In Case humidifiers

[Ben Cooper]

Just a question.... What do people find to be the best "in case" humidifiers? It gets pretty dry here in the winter and my house humidifier just died. I want to get something relatively inexpensive to put in the case with my Girouard A.
Thanks!

[Steve Ostrander]

I have an Oasis, but I find that the home-made humidifiers that I make by putting some cellulose kitchen sponge inside a container with holes drilled in it work just as well. Any small plastic bottle will work.

[Ben Cooper]

Thanks Steve, I am looking at the Oasis and the Planet Waves.

[rastamypasta]

I have 2 oasis humidifiers and love em. They are very handy.

[Turtle]

I'm pretty happy with the Oasis humidifiers I have. However, at 20 bucks a pop, it can get expensive if you have several instruments. It's still cheaper than paying for a crack or some other repair though.

[Canoedad]

Last year I used a small zip lock bag with tiny holes and a damp paper towel inside. I replaced the paper towel every time it needed more water. After seeing how quickly the paper towel would get tiny specs of green starting, I don't think I'd use something where I kept re-wetting the same media over and over.

[George R. Lane]

A personal note. I don't use tap water, too many minerals. I use distilled water. A one gallon jug costs a buck.

[verbs4us]

Have had trouble with Oasis leaking--probably due to "operator error." I hear the dried crystals can puncture to membrane. As long as you keep it topped up, and don't roughhouse it when dry, I think it won't leak. I once used a cellulose sponge in a plastic bag but mold was a recurring problem. Use only distilled water. When I worked in a lab, had access to deionized water, which was even better (extended Oasis life). No idea why.

[Tommcgtx]

I have a plastic soap dish with holes drilled in the top, and an anti-fungal, anti-bacterial sponge in it. If your worried about mold and such, microwave it every once in a while, like they explain here:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0423120145.htm

[avaldes]

I just had a Lennox humidifier retrofit to my existing furnace, under $500 installed (no financial interest). We have had single digit temps overnight, and the humidity has stayed above 35%. I have 4 guitars, 2 ukuleles, a 2012 J Bovier and a vintage bowlback. I have tried Oasis, DampIt, and Planet Waves. Keeping various in-case solutions in all these is a pain, so I feel better now that the house system will keep things above the panic point (I know I should get to 40%).

[Jim Garber]

I use a Sears humidifier that sits right in front of the air intake grill for our forced air heating system. As long as I remember to fill the tank religiously in this season and check the filter, it does a fine job. I don't use any in-case humidifiers. I have way too many instruments and our family also does much better in the house.

[Brandon Sumner]

I have a plastic soap dish with holes drilled in the top, and an anti-fungal, anti-bacterial sponge in it. If your worried about mold and such, microwave it every once in a while, like they explain here:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0423120145.htm

this is exactly what I have used for years ,works very well here in Colorado's dry climate

[stevedenver]

I use old film canisters, plastic ones, stuffed with sponge, and punched with a dozen holes (leather punch) but leaving a 1/2 inch hole free rim on the bottom sides and bottom-I use these for my instruments that have fully acclimated. Small tupperware etc will do the trick. I load the sponges but never put them in dripping wet, simply very moist. It is helpful not to cram the sponge in too tightly, but to have it just fit, as I think this helps with overall transfer of moisture by having an increasing suface area as the sponge dries out. Too tight and I think you simply plug the holes more than the extra sponge material yields added moisture.

I also use a heavy freezer zip lock, again punched using a paper punch to get nice holes, I fold the bag onto itself several times and one punch yields like eight holes. I too use a nice kitchen sponge and periodically microwave it and start over-I use this type for newer instruments from more humid climates.

I also use a guitar dampit on one mando, as well as the film canister, simply because I play it daily and I can monitor the dampit wetness so that it never drips and is rarely dry. I also use the soap dish but I find that it seems to have little transfer in moisture, which is fine for more acclimated instruments.

with all, I am mindful to not have them pinched between instrument and top , or case top and bottom, so that there is some air flow, and I never keep them next to the body , but typically in a side compartment or under the headstock , and then lying the case flat whenever possible.

