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NYClassical
Dec-18-2004, 3:49pm
I use dampits and case humidifiers for various instruments, but I also try to keep my studio at between 45 and 55% humidity. An NYC apartment in the winter can be a nightmare between radiators and the dry weather.
So I always humidify the room with regular household humidifiers (vaporizors, technically), but I think I'm ready to get one of those mammoth ones.

Anyone use a big room humidifier they can recommend? Thanks.

Mandobar
Dec-18-2004, 4:11pm
i got one at home depot that is rated for 2400 sq ft. i use it downstairs. i have a holmes floor model upstairs and there are no doors opening and closing. so far so good.

Flowerpot
Dec-18-2004, 4:12pm
I've been using one of the monster floor models for a few months now, and really like it. It's one of those multi-gallon per day output ones, if you need to go that high. They sell them at Sears, but we got this one at Tru Value Hardware (I think they're all made by Bemis). Works really well for our living room/kitchen/dining room, 1200 sq ft or so, with the fan on low. Actually, it's pretty effective for that half of the house, 1500 sq ft. We have some other room humidifiers for the bedrooms. It gets kind of noisy with the fan higher, but seems to keep up OK on low, as it keeps the main living area at 40% and cycles itself on and off regularly. It has a 2.5 gallon "jug" you can fill up in a tall bathtub, or it has a hose to put on a faucet. The actual reservior is more like 5 gallons, so sometimes it will keep running even though the jug is dry.

If I were shopping for one, I would pay attention to: noise level, ease of refill, ease of cleaning, refill tank size.

Django Fret
Dec-18-2004, 8:17pm
You might want to consider putting all your humidity where it really counts. #So far this winter, in the northeast, this mandolin humidor I converted from a cigar humidor case has used less than a gallon of water and humidity has stayed from 46-50% within the case (with the sliding glass doors closed, of course).

Tom C
Dec-19-2004, 8:55am
I like that humidor.
Cool or warm mist humidifiers? The cool mist can have a clammy feeling in the winter. I do not like leaving the warm mist on when I'm not home. Choice?

LKN2MYIS
Dec-19-2004, 11:02am
I live on Long Island.
I bought a Sears Kenmore 3 1/2 gallon unit. Works beautifuly on the room, keeping the humidity at about 50%. Real quiet. I heartily recomment it.
Of course, as soon as spring hits, it gets moved out and the de-humidifier gets moved in.
Life in New York.
Always an experience.

NYClassical
Dec-21-2004, 10:12pm
thanks! i like the hose idea... the humidor is off the hook-- truly awesome.

berkeleymando
Dec-26-2004, 11:23am
You might want to consider putting all your humidity where it really counts. So far this winter, in the northeast, this mandolin humidor I converted from a cigar humidor case has used less than a gallon of water and humidity has stayed from 46-50% within the case (with the sliding glass doors closed, of course).
I recently came across an old glass display box with wooden framing that would be perfect for this sort of mandolin humidor as you show in your picture. What is generating the water vapor inside the mandolin humidor?

Django Fret
Dec-26-2004, 12:49pm
I recently came across an old glass display box with wooden framing that would be perfect for this sort of mandolin humidor as you show in your picture. What is generating the water vapor inside the mandolin humidor?
berkeleymando, it appears to be a fan that blows on the water in the holding tank below it. This one has a humidity control that is made by Honeywell and there is a float attached to the fan unit that sounds an alarm when the water level drops below a certain point. The fan unit lifts off so it can be cleaned or fresh water put in.

I wasn't sure if the unit was working until I had finished with the case, so I had done some research to see if there were any replacements available. Here is one that is designed for humidifying a display case that should work, and you might find others that would work at sites or stores that carry cigar humidor supplies:

http://www.bcspecialties.com/cigarasp/moist.asp

Just be sure that the unit can provide humidity levels between 40 and 50 % since most cigars are kept at humidity levels that would be much too high for instruments.

earthsave
Dec-27-2004, 11:11am
Nice mandolin humidor!!!... where did you get that thing?

A lot of cigar storers also use large coolers (which are insulated) to store their cigars and to regulate temperature and humidity. This also works well for mandolin storage in the summer when at festivals so could possibly be adapted for humidity control. They work very well if you buy hygroscopic materials such as climaxx beads (which come in various humidity levels) you just add distilled water. They also use Propolene Glycol and distilled water at 50/50 mixture to achieve 70% and soak green floral foam. You should be able adjust the humidity level by messing with the mixture... probably someplace online that could give you specifics. I imagine the dampits and other case humidifiers work similarly. I took a film cannister with foam and water for my mando when it started getting dry last year. Get youself a nice digital hygrometer too...(less than $30) those dial ones can really be off by quite a bit.

Cigars are typically stored at 70 degrees/70% for long term storage. And usually no less than 60% or they will dry out and burn hot and harsh.

