I plan to leave two uke’s in their cases in Florida for the summer. My home has a humidistat control on the HVAC system. I set it to keep the house at 55% humidity. I have extra Boveda humidity system packs that add or remove humidity, should I put one in each case or will the 55% be OK? Thanks
Florida uke owners - humidity question
- Thread starter jjdejd
- Start date
stevejfc
Well-known member
55% is ok. The problem might be that your HVAC malfunctions or dies. The Bovedas are a good backup. From experience, I know that air systems take a beating from the hot Florida sun, and a backup plan is worth it.
Never considered that senairio. I guess it won't hurt to put one in each case when I leave. Thanks.
Osprey
Well-known member
If the AC breaks down in Florida the humidity is more likely to go up rather then down
That presents another question, is too much humility a problem? This Boveda system does add or reduce humidity.
SteveZ
Well-known member
Here in Central FL, have never used a humidifier of any kind and no stringed instrument has ever suffered.
Brad Bordessa
Well-known member
We've got enough humidity here when it's raining (90-98+%) all the time that mold grows in the case after a week or two (depending on how wet your gear has gotten running from car to house in the rain over the course of the years). I don't know a single person here who does anything about it or worries. Just wipe off the mold and play! Chuck has a dehumidifier in his shop and is the only person I've ever seen use one, but I think that's only because he's storing wood there. He's never said a thing to me about it for day-to-day use. Got 10 years on my Kamaka in those conditions. Still cherry.
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Moore Bettah Ukuleles
Well-known member
High humidity is rarely the nightmare that low humidity can be. High humidity causes wood to expand, pushing joints together, while low humidity causes the wood to shrink, separating the wood joints or causing cracks. Either extreme may have an impact on the playability (Rule of thumb: high humidity will bloat a body and raise the action, low humidity will cause the body to "shrink", lowering the action, likely causing it to buzz) and to a lesser extent, the sound. I've spent the last 30 years in humid, tropical environments, including Florida and Hawaii and I've never worried about my the safety of my ukes in humid environments that swing between 40% to 90%. Building in uke however requires a much more stable environment, hence the air conditioners and dehumidifiers that Brad talked about above.
bunnyf
Well-known member
5yrs in SWFL, never worried about humidity. No issues with any ukes, and had none in cases.
stevejfc
Well-known member
When the AC is on late spring, summer and early fall here in SWFL, humidity can drop to the 30% range or a bit lower in the house. In the winter, without the AC, humidity raises dramatically. Right now it's at 93%, which is not unusual. We use the Bovedas year round so the instruments aren't exposed to these dramatic fluctuations.
How many Bovedas do you use per case? I have 2 in now but hoping I can get away with just one.
I bought the 49% packs online from Amazon. They had the best price at the time. I also bought the sleeve holder for a guitar and cut it in two to make two pouches. Check Boveda.com under wood instruments. They sell many different percentages of humidity packs. Wood instruments need 49%. I put one pouch under the headstock in each case. My uke's have been sitting for 3 months up north. I guess I'll find out how it worked when I get back next week.