The key I think is a little , but consistently monitored. Overdoing it here in Colorado is unlikely, and perhaps someone from a more humid area will have input.

[Ryk Loske]

I use the DampIt designed for a violin. Squeeze it out well in a towel before inserting.
What George said in his post: Distilled water! Cheap and better for the instrument.

Ryk

[marcodamusician]

Don't spend money. Soap dish with holes or tooth brush holder with holes. Look on youtube for videos. Plenty showing how to make a humidifier for a guitar. Same idea just different instrument. My guitars have two humidifiers with two sponges in each. In total it cost me $5.00 for all of the sponges and the soap dishes. Why spend money when you can make something that does a better job?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ-zM37mJhM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRAy-a-2bps

[Ben Cooper]

What about a Herco Humidifier? I hear they work well and run about $5. Anyone tried one?

[Brandon Sumner]

What about a Herco Humidifier? I hear they work well and run about $5. Anyone tried one?

I have used the Herco in the past, takes for ever to soak up water. the soap dish and sponge method is by far the best and cheapest I have used. In the winter I also run a humidifier just cause of the forced air heat and dry air here in Colorado. It is worth the minimal cost compared to ruining a good instrument.

[R. Kane]

I use these. You can cut them smaller to fit your cases. They are gel-based, so they don't leak water, and they aim for 50% rh in the case.

[truck2242]

That type of humidifier can also be found in tobacco stores. They are used in humidors for cigars. I have used them for a couple years, works fair.

[lorrainehornig]

I use a Stretto in-case humidifier. It comes with a black plastic case with pinholes all over it and two cartridges that will last an entire winter. I soak the cartridge in distilled water to "recharge" it, let it set on a paper towel until it no longer drips and put it back in the case. After about 8-10 weeks the beads in the cartridge start to get hard and won't absorb water...then I change to the other cartridge. It really works well.

[Jim Garber]

Most important and as far as I am concerned: whatever system you use, keeping up on the maintenance and filling whatever with water is key. Right now my forced air heating is on full blast and I have to fill the house humidifier about three times a day.

I was playing with a friend last night and he has an Oasis humidifier in his fiddle case. He said the one designed for violins was too small so he bought the guitar one and said it works for him. He runs a wood stove in his house and has a pot of water on it also.

[Charley wild]

Another plastic film canister user here. I've used them since the 70's and have never had a problem.

[Tobin]

I was playing with a friend last night and he has an Oasis humidifier in his fiddle case. He said the one designed for violins was too small so he bought the guitar one and said it works for him. He runs a wood stove in his house and has a pot of water on it also.

I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that they were the same size? The guitar humidifier just comes with a bracket for hanging in the sound hole of a guitar, where the mandolin/violin one has clips for mounting in the case. As far as I can tell from their website, the only one that's a different size is the double-bass humidifier which is 3/4 size. (They never really tell you what size these things are on the website).

I have both a Case Humidifier and a Case Plus+ Humidifier. They're both the same size, and neither of them can clip into a mandolin case as advertised on the website. They are just too tall to stand up next to the side wall of the case, so they end up laying down under the peghead. These are plenty big for a mandolin case, and would be more than adequate for a violin case as well.

[Bill Clements]

This may be viewed as over-kill, but I have:
1) whole-house furnace (forced air) humidifier
2) Air-O-Swiss room humidifier where I keep my mandolins
3) Air-O-Swiss portable room humidifier (the tank is a water bottle-pretty slick) and Stretto case humidifier for business travel

I also have a Megahome water distiller that supplies water for the room/portable/case humidifiers as well as for the iron and clothes steamer. It's a bit of an investment initially but very convenient in the long run.

[Petrus]

Quick question: Is it necessary to use distilled water with these devices, or will regular tap water work just as well?