Let's Talk Humidity

[TheRealMikeD]

Hi Everyone,

I live in a very dry region (north-central Colorado), and I keep my guitars in my basement studio. It's super dry down there, which I know is not great for guitars (as well as my daughter's cello), and I would like to use a humidifier to add some humidity to the room, BUT (there's always a big but, right?), even though the basement is "finished," there is no ductwork down there, and therefore no air circulation. I have tried using a humidifier in there before, and it made the whole room smell musty, and I am concerned that it might be promoting mold growth, since the moisture doesn't really have anywhere to go.

I am considering rigging up some sort of makeshift circulation of my own with some fans or something. I rent the house, so I can't make any permanent changes.

Any thoughts? TIA!

 

[Hollowway]

Do you have a hygrometer to measure the exact humidity level? I have a couple of the digital temp/humidity gauges from Amazon that I use. But l'd be curious to know exactly how dry it is down there.

Also, if you don't have any ductwork down there, what is the temperature? Super cold in the winter and hot in the summer? Or does it stay like the house temp?

 

[Alberto7]

Use a humidifier with a built-in hygrometer and humidity set-points so that it automatically turns on when the humidity goes below a certain value and off when it goes above a certain point. Place the humidifier close to your instruments if you have no air circulation. This will make having air circulation a bit more redundant, though you could always put a fan nearby on a schedule. Try having a second hygrometer that you can cross-check with; I have found humidifiers tend to have pretty inaccurate built-in hygrometers. Like I know if mine says the humidity is 45%, I know it's probably closer to 40, so I adjust the set-point accordingly.

I keep my humidity (ideally) between 40 and 45. When it gets too cold and I start to get too much condensation/ice in my windowsills, I set it to between 35 and 40 to protect the wood around the windows; all my guitars have tolerated this pretty well. They do move a tiny bit, but it is very manageable.

 

[High Plains Drifter]

I'll echo what others have said regarding investing in a hygrometer. Accurite makes one that's all of about $15 and is very... accurate. I would get a hygrometer to see where you're at before doing anything else. But you mentioned a musty smell and that to me is a clear indicator that you need to have some kind of circulation or venting down there. And there are plenty of reasons outside of the instruments, to look into something that will circulate/ vent. Respiratory health being the most crucial. There are plenty of solutions that won't break the bank and that don't have to be a permanent part of the structure but at least if I were the homeowner, I would be VERY receptive to my tenant coming to me about air-circulation, moisture, mustiness, etc. They may be receptive as well. It may fall all on you to make necessary adjustments to the air quality inside the room but if you're good tenants and if they're a good landlord, you should at least be able and willing to have a candid dialogue about this.

 

[Stiman]

You didn't provide any numbers. How dry is your basement? Below 40%? What percentage do you want it at?

 

[devastone]

I live in Longmont, as others have mentioned, get a humidifier with a built in hyrgrometer so it self regulates. You want it around 40%, which can be tough here, around 35% should be fine, you don't want a rain forest. Also, it's better to put in on something to raise if a coupte of feet istead of just sitting on the floor.

Another option is to have one added to your furnace, and they aren't super expensive, or they weren't back in the day.

That said, it's way more important for acoustic guitars and the as mentioned cello than electric guitars. It is interesting that you there is no ductwork in the basement.

 

[MatrixClaw]

I live in AZ. I can literally walk down the street and be in the desert. I've never used a humidifier on my guitars. My house is currently at 45% humidity inside. If you don't have a hygrometer, I'd get one and see what it's like inside. Especially in a basement, I can't imagine you need a humidifier. Maybe on the cello and if that's the case, just put a damp sponge in the case

 

[crushingpetal]

I'll echo what others have said regarding investing in a hygrometer. Accurite makes one that's all of about $15 and is very... accurate. I would get a hygrometer to see where you're at before doing anything else. But you mentioned a musty smell and that to me is a clear indicator that you need to have some kind of circulation or venting down there. And there are plenty of reasons outside of the instruments, to look into something that will circulate/ vent. Respiratory health being the most crucial. There are plenty of solutions that won't break the bank and that don't have to be a permanent part of the structure but at least if I were the homeowner, I would be VERY receptive to my tenant coming to me about air-circulation, moisture, mustiness, etc. They may be receptive as well. It may fall all on you to make necessary adjustments to the air quality inside the room but if you're good tenants and if they're a good landlord, you should at least be able and willing to have a candid dialogue about this.

I have the Accurite hygrometer. Its batteries have lasted 6 or so years, kinda surprised.

 

[TheRealMikeD]

Thanks to everyone for your replies so far! Let me answer a few questions:

Yes, I do have a hygrometer in the room in question. This time of year (winter) it hovers between 20% and 25% relative humidity.

I run a space heater in the room on low to keep the temperature from dropping too low. With the heater, the temp is typically around 68-70. I turn the heater off for the season when the weather gets warm. The heater probably contributes a bit to the dryness (or at least, it doesn't help). Although, it occurs to me now that we have another space heater in the house that includes a humdifying function, and I should probably swap the two.

When I say that there's "no ductwork in the basement," what I really mean is that the basement is divided into two rooms - one finished and one unfinished. The finished room is where I keep all my music gear, and that room does not have any ductwork. The unfinished room is where the furnace is for the house, so there is of course ductwork in there, but it only connects with the upper two floors; none of it goes into the finished basement room.

