Dehumidifier necessary?

Kibes37

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Bay Area Dehumidifier

I just got a Premium Kanile’a (which i’ll Do a NUD on soon) that I’m in love with. I have the humidifier down, but do I need to worry about a dehumidifier? I live in the Bay Area. I had a solid top cedar guitar I never humidified or dehumidified. I know, ignorant, but it was fine. I just want to make sure my new baby is well taken care of. I searched other threads and just mainly saw humidifier info. I have a hygrometer enroute which will obviously answer a lot. I will salt test it and figure it’s accuracy .

I really just wanted some dehumidifier recommendations. I saw the two way packs but the leak reviews scared me. I’m highly freightend of shi&$y products doing an extremely important job.

Thanks for any insight.

-Neurotic First Nice Uke Owner
 
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I use the Boveda system, which protects against too little or too much humidity. I like it very much.
 
According to Taylor Guitar, "Start with a Digital Hygrometer. A hygrometer will give you an accurate reading of the humidity level of the environment in which you store your guitar, which will help you monitor it. The ideal humidity range for an acoustic guitar is 45-55 percent, but 40-60 percent is generally acceptable."
 
What part of the Bay Area (California?) are you in? I am on the Peninsula and have two unopened humidifiers since I found out they are really unnecessary here... even in the winter when we were 100 degrees warmer last night than parts of the midwest.

Same with a dehumidifier. It never gets crazy humid to affect instruments.
 
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I have the humidifier down, but do I need to worry about a dehumidifier?

I'm also a new solid uke owner with the same concern living in the Tampa Bay Area. I bought an Inkbird ITH-10 Digital Thermometer and Hygrometer Temperature Humidity Monitor to check on the conditions in my hard case. I typically see high-60's to low-70's of relative humidity instead of the oft quoted 45-55% range. I contacted HMS Customer Service and they replied "coming from a humid climate...[i.e. Hawaii]" that "as long as your ukulele is stored inside (possibly closer to an A/C unit, would reduce humidity level), I believe it should remain in good condition."

I use the Boveda system, which protects against too little or too much humidity. I like it very much.

I'm interested in your experience. I looked at the Boveda system, but most of the reviews panned its ability to dehumidify well. What have you seen? How long do the packets last in higher humidity?

Thanks for the conversation.
 
What part of the Bay Area (California?) are you in? I am on the Peninsula and have two unopened humidifiers since I found out they are really unnecessary here... even in the winter when we were 100 degrees warmer last night than parts of the midwest.

Same with a dehumidifier. It never gets crazy humid to affect instruments.


I’m 20 mins north of SF. I heat my house up pretty consistently in the winter. I’ve already seen my Oasis start to lose water. I am being anal, though. Thanks for the reply.
 
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You really need to gauge your normal humidity and extremes where the ukulele is stored. Over humidification can damage a ukulele as under humidification can.. ( well, different sorts of damage, but damage all the same!)

See this https://www.gotaukulele.com/2015/05/should-i-worry-about-ukulele-humidity.html

40-55 may seem a narrow range, but some brands recommend a tighter window!


Can’t be too careful when it comes to a potentially life long relationship. Thanks for the info
 
I'm interested in your experience. I looked at the Boveda system, but most of the reviews panned its ability to dehumidify well. What have you seen? How long do the packets last in higher humidity?

Thanks for the conversation.

Adam- To be honest, I was starting to wonder if they were working because I bought my first uke in March and the packs still felt semi-ok, going into December. In the meanwhile I had acquired several other ukes and added packs to those. But as soon as it got really cold (and dry) I had to replace all of them. I'd like to check what the humidity level is within the actual case, but the hygrometer I have seems to read the ambient air the minute I turn it on so I don't think I'd be able to get a reading.

In regard to dehumidifying, I normally have the AC running so it doesn't get too humid. But occasionally I'll take a good one to my lake cottage where it's very humid, and have never noticed a problem. Not sure what I would notice if it wasn't working to dehumidify? I suppose the case could feel damp inside or take on a smell, but I've never noticed either.

What I really like is that you don't have to check them all the time. I keep two in each case, per their recommendation; one under the head stock, and the 2nd one I lay over the sound hole.
 
Very good whole room dehumidifiers are available for about $200. We use them in our restaurants in Southeast Louisiana as well as at home. Ours will take up to 70 pints of water a day out of the air and have lasted for a decade without problems. Decent ones allow you to set the "relative humidity" which may not be "perfectly measured" but works well enough for our purposes. Clean the filters as needed...a 3 minute task. We have found to go "cheaper" as in 40 pint a day dehumidifiers at about $150 per unit to not be cost effective. They are just don't seem to be as effective. At home I do have a small humidifier that is only needed when we "over heat" the house. This works well for high end acoustic guitars that from my experience are more sensitive than any uke that I have owned. If you are a tone freak, you will notice changes in tone from significant changes in humidity.
 
Very good whole room dehumidifiers are available for about $200. We use them in our restaurants in Southeast Louisiana as well as at home. Ours will take up to 70 pints of water a day out of the air and have lasted for a decade without problems. Decent ones allow you to set the "relative humidity" which may not be "perfectly measured" but works well enough for our purposes. Clean the filters as needed...a 3 minute task. We have found to go "cheaper" as in 40 pint a day dehumidifiers at about $150 per unit to not be cost effective. They are just don't seem to be as effective. At home I do have a small humidifier that is only needed when we "over heat" the house. This works well for high end acoustic guitars that from my experience are more sensitive than any uke that I have owned. If you are a tone freak, you will notice changes in tone from significant changes in humidity.

