Case Humidity - 3 for 3 - You kidding me?

JT of PA

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Is it possible that the device that measures humidity in your case is broken? If you have another hygrometer, test it against the one in your case. That said, I doubt there's a significant difference between the 46 percent humidity in your case (if that reading is accurate) and the 50 percent humidity you're aiming for.
 
Perhaps the case has stabilized & w/temperature & pressure constant, its at the equilibrium for that case, that uke & the ambient conditions of the room that it is stored in??

(if that sounds remotely sane, great... otherwise... it might be a crock!)

But... what is the temperature & humidity of the room where the case itself is?? Another thing... the case itself will absorb a certain amount of moisture into its lining & presumably into the interior of the case itself. You might also want to get another hydrometer to check the case hydrometer.

I believe that you are all right though, what kills a uke is sudden swings in temperature & humidity from the environment in which it was built. Mahalo!
 
To my understanding, putting more similar humidifiers will not modify the humidity in the case. They do not add up to more humidity; they stabilize at the same level. By the way, 46% is ok, it is fine. Even if for some reason, you are late adding water (and I dont see this happenning with how you take care of things), the wood does not dry instantly. It is prolonged exposure to low humidity that is the problem.
 
Yeah, 46% is perfectly acceptable.
 
46% is great. I'm fighting a <20% humidity in my truck. That is BAD. It causes the necks to shrink, so you can now feel the ends of all the frets on one of my ukes. A humdifier will dissapate water into the air based on it's air flow, temp, and the material (surface area) it's made of. Adding more of the same humidifiers will not raise the humidity, unless using just one couldn't keep up with the loss of humdity from the case. We have added a humidifier to the truck, but go through more than a gallon of water a day, and still can't get it over 30% in here. The AC when it's warm and the heater just strip the air in here of all the humidity. Cigar humidifiers are designed to bring the air up to 70% humidity. They are cheap and available at any cigar store. I'm even cheaper. I use an old 35mm film can with a bunch of holes in the top, filled with an old paper towel and water, in each of my uke cases. It has helped my ukes survive this dry enviroment. But does require adding water every other day.
 
Popular DIY humidifier....

....in the acoustic guitar world is a kitchen sponge wrung out
to be damp (no drips), inside travel soap container with holes
or even in a baggie with holes punched in it..

I have used both as case hummidifiers for years with good results.

Glad you know about the salt test for proving your hygrometers.
One of mine is 5 percent off, but easy to 'sharpie' the adjustment
on the face, and trust its preformance.
 
As most of the folks here have already mentioned, a humidity level of 46% is more than acceptable, so you really can ease your concern about that.

Regarding the whys and wherefores of your 46% reading ... well, the people both here and at Ameritage gave you your answer: your case is designed to breathe, so the humidity will not continue to just rise and rise. And, I suspect, that the humidifier and case have some sort of property whereby the internal humidity gets stabilized at a level (in this case, 46%), and is simply maintained, regardless of the outside humidity. And, if the outside humidity increases or decreases significantly, the effect would be less on the internal case humidity, and more on the rate at which your humidifier releases moisture and how frequently you need to add water to it.

But the takeaway message really ought to be that you can kick back, spark open a cold one, and relax in the knowledge that your uke is quite comfy. There is no need to obsess over reaching 50% humidity, particularly if your case can maintain 46% on a consistent basis.
 
Here in my city (60% humidity), if I put more than 1 humidifier inside of my hard cases, storms could be formed inside the top of each hardcase. :D
 
Yup, if you're at 46% you're all good. I'm always fighting too much humidity over here. I have to put silca packs in my cases and keep the AC running cold to keep the instruments I keep out below 55%.
 
Put the case inside a plastic garbage bag and see what happens.
If the humidity rises, you'll know it is the case.
 
Put the case inside a plastic garbage bag and see what happens.
If the humidity rises, you'll know it is the case.
Great idea.

Keep in mind that your hygrometer is measuring relative humidity, which is also affected by air pressure and temperature. If the temperature in your room goes up, the relative humidity will appear to drop.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wrelhum.htm
 
It sounds like your hygrometer is faulty. Get a 1 gallon clear plastic zip lock bag. Inside of the zip lock put a cup of water and your hygrometer. Within a couple of hours your hygrometer should indicate close to 100% relative humidity.
 
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