humidifier needed in SF Bay Area?

[Jill McAuley]

I was just wondering if any folks in the SF Bay Area find that they need to use a humidifier in their mandolin case? Does the climate here call for one?

Cheers,
Jill

[Eddie Sheehy]

I'm in so. Cal - much drier - and I don't bother with one... though I have 2 of them. I'll only use one if a top looks slightly sunken as it did on two old bowlbacks I picked up. I've lived here for 25 years and never used them on my guitars...

[mandolirius]

I was just wondering if any folks in the SF Bay Area find that they need to use a humidifier in their mandolin case? Does the climate here call for one?

Cheers,
Jill

I would say no. I think that pretty much goes for any coastal area.

[mandroid]

De-humidifiers for the room more useful in some places,
but onshore breezes, and summer evening fog, take care of humidity pretty well.
back side of the Sierra-Cascade range is a different story..
central valley, as so much is irrigated ,
is probably humid enough.

[Jill McAuley]

Good to know - thanks all!

Cheers,
Jill

[mtucker]

if you are running dry heat indoors in the winter it's easy enough to test with a hygrometer. better to underhumidify (30-35% range) than over 50%. you can overdo it with a cse humidifier. personally i would never use the 'plastic (travel) soap dish w/ puncture holes and sponge' method in my case. jmo.

[allenhopkins]

I would say, get a reliable hygrometer, and keep it right next to where your instruments are stored. See if the relative humidity stays below 50% for an extended period of time when your central heating is operating.

As Tip O'Neil said about politics, "all humidity is local"; what the TV weather person says about relative humidity in the Bay area, may not be all that relevant to that hall closet where the Weber and Flatiron reside. You're not dealing with desert conditions, or a northern winter where the furnace blasts 24/7, but hygrometers aren't very expensive, and an ounce of prevention is much cheaper than a pound of curing a cracked, dried-out mandolin.

[Jill McAuley]

Thanks for the advice Allen, I'd been pondering doing that, just to be on the safe side. Like you say, it can't hurt.

Cheers,
Jill

[barney 59]

I live in the Bay Area between the beach and a mountain and if anything I need a dehumidifier.

[mtucker]

what the TV weather person says about relative humidity in the Bay area, may not be all that relevant to that hall closet where the Weber and Flatiron reside

exactly what he said...