As usual there is the dizzying array out there.
Suggestions please!
Billy
As usual there is the dizzying array out there.
Suggestions please!
Billy
Billy Packard
Gilchrist A3, 1993
Weber Fern, 2007
Stiver Fern, 1990
Gibson 1923 A2
Gibson 1921 H1 Mandola
Numerous wonderful guitars
When I lived in Vegas, I used a $30 warm mist from amazon for my bedroom.
2021 The Loar LM700 VS
If you’re talking about humidifying a room to protect your instruments, here’s some good advice:http://www.burgessviolins.com/humidity.html
I’ve basically adopted this system, using the sunbeam warm mist evaporative humidifiers (no “white dust”, low maintenance), but also, they have been discontinued. I bet there’s an equivalent out there (NOT the Vicks, as the article suggests, which doesn’t work well imo ). I keep instruments not to close to heaters and humidifiers, of course, but I use small vortex fans set very low to keep the humidity and temperature consistent in the room. Hope this helps.
I've been using a Bemiss for more than 20 years. It's simple with a fan and a large wick. There are various sizes, and other than the fan, no moving parts. You have to replace the filter, $10 -18 depending where you buy it, but no other maintenance other than cleaning.
THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!
I've been happy with the Winix Ultrasonic Humidifier that Costco carries. 2 gallon capacity, humidity gauge, warm and cool mist options. https://www.costco.com/winix-ultraso...100722442.html
Two plastic flowerboxes with water on the radiator, takes me through all except 2-4 days of some winters. Admitted we only have down to -5 to -10C.
Kentucky KM-805..........2 Hora M1086 Portuguese II(1 in car)
Hora M1088 Mandola.....
Richmond RMA-110..... .Noname Bearclaw
Pochette Franz Janisch...5 Pocket............Alfredo Privitera pocket
Puglisi Pocket 1908........Puglisi 1912.......Puglisi 1917
3 Mandolinetto ..............C.Garozzo
1 Mandriola...................Cannelo G. Mandriola...Böhm Waldzither 1921
Johs Møller 1945............Luigi Embergher Studio 1933
Marma Seashell back......Luigi Embergher 5bis 1909
Air O Swiss
It comes down to ease of cleaning for me. After going thru many, many, many humidifiers I am using the Homedics ultrasonic I got at Costco - on sale this month (nfi). The large tank is easy to lift off the base and can also be filled without removing. The ultrasonic thingie needs to be cleaned with a q-tip when indicated and I have not noticed the pink, slimy stuff building up in this one like I have in all the others that got so frustrating I would just toss them. There is a remote, option for warm mist, option for humidity levels, and a night light.
Northfield F5M #268, AT02 #7
I like my old Holmes cool mist humidifier that I use in the shop. It has a 4-position power switch and a humidistat and that's it. No fancy electronics, no circuit board, no remote, no internet connection, very little nonsense to malfunction and render the unit unusable.
John Hamlett
www.hamlettinstruments.com
I run a Venta airwasher in winter in my home studio where all my instruments are. It humidifies and pulls dust and other crap out of the air at the same time. The instruments love it
2003 John Sullivan F5 "Roy"
2015 Heiden F Artist
2019 Ruhland F5 #35
I use an AirCare Evaporative model, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Copy of a Kenmore model I used for over 15 years with no issues.
No white dust, but a fill of water lasts a while. One thing though, do not install the caster wheels. The Kenmore developed cracks in the base where the wheel pins go.
I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned more. 100% get a Venta Airwasher. It won't over humidify, has a huge reservoir, and it clean the air as it works. It IS expensive but I think well worth it if you value your instruments.
Another vote for the Venta Airwasher. Expensive, but I've had mine for over 15 years. Have replaced the little gearboxes a few times and last year replaced the motor assemblies. The water additive is a necessity, particularly if you have high mineral content water like I do. Relatively quiet, and they work at keeping the RH above 38%, except when it gets <0°F for a few days, then I put in the case humidifiers. NFI & YMMV.
Kit
Guitars, Mandos, Violins, Dulcimers, Cats
I use a pair of Honeywell warm mist humidifiers with one gallon tanks. A single one works fine for up to 250 sf. It has two settings and the low one lasts about 24 hours between refills. The only drawback is the water is awful here so I have to clean mountains of scale off them every couple of months even with water treatments. Soaking in vinegar and baking soda does the trick.
I switched to a cool mist humidifier for a couple of weeks, but the room was coated in fine white dust from it. We have very low low humidity in the winter and high humidity in the summer so it seems like I'm always switching between emptying dehumidifiers and filling humidifiers. I shoot for 50% humidity year round. That way I can keep all my instruments on display and ready to play. No issues for nearly 20 years now.
Venta! You pay more up front but they just go one and one year after year. Easy to clean. No mist. No fuss.
2010 Campanella A-5
1923 Gibson A2
I have a big honking Kenmore evaporative humidifier with two big tanks, an older model I got on craigslist for $50. This is my second year with it, it's great. My house is so dry in the winter I have to fill it almost every day. In fact, need to go do it right now.
Can't tell you what's best because I haven't tried them all. But you can check with the people who have: Consumer Reports.
We have a couple of off-the-shelf-at-Walgreen's Honeywells - one upstairs, one downstairs. They're cheap, they work great, and they've lasted a long time.
