how to control temp/humidity?

[slianto]

I was about to own an all solid wood guitar, so pls advice me how to control the temp/humidity! (cheaper way is preffered).

On my town, temp is quite high. 80f on cold days, and up to 104f on hot day. on most normal days it's around 88f.
and for humidity usually it's around 80.

I read that good temp/humid level should be around 72-77f, and humidity around 45-55.

while mine is 88f (too hot) and humidity 80 (too humid).

turning on ac all day also no good for electricity bills, also dehumidifier is pricey too...

or just put the guitar on hardcase when not used is enough?

[ManyMartinMan]

Temperature is controlled by thermostat (HVAC, heating or air-conditioning). Humidity is controlled by humidifier or dehumidifier. I find that cased is best in any environment that is excessively dry or humid. The only way to remove humidity from a guitar case is with a dessecant of some type or whole-house dehumidifier. You'll likely never have to humidify in Indonesia.

[slianto]

Originally Posted by ManyMartinMan

Temperature is controlled by thermostat (HVAC, heating or air-conditioning). Humidity is controlled by humidifier or dehumidifier. I find that cased is best in any environment that is excessively dry or humid. The only way to remove humidity from a guitar case is with a dessecant of some type or whole-house dehumidifier. You'll likely never have to humidify in Indonesia.

thanks josh for your advice,
yeah in here i don't need heating/humidifier... but likely need air conditioning (AC) and dehumidifier. because most of the time temp is too hot and too humid.

both is pricey.
also if turned it on all day, also hurt the electricity bills..


i have AC at my bedroom, but I turned it on only on noon when it's get too hot, and night at sleep time. my best bet is to put my guitar case on my bedroom... but not sure if my wife will like a big case like that around our bed. lol.

What happened when AC turned on? humidity also decrease when the temp got colder?

At first step I will buy temp and humidity monitor and try to analyze that..

[Cabarone]

Yeah, maybe get one of those silica gel packs and a hygrometer to measure the humidity level in the case. Put the pack in the case/remove it as required. Sounds like the cheapest course of action to me...good luck!

[gitarro]

Make sure that the guitsr is in its hardcase always when you are not playing it with humidipaks inside. Make sure that direct sunlight is not falling on it. If you keep the cased guitar in a closet or cupboard make sure direct sunlight isn't falling on the cupboard. I suggest this because I once had a guitar in a very good flight case but kept in a cupboard with direct sunlight facing on it, and the guitar developed damage on its French Polish finish and some cracks in the back. I suspexr that the heat transfer build up from.the sunlight raised the temperature within the case to beyond advisable parameters.

Originally Posted by slianto

I was about to own an all solid wood guitar, so pls advice me how to control the temp/humidity! (cheaper way is preffered).

On my town, temp is quite high. 80f on cold days, and up to 104f on hot day. on most normal days it's around 88f.
and for humidity usually it's around 80.

I read that good temp/humid level should be around 72-77f, and humidity around 45-55.

while mine is 88f (too hot) and humidity 80 (too humid).

turning on ac all day also no good for electricity bills, also dehumidifier is pricey too...

or just put the guitar on hardcase when not used is enough?

[slianto]

Originally Posted by Cabarone

Yeah, maybe get one of those silica gel packs and a hygrometer to measure the humidity level in the case. Put the pack in the case/remove it as required. Sounds like the cheapest course of action to me...good luck!

Originally Posted by gitarro

Make sure that the guitsr is in its hardcase always when you are not playing it with humidipaks inside. Make sure that direct sunlight is not falling on it. If you keep the cased guitar in a closet or cupboard make sure direct sunlight isn't falling on the cupboard. I suggest this because I once had a guitar in a very good flight case but kept in a cupboard with direct sunlight facing on it, and the guitar developed damage on its French Polish finish and some cracks in the back. I suspexr that the heat transfer build up from.the sunlight raised the temperature within the case to beyond advisable parameters.

thank you, good idea, seems silica gels can help reduce the humidity levels inside the guitar case, and hope it doesn't too hot temp inside the guitar case..

how to reduce the temp though?isn't outside hot temp also affecting the inside of guitar case too?

[gitarro]

Originally Posted by slianto

thank you, good idea, seems silica gels can help reduce the humidity levels inside the guitar case, and hope it doesn't too hot temp inside the guitar case..

how to reduce the temp though?isn't outside hot temp also affecting the inside of guitar case too?

I believe that if AC is not available or is too expensive, then at least you should keep your guitar in its case out of direct sunlight. Another thing to do is to keep the case in an insulated case cover like the ones sold by Colorado Case covers. Unless you are regularly getting temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit...

The most important things for humidity control are the humidipaks. Muxh better than silica gels packs as it keeps the guitar in a certain band of optimum humidity.

[HNS]

This is the cheapest way

http://www.bryankimsey.com/humdifier/

[slianto]

Originally Posted by gitarro

I believe that if AC is not available or is too expensive, then at least you should keep your guitar in its case out of direct sunlight. Another thing to do is to keep the case in an insulated case cover like the ones sold by Colorado Case covers. Unless you are regularly getting temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit...

The most important things for humidity control are the humidipaks. Muxh better than silica gels packs as it keeps the guitar in a certain band of optimum humidity.

thank you, i just know about this humidipaks, hope can find it at my city!

Originally Posted by Nayoud

This is the cheapest way

http://www.bryankimsey.com/humdifier/

thank you, but at my place the place is too high humidity already, need to lessen it.

[HNS]

You can use any desiccant, you can buy them from hardware stores, you also find them in electronic equipment as small pouches.

I'm sure you have them in Indonesia, they can be sold as pellets. You put some in a cloth pouch, they change color when they are full of water. You then put them in an oven for a few minutes to dehumidify.

I had this problem in some of the places I went. this what I used

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KVZE86A?psc=1

[N+1]

I've written at length about my solution to the problem of high humidity here:

A simple home-made in-case dehumidifier

It was arrived at after a lot of experimentation. It works well, it requires minimal maintenance, and I doubt there are many solutions that are cheaper.

[HNS]

Originally Posted by N+1

I've written at length about my solution to the problem of high humidity here:

A simple home-made in-case dehumidifier

It was arrived at after a lot of experimentation. It works well, it requires minimal maintenance, and I doubt there are many solutions that are cheaper.

Excellent work N+1

To the OP
Yup that's it. I just used the pellets instead, it works great BTW. Just use a hygrometer to tell you the rh inside you don't want it to go below the limit.

[Psfam]

I live in a more temperate climate, with 70-90 degree summers but fairly humid, although not as high as yours. Without running the AC I find it nearly impossible to keep case humidity low enough. By the end of the summer, they are creeping into the high 50s despite my best efforts. That isn't dangerous to the guitar, but I am glad when fall comes. I have resorted to running the AC which is the best solution.

Humidipaks and silica gel will help but in that environment year round I am not sure it will work too well. You will certainly need to replace them often.

How about carbon fiber? Then you don't need to fret about it, and they really do sound great. A wet wooden guitar won't sound as good.

[LSemmens]

I lived in Darwin for 26 years and all I ever did with my Maton was keep it in its case with a big bag of desiccant which I used to place in a warm oven from time to time, to dry it out. Depending upon your instrument, this may be all you need, I also used to keep a smaller bag inside the guitar, too.

[Psfam]

My husband remembered someone from Indonesia said they kept a low wattage light bulb (incandescent) lit in a sealed clothes closet to keep the air drier. It would be interesting to try, and way less expensive than AC.