Guitar case humidity systems

Amwolf607 · #1 12-05-2019, 04:15 PM

Hi all, I'm looking for recommendations for a good humidity system in a guitar case. I currently have the Daddario humidipaks, but it seems like in the winter they are completely dry and in the summer they are bags of water.

619TF · #2 12-05-2019, 04:59 PM

That's kind of how they work though. In the Winter the air is dryer so they put out moisture and get dry. In the summer they soak the humidity from the air and so get "wet". You likely either need to replace them more often, do a better job of monitoring them or both. I can't say more than that as I just use the sponge in a soap dish (with holes drilled) method on all my guitars.

B. Adams · #3 12-05-2019, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amwolf607

Hi all, I'm looking for recommendations for a good humidity system in a guitar case. I currently have the Daddario humidipaks, but it seems like in the winter they are completely dry and in the summer they are bags of water.

I use Humipaks as well. They hold up fine over the summer, but need changing every few weeks in the winter. I don't simply replace them though, once they're dried out I soak them in distilled water for a day or two to recharge them. I have plenty to keep in rotation, and it works great.

Joe Beamish · #4 12-05-2019, 05:43 PM

I happen to live in guitar-friendly climate, but if I ever needed to put a humidifying thing in my guitar case, I'd want to be super sure there's not going to be leakage.

DetroitDave · #5 12-05-2019, 07:35 PM

Since joining this forum a while back, if there's something one thing that is a constant thread, it's humidifying guitars.
Check in the archives - there must be over a hundred, and the posts are consistent.

619TF · #6 12-06-2019, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Beamish

I happen to live in guitar-friendly climate, but if I ever needed to put a humidifying thing in my guitar case, I'd want to be super sure there's not going to be leakage.

One of the reasons I make my own. That way I'm in control of the amount of liquid being used. A damp sponge in a soap holder isn't going to leak at all, just slowly release the moisture into the air in the case.

DCCougar · #7 12-06-2019, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 619TF

....I just use the sponge in a soap dish (with holes drilled) method on all my guitars.

Same here, but I just use a sponge in a baggie stuck with holes. Gotta check 'em every week or so. Need more moisture? Don't squeeze so much water out of the sponge.

LoveTheDrake · #8 12-06-2019, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B. Adams

I use Humipaks as well. They hold up fine over the summer, but need changing every few weeks in the winter. I don't simply replace them though, once they're dried out I soak them in distilled water for a day or two to recharge them. I have plenty to keep in rotation, and it works great.

So you literally place the humidipaks in water? Are they submerged? I never attempted recharging mine because when I researched what people do, it was always said not to put them it water, but instead to find a way to enclose them in a container with water but suspended out of the water. The water doesn't damage the outside of the pack? I have a few lying around - I might as well try it!

The Bard Rocks · #9 12-06-2019, 07:15 AM

My "complaint" about these is that I prefer to put the moisture where it's most needed, inside the guitar's body. Sponge boxes, at least in my cases, have to either fit in the accessory compartment or maybe under the head where it can rattle around. But they work and are cheap and easily constructed. I use pouches of waterbeads put in fleece jackets connected together so i can drape it over the strings and into the body cavity. Nothing to drip and nothing wet on the outside to touch any part of the guitar.

Bill Sims · #10 12-06-2019, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCCougar

Same here, but I just use a sponge in a baggie stuck with holes. Gotta check 'em every week or so. Need more moisture? Don't squeeze so much water out of the sponge.

That's what I do also, and I place the baggie through the sound hole and inside the guitar body.

Rev Roy · #11 12-06-2019, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoveTheDrake

So you literally place the humidipaks in water? Are they submerged? I never attempted recharging mine because when I researched what people do, it was always said not to put them it water, but instead to find a way to enclose them in a container with water but suspended out of the water. The water doesn't damage the outside of the pack? I have a few lying around - I might as well try it!

I’ve been using Humidipaks for years and they work great. The new pouches that hold them are leakproof. I rehydrate them...but would never put them directly in water. Here’s the system I use...and it saves me a bundle.

LoveTheDrake · #12 12-06-2019, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

I’ve been using Humidipaks for years and they work great. The new pouches that hold them are leakproof. I rehydrate them...but would never put them directly in water. Here’s the system I use...and it saves me a bundle.

Thanks - About how long does it take to rehydrate the paks with that setup?

Rev Roy · #13 12-06-2019, 07:37 AM

A few days to a week if the packets are really dry...

JERZEY · #14 12-06-2019, 08:24 AM

The Herco clay packs are by fare the easiest and most reliable humidifier I have ever used. You over fill them with water for 5 minutes. After the first soak all you have do do is sprinkle a little water in them 1 or 2 times a month depending on the conditions. The trick is always use filtered or bottle water and never ever use tap water. My cases are always 46-52% year round.

Assuming your not using a super cheap gig bag that does not hold in humidity putting humidifiers inside guitars has almost no upside. In extremely rare cases when ultra plush lid fabric will block the sound hole you may require a pack inside your guitar. Thats it. The craze about sound hole humidification is just a fad. Thats not how humidity works. Thats not how it is distributed through the space inside the case and your guitar. There is not one spec of science around it. All you are doing is risking damage to your guitar. Putting moisture rich devices inside a guitar is the LAST place you want one statistically.

B. Adams · #15 12-06-2019, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoveTheDrake

So you literally place the humidipaks in water? Are they submerged? I never attempted recharging mine because when I researched what people do, it was always said not to put them it water, but instead to find a way to enclose them in a container with water but suspended out of the water. The water doesn't damage the outside of the pack? I have a few lying around - I might as well try it!

Yes, I submerge them. Initially I tried just putting them in a container with water and letting them absorb the vapor, but it took forever to recharge them that way. Soaking them gets the job done a whole lot faster, and seems to have no negative effects on the packs so far.

When I remove them from the water I wrap them in paper towels and let them sit out for a couple hours. Once they're dry I put them in an airtight container separated by paper towels, where they stay until I need to use them. It's not fancy but it seems to work well.

I have a few packs that need to be recharged soon. I'll try to get some pics to document my process.