But my preferred method is to just keep a pan of water on a radiator.
Gibson A-Junior snakehead (Keep on pluckin'!)
Hey Charlie, the pan on the stove is what I've done in lieu of spending mucho dinero right before Christmas.
I also turn on a fan which dissipates the moisture.
I have an 800 sq.ft. apt so this is holding me over for the moment.
I'm appreciating everyone's input and will buy something.
Billy Packard
Gilchrist A3, 1993
Weber Fern, 2007
Stiver Fern, 1990
Gibson 1923 A2
Gibson 1921 H1 Mandola
Numerous wonderful guitars
I use a couple different evaporative humidifier units.
I like the evap units because they don't leave a white film of mineral precipitate all over the house. I've gone through three or four over the last 30 years, usually find them used on craigslist for 40 dollars or so. I get about 8-10 years out of them before failure.
One is an old Bemis that a co-worker gave me about 15 years ago; the other is a Sears console unit. Haven't had to turn on the Bemis yet this season - been a pretty warm season so far - but the Sears has been pumping about 4 gallons a day into about a 500 sq ft area. I turn it on when I activate the home heating system. BTW, heating is as important as humidifying; our system is a boiler with cast iron baseboard radiators, but the older stand-up radiators are good too. Forced air heat is awfully drying, doesn't feel as warm, and really needs a humidifying unit to keep from dessicating everyone in the house. Then the ductwork gets rusty.
We also have central air conditioning, with a heat pump. The heat pump produces warm forced air, and costs are oppressive to operate, especially when the temp goes under 40 degrees or so. Had to use it for a 2 week period one December when the boiler needed replacing; it's good for redundancy, but I'm thankful I don't have to rely on it as a primary heat source.
I suppose this is an example of too much information. That said, it took decades and a serious renovation project to get to the ideal configuration.
If we review the gas laws from high school physics we see that it doesn't matter how air is heated, when air is heated, however it is heated, the relative humidity (RH) drops. That means we don't get a pass for heating with a system other than forced air. When we heat our homes in cold weather we need to monitor the RH and humidify the air if needed to maintain proper RH.
John Hamlett
www.hamlettinstruments.com
Those big Kenmore humidifiers are awesome for large spaces. I used to have one in my music store nearly 20 years ago. I gave it to a friend when I moved to NY and it's still working great for him. My first house in NY had small rooms so the Kenmore would have been overkill. That's why I got the little Honeywell. My current house bumped me to about 500 sf and lots of room to spread out and 12 foot ceilings in my music room. It's nothing fancy, but a coat of paint and lots of wall hangers make it my hangout. I added a second Honeywell and they keep up nicely in there. I miss the Kenmore though.
From personal experience I went through a lot more water in the humidifiers with forced air in the winter than I do now with a hot water boiler and baseboard heaters. The humidity is about 10 - 15% higher in the winter with the boiler than it was with forced air. I still need humidifiers during the winter, but nowhere near as much water. I went from using about 3 gallons a day with one humidifier in a 100 sf room to using about 2 gallons a day in my new room. My ebony and rosewood fingerboards don't dry out as fast either.
On more thought. I'm a big fan of small hygrometers. They may not be laboratory accurate, but they're close enough to tell if I need to make adjustments. I have three in my current room so I can make sure the humidifiers are placed optimally so the room stays hydrated, but not overly humid. Mold is a big issue around here and I don't need a whole new set of problems.
Humidifiers I have known:
VENTA:
I have two of these, purchased years ago before they were called "airwashers".
Pro:
- Well built
- Quiet
- Parts are easily replaced [via Internet purchase] and reasonably priced (I needed new parts after 10 winters)
Con:
- Pricey
- Works best in small room with door closed
- Requires water treatment added at least monthly
- Requires periodic cleaning during course of winter
SEARS:
I've had this for years longer than the Ventas. Folks in earlier posts refer to "Kenmore". The label on the back of this one says "Emerson" -- but I believe we are talking about the same machine. This is what I use in my music room where my stable of mandos, etc., etc., etc. are kept.
Pro:
- Affordable
- Well built
- Good for large rooms with closed door. My music room is in a large old Victorian house with high ceilings. I keep the pocket doors closed. I have it set to maintain humidity at about 45%.
- Filters (2) are easy to obtain and replace once a year
- 2 removable tanks to fill, so you don't have to move the machine to provide water
- No need to clean until the sun shines once again.
Con:
- You can hear this one. Though it is not on constantly, you might want to switch it off if you are in the room playing/practicing
- You need to experiment a bit to be sure you're humidifying and not drowning the room
- The annual cleaning is a bit more awkward because of the size
2021 The Loar LM700 VS
In winter I humidify my cases, which keep my mandolins between a happy 45% -50% rh. They are often cased when then not being played. I have whole house humidification, but live in an old house in Wisconsin that would not tolerate a 45% indoor humidity in winter. Case humidifying is a nuisance, but keeps the stings from buzzing.
Good article! Bruce is a great guy and we speak often. I love my Weber Fern!
Billy Packard
Gilchrist A3, 1993
Weber Fern, 2007
Stiver Fern, 1990
Gibson 1923 A2
Gibson 1921 H1 Mandola
Numerous wonderful guitars
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