Thank you for the reply. I’m considering a small room dehumidifier.
 
I'm also a new solid uke owner with the same concern living in the Tampa Bay Area. I bought an Inkbird ITH-10 Digital Thermometer and Hygrometer Temperature Humidity Monitor to check on the conditions in my hard case. I typically see high-60's to low-70's of relative humidity instead of the oft quoted 45-55% range. I contacted HMS Customer Service and they replied "coming from a humid climate...[i.e. Hawaii]" that "as long as your ukulele is stored inside (possibly closer to an A/C unit, would reduce humidity level), I believe it should remain in good condition."

I'm in southeast Florida, and especially at this time of year, it's very humid indoors. I keep all of my assorted solid wood instruments in one room always in their cases. Even in summer with the AC running continually, it's seldom (if ever) below 60 percent.

Our bedroom is at the opposite side of the house from where the instrument room is, and for whatever reason it's the most humid room in the house, so we do need to run a whole-room dehumidifier a few hours before bedtime every night. We know it really needs it because mildew will form in the closet if we don't use it. It's fortunately not that extreme in the room where the instruments are, I don't dehumidify there, mildew is never a problem there, and the instruments don't seem to mind the humidity at all. They sound happy enough! In any case, it's much less of a problem than excessive dryness would be.

bratsche
 
I'm in southeast Florida, and especially at this time of year, it's very humid indoors. I keep all of my assorted solid wood instruments in one room always in their cases. Even in summer with the AC running continually, it's seldom (if ever) below 60 percent.

Our bedroom is at the opposite side of the house from where the instrument room is, and for whatever reason it's the most humid room in the house, so we do need to run a whole-room dehumidifier a few hours before bedtime every night. We know it really needs it because mildew will form in the closet if we don't use it. It's fortunately not that extreme in the room where the instruments are, I don't dehumidify there, mildew is never a problem there, and the instruments don't seem to mind the humidity at all. They sound happy enough! In any case, it's much less of a problem than excessive dryness would be.

bratsche

I live in West Palm Beach, and we run the A/C 24/7 almost all year long (sometimes only at night Dec.- end of Feb). My wife has to have it at least 70 degrees, or colder when we are sleeping.
In my office (where I have to keep all of my instruments) the highest the humidity will sometimes get is 47%, but usually stays between 39% - 41%. However in our bedroom it's always 5% - 10% more.
 
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Thank you for the reply. I’m considering a small room dehumidifier.

In Marin county, you should not need a dehumidfier. Best comparison is that Kanile'as are made in Hawaii where it is more humid than the Bay Area. That should be a reference point. I have inquired at two ukulele shops in the area and the owners (in SF and San Jose) said that they do NOT humidify nor dehumidify their Koaloha or Kamaka ukuleles at home. The Bay Area is uke friendly relative to humidity.
 
I live in West Palm Beach, and we run the A/C 24/7 almost all year long (sometimes only at night Dec.- end of Feb). My wife has to have it at least 70 degrees, and colder when we are sleeping.
In my office (where I have to keep all of my instruments) the highest the humidity will usually get is 47%, but usually stays between 39% - 41%. However in our bedroom it's always 5% - 10% more.

Hi, neighbor! We're 10 miles south of you, give or take. ;-)

Yes, I know the setting on your thermostat makes a big difference in humidity levels. We only keep ours set at 78 degrees year round, so when it's colder than that the AC doesn't come on at all. What's funny is that the house retains the cool for a couple days after it warms up outside, so I'll walk out the door wearing my long jeans and denim jacket, and suddenly realize I'm overdressed!

bratsche
 
In Marin county, you should not need a dehumidfier. Best comparison is that Kanile'as are made in Hawaii where it is more humid than the Bay Area. That should be a reference point. I have inquired at two ukulele shops in the area and the owners (in SF and San Jose) said that they do NOT humidify nor dehumidify their Koaloha or Kamaka ukuleles at home. The Bay Area is uke friendly relative to humidity.




Love being in a uke friendly zone! I figured most of the time I’m good. It’s just some strange weather can roll through from time to time and I want to be prepared. Thanks man!
 
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Easiest to use for me is the D'Addario Humidipak. I suppose Boveda is very similar at a lower price. Relative humidity in my home is constantly in between 45-50% so theoretically, I wouldn't need a humidifier, I just use them for peace of mind. The humidipak is said to regulate both too little or too much humidity. So with humidity being perfect in my home all the time, the humidipak is still full after a year of use. I think they are a great solution for instruments in a relatively mild and not too dry climate.
 
Easiest to use for me is the D'Addario Humidipak. I suppose Boveda is very similar at a lower price. Relative humidity in my home is constantly in between 45-50% so theoretically, I wouldn't need a humidifier, I just use them for peace of mind. The humidipak is said to regulate both too little or too much humidity. So with humidity being perfect in my home all the time, the humidipak is still full after a year of use. I think they are a great solution for instruments in a relatively mild and not too dry climate.

Any leaks ever?
 
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