CommonCurt
Well-known member
Have you ever had mold issues with them? They were fine until the last month I used them. Then they started getting dark spots.
I fortunately have not had any issues with mold (using only distilled water).
Have you ever had mold issues with them? They were fine until the last month I used them. Then they started getting dark spots.
Have you ever had mold issues with them? They were fine until the last month I used them. Then they started getting dark spots.
I don't know if you can just get away with tap water, but it says in the instructions to use distilled.
As far as I know only the Oasis brand requires distilled water. I taught band and violin in public school. I had some students who used a humidifier that was a long thin flexible tube. They used tap water.
Yep, they recommend using distilled water for Humileles.
I got mold growing on the sponges that come with the Music Nomad Humilele humidifiers that I used last winter. I never used anything other than distilled water. The sponges started discoloring at the end of the winter/early spring. I assumed it was mold ..... dark gray spots & patches all over the sponges. All 4 sponges looked the same. I tossed them & cut my own sponges for the Humileles this year. I prefer the Humileles because they are so easy to put in & take out of the strings at the sound hole. I struggled with the Oasis & after dropping it inside my ukes several times, I gave up on them.
This is what all the sponges looked like. Maybe it wasn't mold, but I didn't want to take a chance. I only used distilled water. The regular sponges that I trimmed to fit in the Humileles dry out faster than the ones that came with them, but not a big deal to keep them wet.Yeah, those Humileles are nice, but I haven't gotten any mold after a couple of years. I'll keep an eye on them.
I got a little syringe to fill it with mine. I got a package of the crystals to change the gel out and they sent me another one. I will send you one of them if you want and if I can find the other one. You can PM me.I wondered the same thing, but I play it safe and buy a gallon for a buck. It can be challenging to pour water from that gallon jug into the tiny opening on the Oasis.
I am very excited for this Ohio winter; we had a whole house humidifier installed with our AC unit last spring. We do have to watch relative humidity so condensation doesn’t form on windows, so we may have to drop it below 40%. So the ukes could still need the extra help. There is so much wood in my house, though, I am happy to keep everything from drying out.
As for distilled water, that is what I have always used in my Oasis humidifiers. It’s so cheap and a gallon will last a long time.
That makes sense from the manufacturer's point of view. Distilled water is theoretically free of any contaminants. With the thousands of different water supplies people around the world are using, who knows what weird things are in tap water?
Being new to having a koa ukulele, I will be using a humidifier for the first time. Is it really necessary to use distilled water. I live in the Bay Area, CA and the water quality is good and the humidity is not awful. If crystals are being replace periodically, wondering if it is worth the trouble and expense of using distilled versus tap water.
Being new to having a koa ukulele, I will be using a humidifier for the first time. Is it really necessary to use distilled water. I live in the Bay Area, CA and the water quality is good and the humidity is not awful. If crystals are being replace periodically, wondering if it is worth the trouble and expense of using distilled versus tap water.
Yep. Here in Los Angeles today the humidity dropped a good deal, slid open one of the water tray covers in my humidified display cabinet. The hygrometer is now at 54%.
8 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 10 solid body bass ukes, 7 mini electric bass guitars
• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children's hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video
We have had rain here at least every other day for months. I long for dry weather! I think I've bought every kind of humidifier made, and I've finally settled on an "automatic" humidifier. It's the D'Addario Humidipak. When the case is dry, it gives off moisture. When humidity is too high, it absorbs the excess. These are made for guitars, so they are larger than we need. You get three in a package. I put one in the sound hole, and the other under the headstock. I don't have very many of these, so I also use the various other kinds.
If you want to buy one, be sure to get the whole kit, not just the refills - although they are probably all you need.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000OMG...9f29-b01cba1a344c&ie=UTF8&qid=1541849503&sr=1
I know there are many ways to make your own humidifier, but I feel better paying for one
The tobacco humidor packs keep a different humidity percentage. The guitar ones are made to keep a 45% RH.
I use the Boveda packs. Also available on Amazon.