Humidifying for winter

[rrhea]

Hey guys, got a quest. for ya...

My guitar room is approx. 200 sq. ft. and is where I have all my guitars, electrics and acoustics. Is there a humidifier product any of you could recommend? I'd like to minimize the neck warps and setups this coming winter (I setup my own guitars). I know it will still happen, but if I could at least reduce some of the drying out effect of dry winter air, that would be great.

Also, what type of gauge do people use to see how much humidity is in the air, and what is the proper amount to keep guitars happy?

Thanks for any info!

Ryan

[ScottB]

If you have a central air conditioning and heating system in your house, it shouldn't be too difficult to install a whole house humidifier into your existing ductwork. I keep my humidifier set between 20 - 30% RH, depending upon the outdoor temperature.

[JESTER700]

20% is way too low for acoustics! Even 30% is too low. I'm pretty sure they should be at 40% to be "comfortable".

For acoustics, setups are the least of your worries; checking, cracking, etc. all can happen from low humidity. There's lots of unfinished wood exposed. Scream's house humidifier is a good idea if you can do that (it's healthier for people, too) or a room humidifier and a hygrometer to keep tabs on the level.

In the dead of January when nights can hit single digits, those little tabletop guys won't keep a room at 40%, so unless you can get a bigger one you may want to buy or make humidors for your acoustics and keep them in cases. This can work well, especially with plastic hardshell cases (that let little moisture escape) .