, I was within a month or so of having to replace at least 1/2 dozen of the 18 packs in use this past Spring. I'm not even close to needing even one replacement now. All packs are full and squishy. So far, I've had no signs of too much humidity in my guitars, but I do know that I have to at least be cognisant of this possibility. 

[Sgt. Pepper]

I wonder how guitarist managed before the packs were available? Sponges how Neanderthal. 

[olie]

My experience with these products is that if properly used, they are quite safe. I've never had a leak or any negative experience in 5+ years. 

The only drawback I've seen is in the summer when the humidity reaches 80% or more. The best the humidipacks do for me is to hold RH at the 55-65% level

and that's in a closed case. According to most authorities that is not a problem. The larger concern is in the winter, where I live, where the temperature drops and central heating blasts away drying the air to 30% or less. Then a humidifier comes to the rescue.

[Sgt. Pepper]

4 minutes ago, olie said:

My experience with these products is that if properly used, they are quite safe. I've never had a leak or any negative experience in 5+ years. 

The only drawback I've seen is in the summer when the humidity reaches 80% or more. The best the humidipacks do for me is to hold RH at the 55-65% level

and that's in a closed case. According to most authorities that is not a problem. The larger concern is in the winter, where I live, where the temperature drops and central heating blasts away drying the air to 30% or less. Then a humidifier comes to the rescue.

AC dries out the air too if you have AC at your house. Some say AC is just as damaging as heat is.

[hojo199]

Been using them without issue for years and years.... Over twenty guitars, all kinds, no issues....

[sbpark]

On 11/15/2023 at 8:16 AM, Sgt. Pepper said:

I wonder how guitarist managed before the packs were available? Sponges how Neanderthal. 

That wasn't the question that OP asked. But by going by your logic you shouldn't be using any type of modern Turing device (especially anything that uses batteries) and use the only types of strings that were available back in the day. And why are you even on a modern guitar forum on the internet since places like this surely didn't exist back then?

One could also argue if there were more modern ways of maintaining proper humidification many more vintage guitars may have survived and/or been salvaged over the years.