Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello All!!  I have been enjoying all of the discussion and wonderful guitar pics on this site!!  Great stuff!!

 

My question:  I have purchased a planet waves humidifier for my guitar along with one of their monitors, it was working great at keeping the humidity up in my case but then I noticed after a few weeks, mold starting to grow on the inside of the humidifier. :^(

 

Did I do something wrong?  I noticed in one section of the directions that distilled water is mentioned and I thought that would help but then I got to thinking that mold and fungus spores are everywhere and would eventually find their way into the humidifier sponge.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks!!

Kenny <>{

 

I had this happen to one of my PW humidifiers as well. I did NOT use distilled water and I think that may have caused the problem. I have a bunch of other PW humidifiers that I have only used distilled water in and they are just fine.

I don't know if the water is the only thing but my guess is that it plays a big part. Then again I could be wrong....

_________________
Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

Another option is a humidipak
Taylor has been placing them in all of their R Taylor guitars
The nice thing about a humidipak is that it is 2 directional. They are made
at several RH levels. The ones for guitar are 45%. So you just set the pack
in your guitar and forget about it. If the humidity is too low it adds moister
and if it is too high it removes it. I was going to order some from
humidipak, but they have decided to distribute them through D"addario/
planet waves.

You never have to mess with water again

Here is a weblink
http://www.planetwaves.com/NewsDetails.aspx?ParID=7253

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Humidipak...This product doesn't last forever. The pouch requires refills which deplete in ??? days, weeks or months. And then you have to add a refill.

Interesting pricing for this product.

Pouch and 3 refills...$40
Replacement refills...$10

Adding distilled H20 to a sponge in a plastic container...Priceless

Silica gel dessicant packets that will absorb excess moisture if reguired...a few bucks and they last forever.

IMO, I'd spend the $40 on an in-case hygrometer and then add or delete moisture the old-fashoned way.

Oh, BTW...if you wish to keep your mold spore count down, occasionally rinse out your sponge and container with a very dilute bleach solution. And using distilled H20 helps.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

[QUOTE=JJ Donohue]

Pouch and 3 refills...$40
Replacement refills...$10

Adding distilled H20 to a sponge in a plastic container...Priceless
[/QUOTE]

Amen, JJ! Recently I got tired of my Planet Waves humidifiers getting moldy, and yet not really changing the humidity inside the cases all that much.

My latest iteration is a sponge cut to dimension so that it fits in a zip-loc snack bag (about half the size of a sandwich bag), which has holes punched in it. Since it's flexible, you can insert it between the strings to get and hold it in the body like the Planet Waves, doesn't drip, and can release moisture at whatever rate you desire by varying the amount of holes. By the way, I punch the holes by placing the sponge in the bag (to spread it), and then heat something like an 8 penny nail, and punch away.

I use one of those plastic travel bar soap cases. They cost $1.00 at the Dollar Store. I drill a bunch of holes in the lid. Cut out some cellulose sponge material and just add distilled H20. I place the container below the neck or in the case with a spacer to keep the lid opened slightly.

I used a maximum humidity reading hygrometer and confirmed that the inside reached 43% duting the worst of the heating season.

It's not rocket science...keep it simple!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

A world renown luthier drills holes in plastic 35mm film cans and puts a sponge inside. This will pop into the space between spread strings; however, be careful in that the edges of the drilled holes will nick nylon strings if you simply push the can into place--you have to spread the strings with one hand and insert the can with the other. I assume that you would have the same caution for any hard plastic container with holes that you place between the strings. I did have a problem yeas ago with some moisture from a Dampit touching the label, which had been signed in water soluble ink. The signature is quite blurry now.

You can find instructions here for a simple humidifier made from a plastic travel soap dish and a sponge. I have one in my guitar case along with a Planet Waves humidifier.

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John Cavanaugh
Saint Paul, MN
"What could possibly go wrong?"

You could probably just add a drop of clorox to the water.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Thanks for the input!!  I had heard about other people using home-made humidifiers but I guess my money was burning a hole in my wallet.  Now that my planet waves humidifier looks like 2 week old bread, I will make one myself and maybe add a drop of bleach to the water and/or use distilled water.

My only concern about the bleach would be whether it would release any fumes that would damage the guitar or its finish.  Any guesses on this?

Kenny <>{

 

Very, very dilute solution...like 1-3 drops to 100ml. If the odor of bleach is overpowering, you have too much.

I occasionally rinse out my sponge with such a solution and then just use distilled H20. I can honestly say I've never had a mold problem. If I ever see mold, I'll rinse the sponge more frequently and/or change sponges.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

One more thing...be aware that your guitar and case are now contaminated with mold spores just waiting for a dark and damp environment to begin growing.

I've heard of fumigating to get rid of the mold spores but have no recollection of the process. Perhaps others can chime in. Absent that, you might do a google search on mold elimination.

Let us know what you find out!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

I'm getting tired of posting this, and I know that one person's opinion will always be outweighed by the marketing of several manufacturers, but I think there is no need for anyone to use an in-guitar humidifier.

First off, I have heard numerous reports of leaks, from well-known brands. Sometimes this may be user error, but so what? Also many reports of over-humidified guitars.

But why does anyone need one? The best way to keep your guitar at a proper humidity is to keep it in a room that is at proper humidity. Then you can keep it out of its case and play it more, and play it in an environment that is healthier for you, too. When you rely on either a case or in-guitar humidifier in a dry room, every time you take the guitar out to play (which won't be nearly as often if you have to pull the device out of it) you are suddenly exposing it to an excessively dry climate. Then you rehumidify it. Over and over. Everything expands and contracts. The action goes up and down. If you have it out for a couple of hours, that is plenty of time to dry it out and start a crack.

I can see the need for a case humidifier if you are traveling through a dry climate.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.