As High Plains Drifter suggested, our landlord is pretty collaborative, and might very well be open to some sort of augmentation to the house, as long as it's affordable.

We do, in fact, have a humidifier attached to our furnace, but since there are no ducts leading into the finished basement room from said furnace, it doesn't really matter that much (and it stills feels really dry in the rest of the house anyway, so it doesn't seem like that humidifier does all that much).

So, what level of humidity should be aiming for? devastone suggested 35% - 40%. Does that sound about right to everyone? Seems like a good aspiration to me.

He also said that humidity levels are less important for electrics, which seems true to me. I will say that rosewood fretboards need to get oiled a lot more often in this dryness (at least a couple of times a year), but otherwise it doesn't seem to have too much of an effect. At least, not that I can observe. I do have one acoustic in the same room, as well as my daughter's cello - and the effects on the cello are the most noticeable. In fact, the shop that is currently servicing the cracks that have appeared in the cello are the ones who advised us to fix the humidity situation ASAP.

I greatly appreciate all the support so far, and you have given me some good ideas to mull over. Any further suggestions are most welcome!
-Mike D.

 

[TheRealMikeD]

I live in Longmont, as others have mentioned, get a humidifier with a built in hyrgrometer so it self regulates. You want it around 40%, which can be tough here, around 35% should be fine, you don't want a rain forest. Also, it's better to put in on something to raise if a coupte of feet istead of just sitting on the floor.

I'm in Erie. We're practically neighbors! Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[devastone]

Yes we are, I drive by Erie on my way to work in Louisville everyday. The house my ex-wife ended up with (that had a studio in the basement) was in Sunwest in Erie. I rent a small old house in Longmont now, no basement unfortunately, but in Old Town so a great location.

Good call on the rosewood fingerboards, I meant to mention that but needed to run to work.

What luthier do you use for your daughter's cello?

 

[Alberto7]

If you can, aim for 45%. Everywhere I read claims that is the ideal humidity for acoustic guitars, and if that is true I'd imagine that is the ideal range for electrics as well (and wood in general). I let mine ocassionally go down to 35% but that's just because Canadian winters are a bitch and I'd rather have my guitars move a little bit than let my window frames and windowsills get damp with condensation and rot. More important than any specific number within that range though, is having stable conditions. Stable temperature and stable humidity.

 

[TheRealMikeD]

Yes we are, I drive by Erie on my way to work in Louisville everyday. The house my ex-wife ended up with (that had a studio in the basement) was in Sunwest in Erie. I rent a small old house in Longmont now, no basement unfortunately, but in Old Town so a great location.

Good call on the rosewood fingerboards, I meant to mention that but needed to run to work.

What luthier do you use for your daughter's cello?

We rent the cello from Sol Vista Violins in Lafayette, and they service it as well. They're great for violins, cellos and the like.

For getting work done on electric guitars, I really like Madrone in Louisville. Mingus, the owner, is great.

 

[TheRealMikeD]

If you can, aim for 45%. Everywhere I read claims that is the ideal humidity for acoustic guitars, and if that is true I'd imagine that is the ideal range for electrics as well (and wood in general). I let mine ocassionally go down to 35% but that's just because Canadian winters are a bitch and I'd rather have my guitars move a little bit than let my window frames and windowsills get damp with condensation and rot. More important than any specific number within that range though, is having stable conditions. Stable temperature and stable humidity.

It seems pretty ambitious to go from 25% to 45%, but it's good to at least have a goal to shoot for. And your point about consistency is well-taken. Thanks!

 

[devastone]

Yeah, 45 is a reach around here.

I do most of my own work, except replacing frets and finishes, stuff like that, I'll keep Mingus in mind though, I work close to his place.

 

[ArtDecade]

If you can't get the room stable, get the cases humidified and put them away when you are done.

 

[DoctorStoner]

I moved from FL to CO for 2 years and then back to TN. I never had an issue with that extremely drastic humidity change but I'm sure it can happen. Guitar builders should be using dried and stable woods right? Maybe I am over simplifying guitar building and I apologize if that's the case.

 

[TheRealMikeD]

I moved from FL to CO for 2 years and then back to TN. I never had an issue with that extremely drastic humidity change but I'm sure it can happen. Guitar builders should be using dried and stable woods right? Maybe I am over simplifying guitar building and I apologize if that's the case.

I'm glad that you didn't have any issues. I think acoustic instruments get hit hardest, no matter how well they are built. We are seeing cracks appear and seems coming apart on my daughter's cello.

With my electric guitars, I see some seasonal movement, which is not a huge deal. It means I have to adjust the truss rods twice a year, which I can do myself. And, as mentioned previously, rosewood fretboards need to be oiled more often.

 

[TheRealMikeD]

If you can't get the room stable, get the cases humidified and put them away when you are done.

This is certainly a reasonable approach. But I know myself - if my guitars are put away in their cases, I'll never play them. I need to make it as easy as possible or I'll use it as an excuse.

This might be a viable strategy for my daughter's cello, though.

 

[TheRealMikeD]

Yeah, 45 is a reach around here.

I do most of my own work, except replacing frets and finishes, stuff like that, I'll keep Mingus in mind though, I work close to his place.

Same here. I used him for one of my guitars that developed a case of fret sprout. He did a great job.
If you work close by, you might just stop in and say hello. He and his partner are fun to chat with.