Should I be worried about my humidity level? Should I get a room humidifier as well?

beautifulsoup

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 14, 2012
Messages
166
Reaction score
0
I know the humidity thing has been discussed before... I've looked at some of the stuff here.

I'm in the DC metropolitan area. My solid wood ukes are kept in good hard cases (not foam cases), and each uke has its own Oasis sound hole humidifier. The children (as my husband refers to them) are kept in a bedroom closet, door almost closed (can't get it closed all the way). Yes, we have inside heat, but the vent is not near the closet. I have hygrometers in each case.

Still, my humidity levels show 29% (!!!) Should I be worried about this? I seemed to get through last winter okay. But I'm thinking a small room humidifier might be the way to do.

Sorry if a dumb question, but what brands can you all recommend? The closet is maybe 7 feet by 2 or 3 feet (wild guess). AND...cool or warm mist?

Sadly, I've had two Kala laminate ukes' necks back-bow and warp. :(

Thanks for reading, thanks for help.
 
I know the humidity thing has been discussed before... I've looked at some of the stuff here.

I'm in the DC metropolitan area. My solid wood ukes are kept in good hard cases (not foam cases), and each uke has its own Oasis sound hole humidifier. The children (as my husband refers to them) are kept in a bedroom closet, door almost closed (can't get it closed all the way). Yes, we have inside heat, but the vent is not near the closet. I have hygrometers in each case.

Still, my humidity levels show 29% (!!!) Should I be worried about this? I seemed to get through last winter okay. But I'm thinking a small room humidifier might be the way to do.

Sorry if a dumb question, but what brands can you all recommend? The closet is maybe 7 feet by 2 or 3 feet (wild guess). AND...cool or warm mist?

Sadly, I've had two Kala laminate ukes' necks back-bow and warp. :(

Thanks for reading, thanks for help.

The closet size your refer to is small, so it shouldn't take much to get the humidity up to 40-50%. I would use a cool mist unit to humidify. I would also get a good hygrometer at a garden shop or some such place to get an accurate reading. I would not trust those small round hygrometers that come in instrument case, most of those are crap.

Kalas ukes are not that well made so problems will arise if the humidity changes for the worse. I just got done repairng a Kala baritone where the inside braces started to fall off and the frets started to come out, all this due to humidity changes. Good luck.
 
Thanks, BlackBearUkes.

I should specify that the hygrometers in my case are Oasis...I stick them inside the case...
 
Kalas ukes are not that well made so problems will arise if the humidity changes for the worse. I just got done repairng a Kala baritone where the inside braces started to fall off and the frets started to come out, all this due to humidity changes. Good luck.

Not looking for trouble, but are you saying Kalas are poorly built based on that repair, or on seeing many failing Kala ukeleles? I have two Kala ukes, with price tag of $350 and $260. Both are very well built, and light years ahead of two other factory ukes that I recently bought and returned on the same day they arrived. One had fret ends that could saw through timber, and the other had to be seen to be believed(!!!!). The second was in no danger of loosing its braces: it had hot glue oozing from every corner. Like I said, I'm just wondering what you're basing your assessment on.

Room humidifiers are good for instruments and people. I bought an evaporative type humidifier 10 years ago, and dry winters were much more pleasant. They make rooms feel warmer, and keep your skin from drying out. I'm sure there are nasal benefits as well, and they're reasonably priced.
 
See if there is a way to put the hygrometer inside the sound hole or body of the uke. I tied a thread on mine so I could retrieve it and put it in the body of my uke. The readings over several days was a steady 45-48% with an Oasis humidifier in the uke. Room Rh was probably upper 20s to lower 30s. When I took the hygrometer out of the hole and put it in the case, the humidity reading dropped significantly. With an Oasis humidifier and steady readings of 45-48% Rh inside the uke body where it counts, I'm comfortable that the uke is at the right level even if the readings are lower in the case.
 
Last edited:
See if there is a way to put the hygrometer inside the sound hole or body of the uke. I tied a thread on mine so I could retrieve it and put it in the body of my uke. The readings over several days was a steady 45-48% with an Oasis humidifier in the uke. Room Rh was probably upper 20s to lower 30s. When I took the hygrometer out of the hole and put it in the case, the humidity reading dropped significantly. With an Oasis humidifier and steady readings of 45-48% Rh inside the uke body where it counts, I'm comfortable that the uke is at the right level even if the readings are lower in the case.

Hmmm; d'oh, why didn't I think of that? I'll see I can rig that up tonight or tomorrow. Thanks.

and I'm supposing I should still get a room humidifier, because I keep my laminate ukes in foam hardshell cases - and as I had said before, the necks have not fared well on my laminate Kalas.
 
Last edited:
After my Lanikai solid monkey pod cracked during a very dry few days here in Los Angeles, and reading through the last few posts about humidity, I was inspired by wickedwahine to convert a shelf in my living room bookcase to a humidified enclosure that holds 8 tenor ukes. It took a couple of weeks of half steps to complete, but now it stays at a steady 56% all the time.

