humidifyers

[revster]

okay folks, I have a GC7 with the cedar top and a dn8 with spruce top. they sit in my basement on the same inside wall about eight feet a part. both have had oasis packs. dn8 are hard as rocks and gc7 are still pliable. how do you figure this out? suggestions?

[S MS Picker]

Do you play one a lot more than the other? Are they kept in the cases when not played?Do you close the empty case when playing.
Do you have elves?
Steve

[Edward]

Do you play one a lot more than the other? Are they kept in the cases when not played?Do you close the empty case when playing.
Do you have elves?
Steve

I think he means they are hanging (or on floor stands) off the same interior wall, and so are not in cases.
And of course he has elves, we all do ...how else is one able to have more than one nice guitar??


Long shot here, but if the two are sitting about 8' apart, could you have an HVAC vent that could be blowing across one of them but not the other?  Air that is moving can really sap the moisture of one guitar as opposed to still air around the other.
Wait, Picker did mention elves...

Edward

[cjd-player]

Foe sure, moving air could effect one more than the other, but you are also making the assumption that all Oasis packs respond the same.   A reasonable expectation, but there could be variables in the fabric itself, the cleanliness of the fabric, and the gel particles inside.  Each of which could alter water vapor transmission and retention.

For the technically-minded it would be an interesting science experiment to see if multiple packs respond the same in the same environment.

[Edward]

Excellent point,Carl.

Hey, how about this: switch packs from one guitar to the other.  Check in a week.

Edward

[John429]

Revster - when you say Oasis "packs", are you referring to this version of the Oasis guitar humidifier?

http://oasishumidifiers.com/graphics/full.jpg

Since you mentioned "packs", I wasn't sure if Oasis had another design besides the one above that I hadn't seen before.  I just wanted to make sure I understood what you had.

I agree with the thoughts some of the other folks have about the potential difference in airflow between these two guitar locations causing different evaporation rates between the two humidifiers as being a possibility.

One other variable to consider is the state of charge of the Humigel media in each humidifier. If the two humidifiers have been in use for different time periods, the amount of media available to retain water could be different between the two (as it diminishes over time) and could be another possible reason for the differing desiccation rates. If for some reason you find this to be the case, Oasis makes this handy recharge kit for about five bucks;

http://oasishumidifiers.com/graphics/Humigel-Replacement-Kit.jpg

Edward's idea is a good one about switching the humidfiers between the two guitars. If after switching them, you have an extra dry one in the same guitar location as before, then differing airflow rates would be a good possibility. If the extra dry one moves to the other guitar, then you may have differing Humigel media levels. A simple experiment that might just give you an answer to this

[Steely Glen]

Revster, I would personally suggest keeping your guitars in their cases.  I know it's not as pretty, but it's a lot safer.  I cannot tell you how many threads I've read about guitars getting damaged as a result of falling off stands or having things banged into them while on the stands.  It takes about 5 seconds to open a case and retrieve the guitar.  Plus, the humidipacks will last a lot longer too.  And FWIW, the oasis humidifiers are a great system.  I prefer them waaaaay more than the humidipacks.  They're much more economical.   

[revster]

Sorry, they are the planet wave humidpaks that Taylor recommends. I checked for air intakes or heat vents and there are no difference between the guitars. 
I know I should keep them in their cases but I had no problem with the Gc7 last,infact they are the same paks from last year. I my friends at the local store trying to figure it out.
You can put dates on the paks. I will try that in the future. the search goes on LOL.

[cjd-player]

If you are going to keep the guitars out of the cases and hanging on a wall, I see no use for the sound hole humidifiers.  You're trying to control the whole room with the two tiny humidifiers in the guitars.  And you are not humidifying the necks.  Sound hole humidifiers only make sense if the guitars are in closed cases.

For your situation you need a room humidifier.

[Jake_Henry]

I'd recommend 'in the cases' too... or a complete room system.  In my cases, I use an oasis and a green noodle laying up by the head stock actually.  A luthier told me to do that once and it hasn't cracked since (one instrument did crack before that though...).  Especially in northern climates.

[MartinD]

If you are going to keep the guitars out of the cases and hanging on a wall, I see no use for the sound hole humidifiers.  You're trying to control the whole room with the two tiny humidifiers in the guitars.  And you are not humidifying the necks.  Sound hole humidifiers only make sense if the guitars are in closed cases.

For your situation you need a room humidifier.

I agree.  When I lived in a cold, dry, northern climate, I switched to the Oasis from Damp-It.
I liked being able to visually check when it needed more H2O.  The sound hole system does not discriminate where it releases moisture.  The space must be confined to be effective.  Glad that I don't need to worry about it now living in south Florida.

[Nomad]

Glad that I don't need to worry about it now living in south Florida.

No, but you do have to worry about the opposite end of the spectrum.

[imorroy]

If you are going to keep the guitars out of the cases and hanging on a wall, I see no use for the sound hole humidifiers.  You're trying to control the whole room with the two tiny humidifiers in the guitars.  And you are not humidifying the necks.  Sound hole humidifiers only make sense if the guitars are in closed cases.

For your situation you need a room humidifier.

I agree.  When I lived in a cold, dry, northern climate, I switched to the Oasis from Damp-It.
I liked being able to visually check when it needed more H2O.  The sound hole system does not discriminate where it releases moisture.  The space must be confined to be effective.  Glad that I don't need to worry about it now living in south Florida.

MartinD: I'm thinking of buying a GS Mini and leaving it at my sister's house in SoFla, but I don't want her to have to worry about the health of the guitar.  Do you humidify your guitars at all in SoFla?

[MartinD]

 




[/quote]

MartinD: I'm thinking of buying a GS Mini and leaving it at my sister's house in SoFla, but I don't want her to have to worry about the health of the guitar.  Do you humidify your guitars at all in SoFla?
[/quote]

Imorroy,
We do not need to use humidifiers in South Florida.  But Nomad is correct about over-humidification.  I also have a grand piano so I am very careful.  We run the A/C about 9 months out of the year.  This keeps the indoor relative humidity at about 55%.  May thru September it is usually too muggy to open the windows even at night.  The IRH in winter rises to about 60-70 percent.  I have two Moisture Kings mounted under the piano.  http://www.kingmaker.net/mears.htm  You cannot keep your guitar outside for extended periods.  I also recommend a good adjustable hygrometer that can be calibrated to 75% with Boveda's calibration system. 

[imorroy]

Thanks for your input, MartinD!