Humidity data (Seattle)

dan! · #1 07-19-2018, 12:54 PM

Hello all! Longtime lurker, first time poster!

Some background:
I've been casually playing guitar for ~10 years, mainly as a supplement to my piano hobby. I bought a used Simon & Patrick SP-6 and never paid any attention to the temperature, humidity, whether it was sitting in the sun, etc. I think it even spent a couple nights out on the front porch. It's a great guitar for the money and I plan to keep it for a long time as my outdoor/travel guitar.

So anyway, about 8 months ago I decided to get more serious about guitar and started playing every day. Sure enough, I quickly passed some skill threshold where things starting clicking and the infatuation began. If only I had started this years ago...I could be Jimmy Page by now...sigh...

I've been keeping my eye on fancy guitars for a couple months, and just pulled the trigger on a Martin D-28. I absolutely love it. My wife's worried that I care more about it than our relationship, but as long as I keep playing her favorite song, we'll be all right

With this serious purchase, I figured I should take a more serious look at the environment that this guitar will live in. My hope is to hang it on the living room wall and stare at it when not playing it. I've long heard that Seattle's climate is a good one for acoustic guitars, but being an engineer, I need data! I bought the D'Addario Humiditrak and have been logging data for the last week. The guitar has been stored in the case since I bought it and the Humiditrak sensor is sitting right on top of the case, measuring the ambient household air.

Check out the attached images. You can see the daily humidity and temperature averages over the last week, which was a heat wave here in Seattle. Some of the days are recorded as 75 degrees, but the peak hourly temperature hit 78 at one point. (We don't have air conditioning...it's never really been a consideration to add it...)

I also added one snapshot of the hourly humidity data, showing the largest hour-to-hour change. In the hourly picture, you can see the relative humidity jump from 49% to 53% as a front moved through the region. There wasn't anything interesting to show for the hourly temperature changes (nothing more than 1 degree).

The recorded levels seem pretty comfortable for a guitar: 71-75 degrees, 48-55% relative humidity. This gives me lots of confidence that I can hang this D-28 on the wall. Lord knows what's going to happen in the winter, but I'll post some future data as I collect it. Stay tuned! Let's hope there's no drama

Happy strumming and picking!

jaymarsch · #2 07-19-2018, 01:02 PM

I live in Northern California and it is similar near the coast. 45 - 55% is pretty much in the safe range. You shouldn’t have anything much to worry about with those numbers.

Best,
Jayne

strumbringer · #3 07-19-2018, 01:30 PM

Yeah, I'm in Seattle too. Summer is generally good. There are some days in winter that I worry about. I stick some humidipaks in the case with the guitar in winter and call it safe. I don't leave it outside the case, though. 2 young kids, one of who will drum on and/or stick squigz on anything. Fortunately, my iPad survived both those events and still seems to work, but no way I'm letting her do that to my guitars :-P

littlewing1208 · #4 07-19-2018, 02:48 PM

If the sensor was in the case it would act as a buffer and wouldn’t see as high a highs or as low a lows given how quickly the temperature changes in Seattle. I do almost nothing in summer time for my acoustics in Seattle. I have AC and the temp and humidity stays in ideal position all summer long. However, despite the rain outside during the winter months, the house is very dry so I have 2 bovedas in each case all winter long (and I still usually have to swap on a higher saddle).

dan! · #5 07-20-2018, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strumbringer

Yeah, I'm in Seattle too. Summer is generally good. There are some days in winter that I worry about. I stick some humidipaks in the case with the guitar in winter and call it safe. I don't leave it outside the case, though. 2 young kids, one of who will drum on and/or stick squigz on anything. Fortunately, my iPad survived both those events and still seems to work, but no way I'm letting her do that to my guitars :-P

How do you tell the winter days are getting dangerous? Weather reports? A hygrometer in your house? (I’m amazed how much the numbers can differ.) The guitar changing?

Kids. That makes sense. I’m just waiting for my dogs to knock the guitar of the hook...

jazzguy · #6 07-20-2018, 03:17 AM

Numbers look fine but I'm more curious about what app or website you are getting the data from? I like it and would like to view for my area.

aceman199 · #7 07-20-2018, 08:30 AM

The range you’re looking at is totally fine.

Keep an eye out for changes. If the rain is coming and humidity is going up, maybe take it off the wall and use a humidipak in the case. Same goes for real cold weather—if you think you’ll use the heater, anticipate a humidity drop and keep it in the case.

...now try doing that with a collection!!

jonbee · #8 07-20-2018, 09:06 AM

I'm in Seattle, too, and I watch the humidity. It ranges 30-50% indoors most of the year, but in the colder winter dry periods (that means < 40 degrees here), during the daytime when the heat is on it gets as low as ~18% in room. Not extremely low compared to most places, but not optimal. Note that when the heat gets turned down at night it is back in the 30% range.
Truthfully, I don't do anything special, and I've owned many guitars in the 50 years I've live here without any issues.
That said, if you want to protect the guitar, it is the sub 40 degree dry days (not a lot of those here, as you know!) to look at humidifying it.
Some will argue for more elaborate climate control, bu that's my story.

Zissou Intern · #9 07-20-2018, 10:08 AM

I have lived a couple hours north of Seattle for 13 years. We have 6 acoustics in the house, and I don't do anything for humidification. Before this we lived in Colorado where humidification was a constant concern year round.

Bear Davis · #10 07-20-2018, 10:40 AM

Dan, I have lived in WA state my entire life and I keep my collection out on display year round. If you want to know how I maintain my guitars you are welcome to send me a PM.

dan! · #11 07-20-2018, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzguy

Numbers look fine but I'm more curious about what app or website you are getting the data from? I like it and would like to view for my area.

Those are screenshots from the iPhone app that connects to the Humiditrak sensor (http://www.planetwaves.com/pwhumiditrak.page). The sensor's a little plastic/electronic gadget that looks like a car key fob.

To get the numbers for your house (or guitar case specifically), I'd have to mail the sensor to you...or you'd have to buy one...

bufflehead · #12 07-20-2018, 06:46 PM

Seattle has its microclimates. I keep my sailboat on the sound on the western edge of the city, and we get a bit more humidity than your neighborhood seems to be getting. (This is why a Martin guy like me bought a Taylor BBT--it's the ultimate sailboat guitar and the layered sapele isn't bothered a bit by humidity.)

Winter can be tricky. We heat our cabin in the San Juan Islands with a woodburning stove, and the humidity can get really low, especially up in the loft. Keeping a cast-iron teakettle on the stove helps keep the guitars happy, but I keep them in their cases once it's dreary enough to fire up the stove.

I keep a magnetic humidity meter on the refrigerator door. That takes out much of the guesswork.

Mycroft · #13 07-20-2018, 08:57 PM

Most of the year things are dandy. In winter, particularly if there is a cold spell, then it might get a bit dry. The real determinate is the type of heat you have and exactly where you are. (proximity to water and/or altitude) I would get an easily readable hygrometer and watch it in the the winter. Have a fallback in case you need to water the guitar in it's case.