1 Shelf1.jpg
 
After my Lanikai solid monkey pod cracked during a very dry few days here in Los Angeles, and reading through the last few posts about humidity, I was inspired by wickedwahine to convert a shelf in my living room bookcase to a humidified enclosure that holds 8 tenor ukes. It took a couple of weeks of half steps to complete, but now it stays at a steady 56% all the time.

1 Shelf1.jpg

Great idea! I was thinking about buying a cabinet from a big box store, sealing all the inside corners with silicone, and adding a weatherstrip to the doors. Looks like that would've been work wasted.

Question: what are you running in that space for humidification?
 
I've used this method (LINK AT BOTTOM, photos in post #14 in linked thread) for three winters now and it's ideal for me. Easy uke access, stackable (I'm up to two stacks with four Sterilites per stack--want a uke half way down the other stack? Simply move the boxes from one stack to the other, easy peasy), plenty of humidity, and rehydrate sponges every three months. Others mention alternatives, too, on this thread. Works well for me.

Unless your closet is very small, an electric humidifier will be a poor option, in my experience. Too "wet" for anything else in closet (esp clothes), leaves a dusty haze everywhere (unless you use exclusively demineralized water--what a hassle), and just plain uneven humidification. I threw my $80 space humidifier away after three months.

My folks have a whole house humidifier on furnace...expensive, and still not enough humidity for the most part (large house), and dampens the carpet by the vents. Not ideal.

So, yeah, with humidification, in my opinion, think low cost, high water volume, disposable if needs be. I love this inexpensive system for my ukes, and use it until the furnace goes off around April 1, then the babies come out and play all spring, summer and fall without issue (in my area, yours may differ).

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com...-Extremely-Effective-(too-effective-)-Humidor!
 
Last edited:
I would think if you have oasis humidifiers in each uke and keep them filled, you don't have anything to worry about. but, if it makes you feel better get a Vortex humidifier and put it in the room, it will be fine. I don't have a hygrometer but keep an oasis in my Martin in a hard case and haven't had any problems and I'm in Arizona where the humidity recently outside is 15% and it can get to 5-6% at times. I have some laminates hanging on the wall and haven't had any problems. My 30's Martin style 0 lives in it's case with no humidification (it's been in AZ a long time and has some repaired cracks on the back) I do keep it in an open room with a Vortex humdifier running during the winter and it's seems stable.
 
The neck problems with your Kalas raise a red flag for me. I'm wondering where those Kalas were stored and if the room/closet they were stored in had an exterior wall?
 
Great idea! I was thinking about buying a cabinet from a big box store, sealing all the inside corners with silicone, and adding a weatherstrip to the doors. Looks like that would've been work wasted.

Question: what are you running in that space for humidification?

If you look closely at the lower shelf, there are two water trays with covers and a hygrometer on the back wall, if the humidity changes, I just slide the cover as needed to control the humidity. I also put closed cell foam insulating tape on all the seems inside the shelf, and behind the piano hinges.

1 Shelf2.jpg
1 Shelf3.jpg
 
I just got a new uke and put an Oasis humidifier in the soundhole. Would that cause any damage if the uke also has a pickup?
 
The neck problems with your Kalas raise a red flag for me. I'm wondering where those Kalas were stored and if the room/closet they were stored in had an exterior wall?

The SEM was stored in an apartment closet in the hardshell foam; no exterior wall involved. Weird intonation and "plunking" issues began last year about this time. Worse this year. I had taken it to a guy to have it looked at - it stayed in his store for over three months - he never looked at it - so I took it back. In that store I know it was very dry. But again, the uke was not stored by an exterior wall at that location. The neck has twisted on that one!

The padauk Tenor was stored in living room/hallway area, in hardshell foam case, room at about 29% humidity. I had since taken it to the music store where I teach, where the humidity is 32%. Again, not stored by an exterior wall.
Also, the wood is showing some "splitting" effects (fine white cracks in the padauk). But heck, it's a laminate - and isn't that something to look out for in padauk? I guess I blew that! It was my first tenor - to see if I'd like to play tenor.

I have a few concert ukes, too.

But I always go back to, and favor, my sopranos. :)
 
Last edited:
I just got a new uke and put an Oasis humidifier in the soundhole. Would that cause any damage if the uke also has a pickup?

It could if you're traveling around with it. It may bounce on the wires or the dots if it's a K&K. Try a Humistat humidifier. Easy to see, easy to fill, use distilled, or an Oasis case humidifier if you can fit it in the headstock area. I have a few of the Oasis uke humidifiers, and am a big fan of the line... all but the uke humidifiers. They seem to keep water and never need filling, and the interior of the cases were always a bit dry, so I've swapped some Oasis case humidifiers in a few and some Humistats in others. Keeps the case at a very reasonable humidity level, and I'm not concerned with neck shrinkage and sharp frets, which seemed as if it may be a problem if I continued with the Oasis soundhole uke humidifiers. Very low output.

You could always use a sponge in a baggie with holes, or some floral foam in a medicine bottle with holes drilled in the top as well if there are budgetary concerns. In any case, it's always best to use distilled water in any of the commercial humidifiers to keep them lasting as long as possible.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I got the uke from Mim so I asked her about it as well and she says it's a pretty stable uke and would do fine with a sponge in an open ziploc bag in the case :)
 
Top Bottom