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  #16  
Old 02-24-2011, 09:30 AM
Fngrstyl Fngrstyl is offline
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Originally Posted by chrimess View Post
I have used two sets of Humidipaks all dry Carolina winter to water my Taylor GS7 and the replenishment works like a charm. I also get consisten humidity readings and no leaking or smell.
I liked them too, until they turned the inside of my cases a different color. Planet waves says they are sending new cases, as this is an issue. I'll never use them again.
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  #17  
Old 04-09-2013, 06:10 PM
Addisonbrady Addisonbrady is offline
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Default Rehydration of humidipaks, sssshhhhh don't tell anyone...

Hey everyone,

I first heard about this, reading a rating about them on the sweetwater sight.

I have used them for all my Taylors and Gibsons acoustics. And like some of you I had gone through quite a few of these little packs. That is until I read that rating post. Paraphrasing here... The guy said he took a large Tupperware container, and placed a tray inside the tupperware, to suspend the rock hard packs safely above the waterline. And after some time the packs rehydrated.

Tried it, it works very well indeed. Save the packaging they came with originally and put your rehydrated packs back inside until you need them. As long as you are careful to not get the outside wet, no direct contact with water, then you can save money by rehydrating them yourself. After I first read the post, I started to amass my dried up packs. So far I have had great results and have not had to buy ANY new humidipaks.

Try it for yourself, it WORKS...
Addison
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  #18  
Old 04-09-2013, 06:33 PM
Wild Bill Jones Wild Bill Jones is offline
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I did the same thing a year ago with a damp rag and a plastic bag. Worked great, or so it thought. The paper wrapping on the package got damp. Then one day the pack in the guitar port was empty. It had sprung a leak. Dried white stuff collected at the bottom inside the guitar body. I gently scrapped out what I could. My luthier and I haven't found any actual damage (yet?) but obviously I don't do this anymore. Gave up the packs and now use a wet spong in a drilled out soap dish. As the house has hot air heat, I do this in the winter.
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  #19  
Old 04-09-2013, 06:56 PM
Addisonbrady Addisonbrady is offline
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Default Rehydrate

Worked well for me.
Suspend while rehydrating, no direct contact with water.

Wild bill I feel for you, that must have been horrible to see that stuff leaking inside your guitar. So sorry.

Treat the bags with kid gloves, be gentle and you should have no problems.
I haven't and I wanted to share my positive experience.

Wild bill tell us more about what you created, please post a pic. Anything to protect our investments. Thanks.

I never though owning a guitar was going to be so demanding, seriously.
I just want to play them.

Thanks
Addison
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  #20  
Old 04-09-2013, 07:07 PM
Xtremca Xtremca is offline
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The thing you need to keep an eye on is the health of the packet itself. While the mixture can be re-hashed, the packets are what appear to slightly breakdown and have potential to leak. On some of my older packs, I'll hold them up to the light to see if there is any evidence of material creep into the edges. I have also keep the headstock packet under the head so no strings poke holes into the envelope.

Chris
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  #21  
Old 04-10-2013, 12:00 PM
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cigarfan cigarfan is offline
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Count me in the recharge crowd. Got tired of the constant purchase of new paks. I use a large plastic tub with tight fitting top. I place about 1.5 inches of water in the tub. Then set a glass cereal bowl down in the water. Paks go in the cereal bowl where they don't come in contact with the water. Within a week hardened paks are totally rehydrated. I just keep a rotation going. I also use the sponge in a soap dish routine during the winter months. As has been said, the key is making sure the pouch is not damaged.

In addition, I mark new paks with month/year the original package is opened. I don't use the paks beyond 1 1/2 years after opening. That equates to 6 or 7 recharges.