John Flynn
Dec-27-2004, 12:20pm
I find the best thing is just to keep my instruments in thier cases, with humidifiers inside. I can keep my instruments at 45-50% RH that way without much effort or expense.

I do try to keep my rooms humidified also, so the instruments don't get too dry when I'm playing them and also just for personal comfort. I do this with a combination of a whole-house humidifier attached to my furnace and a Hunter room unit in the room I play music in. But I've found that even with that combo, 35% RH is the best I can do. I'm sure that I could upgrade humidfiers, but I fugure if the instruments are at least at 45% in the cases most of the time and only down to 35% for an hour or two each day, they will be OK until Spring.

Django Fret
Dec-28-2004, 10:42am
Nice mandolin humidor!!!... where did you get that thing? #
earthsave, I picked it up on Ebay for about $25. It was located in the same state and there was no shipping available (it probably weighed close to 150 pounds). I borrowed a pick-up truck and my brother helped me get it into the garage for the winter to try and get rid of the cigar smell.

It REALLY smelled like cigars and it had been used for many years by a smoke shop that had closed. It had several metal shelves that were designed to hold a large number of cigar boxes and the humidity generating unit was located under the shelf along with a lot of storage room. I removed the metal shelving and stripped the paint off, and then installed cedar closet lining. No more cigar smell just a nice cedar fragrance, and it is easy to get the mandolins in an out with the sliding glass doors.

earthsave
Dec-30-2004, 8:17am
That is sweet!!! What a deal!!!

For those looking for Hygrometers go here... Bargain Humidors (http://www.bargainhumidors.com/bh), they have a Caliber III for $19.99. Supposed to be accurate within 1%... I've got a II and it works well and fits in the case since it is flat.

Eric F.
Jan-03-2005, 1:32pm
Django Fret, nice humidor. But, ummm, how many instruments you got in there?

NYClassical
Jan-04-2005, 11:29pm
ok
picked up a kenmore at sears last week for $100. so far, awesome. super quiet, keeps the room exactly where i want it all the time, and i've only had to refill it once. it's supposed to let me know when the filter needs to be changed...so we'll see in that dept. but so far really good.

TommyK
Jan-05-2005, 1:36pm
I just had a thought. #If you're replacing your old ice box and don't want to pay to have it hauled off and if you already have a back-yard meat smoker and therefore don't know what else to do with an old refridge, you could add a desk-top humidifier to it and have a humidor for a couple guitars and / or maybe a dozen mandos!
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif
Actually a desktop humidifier would probably be over kill. maybe one could make a larger version of the 'snake' humidifier. Pack a length of PVC pipe with absorbant material, perforate liberally, soak it and park it in the corner of the ice box.

thistle3585
Jan-07-2005, 9:48am
This thread has motivated me to build a display case. I've done some research on controlling humidity in relation to the structural integrity of the case. In other words, if I build a case and maintain the humidity inside at 40-50% will it swell the joints? I talked with some experts and they say that 40-50% relative humidity is equal to 7-9% moisture content in wood. In effect, a wood display case will not require an active humidifier. Incidentally, I also learned that cigar humidifiers are made to be between 70-80%, so I'm not sure if one would over do it for an instrument. Well, I I'll be at this weekend and will try and post photos next week.

Hey Scot, all well in B-town?

Andrew

earthsave
Jan-07-2005, 10:55am
With cigars the key numbers for long term storage/aging are 70/70. 70 degrees F and 70 percent humidity.

Anything too much higher and you risk mold and beetles... and soggy burns.

Somewhere between 60-70% is ideal for short term storage. You get below 60% they'll be too dry.

I'd imagine you will need some source of moisture if you are using forced air heating in the winter because the wood in the display will eventually dry out as well.

thistle3585
Jan-07-2005, 11:17am
"I'd imagine you will need some source of moisture if you are using forced air heating in the winter because the wood in the display will eventually dry out as well."

I agree. I just don't think you need an aggressive humidifier like what you would use in a cigar humidor. By the way, is the term humidor universal or cigar specific?

dr.jazz
Feb-02-2005, 6:51pm
I use the large Sears Humidifier and plumbed it in so it has a constant source of water. It saves me from filling it every 2-3 days in winters. Here on the desert, it drops to 10% when the weather gets cold. I have 40 - 50 instruments out and it makes a huge difference when I don't have to worry about them. I plumbed the humidifier using a ball-cock system from a regular furnace type humidifier. It cost about $20.00 and took about an hour.
Mike
<http://www.acousticguitar.net>

Django Fret
Feb-08-2005, 1:15am
Django Fret, nice humidor. But, ummm, how many instruments you got in there?
16 mandos and 2 fiddles, but who is keeping count?

The mandos in the case can be seen in the groupings thread at:

http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin....;st=150 (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=15;t=19687;st=150)