No leak problems yet.
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  #22  
Old 04-10-2013, 10:23 PM
Wild Bill Jones Wild Bill Jones is offline
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Not much to add. I thought I had a good thing going rehumidifying (is that a word) the packs. I did this for about a year. The tip off that I should have realized would mean trouble was that the packs started to swell to larger than their original size. Then one broke. It didn't explode, just sprung a leak and left behind a dry white crusty material. I wiped out what you could see in the port with a slightly damp rag. The guitar was standing up so most of the stuff is inside at the bottom. Hasn't affected the guitar at all but I know it is there. Don't use the packs anymore either but this is my fault.
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  #23  
Old 04-10-2013, 10:59 PM
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riorider riorider is offline
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Check the paks carefully and weigh the risks. I've posted this in the past - this is a brand new unopened set of paks. True - they had been in my closet in the original box and wrappers for over a year. This is central Oklahoma - ambient most of the year is between 35 and 65 % RH, and more stable inside where my guitars and the paks are.

Not saying don't use them - just be aware. And these were the Generation III paks - the ones with the note from Bob Taylor and Jim D'Addario inside. Gen I and Gen II both had leakage problems reported. I've not heard of any more Gen III problems so maybe they're stable for the most part.

Best,

Phil







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  #24  
Old 04-11-2013, 07:14 PM
Wild Bill Jones Wild Bill Jones is offline
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The pack that leaked looked like the one in Phil's photo before the fateful event. As there has been no damage to the guitar, I'm ok will it. Oh the guitar is my favorite H&D TD-R. At first I was, shall we say, annoyed (with myself). This was over a year ago.
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  #25  
Old 05-04-2014, 05:17 AM
cspencer cspencer is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gltr View Post
I am dealing with 90% humidity. Any ideas on how to remove moisture from the humidipaks?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wally View Post
Seems I remember someone on the forum drying them in the microwave
I tried that this evening and it didn't work! In less than 10 seconds in the microwave and the packet bloated and burst. Liquid came straight out of the packet onto the plate.
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  #26  
Old 05-04-2014, 06:35 AM
bitraker bitraker is offline
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I do the same but with distilled water inside Tupperware
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  #27  
Old 10-01-2019, 10:29 AM
HoneyboyHart HoneyboyHart is offline
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Default I'm in Florida...

Where it's always pretty humid in the summer... 70-80%. But we had a couple of dry months in the spring and my Martin started to buzz. The store talked me into Humidipaks.

I bought a Humidipak in April and have been using them ever since (6 months). No sign of drying out. But not sure if that means they are still good. What happens when they are used up? What do they look like?

Last edited by HoneyboyHart; 10-01-2019 at 10:38 AM.
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  #28  
Old 10-01-2019, 10:59 AM
Photojeep Photojeep is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HoneyboyHart View Post
.. What happens when they are used up? What do they look like?
They look exactly the same but as they dry out they become 'crunchy' when you squeeze them then when they are completely dried out they become hard.

(I guess they might look a little different because they tend to harden into a slightly bent or oddly shaped, um, shape...)

I've used them for years and have re-charged them many times each (by placing them into a sealed Tupperware-like bowl along with a small container of distilled water) and they help me maintain 38-43% humidity in my cases year-round.

And thanks for resurrecting this Zombie thread. I think Humidipaks are a great invention!

Best,
PJ
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  #29  
Old 10-01-2019, 11:14 AM
ChrisE ChrisE is offline
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This is an old thread but I put my dried out packs in distilled water for a couple of days until they softened up again. Directly in the water. Covered in water. Dripping with water.

After a couple of days I took them out and let them dry off and they appeared (to me) to be good as new.
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  #30  
Old 10-01-2019, 11:20 AM
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There are newer threads on this. I just place my dried out humidipaks in a large tupperware container with a plate in the bottom and water essentially forming a moat around and just under most of the plate, but with a dry surface. Put the humidipaks on the plate, put the cover on the container, and they soak up the humidity and fully recharge. It takes a good long while, but Have planty of them and by the time I need some wet one, I have 'em.

The idea of just soaking them in water doesn't appeal to me. To some extent, soaking that outer paper has got to weaken the system and increase the possibility of leakage when they're in your prized guitar. And you can clearly achieve the same goals without doing that if you have a few more sets of them and always have some charging...

-Ray
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