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For the last couple of years, I've been using a "warm mist" humidifier I got at Big Orange! It's a Honeywell, or something like that. I can check it for you. Works great, but you do have to stay on top of keeping it clean. It'll generate some mineral build up on the plate. I usually clean mine a couple of times a season, then let it dry out over the summer, and chip off the remaining scale before using the next winter. It holds about 1.5 gallons, and uses about 3 gallons every 24 hours while the heat is running, and it's cold outside. I tried a cool mist, and it worked, but filters didn't last long. I still have it in reserve, in case the warm mist can't keep up. That happened last year during a real cold snap, but it didn't this year during our week long cold period. I've thought of the ultrasonic ones too, but this one still works. Why change. I think it cost me about $60 - 70. One other thing. My shop is small. About 300 sq' with 9.5' ceiling.

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Waddy

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Sorry I can’t help with specific humidifier recommendations as my humidification needs seem to be rather modest. This makeshift setup keeps my ~500sf space above 35% RH on the rare days the outside temp drops below freezing here in the Pacific Northwest.



I’m curious as to how low of RH it would get in your shops without humidification, and also what would be the lowest RH you would expect to stay above with a shop humidifier?

Joe

I have the same one as Waddy and prefer it to the cool mist ones. It seems to work faster. I did have someone run a test to see how much electricity it was using and he was terrified by the reading he got but I didn't notice a huge change in the electric bill when I switched over to it. I thought that was strange. I have had problems with mine (the honeywell one) but cleaning the sensors fixed that (and I checked everything else first, so I am pretty sure that was the problem). I also have a cool mist for backup. My shop is very small as well, 9x17(and not perfectly insulated). The Honeywell can keep up unless it is below 10 or so outside and then running both works fine. I do have to fill it twice a day, morning and evening.

I looked at the Despot recently for a backup Honeywell one but have not been able to find it around here. They seem to have been replaced with a cool mist one as their main small humidifer. Amazon does still sell them though.

Joe, I expect it would get below single digits with no humidification for most of the winter in my shop in the winter. I am not sure I could keep it above 50 if I tried without multiple units. As it is in the winter I try to keep it just at 40.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

Sounds like I have the same one as Waddy and Burton (HWM-450), and agree it's great aside from the difficulty of trying to chip mineral formations off of the plate without scratching it up too badly. At least it's cheap enough that it's not a big deal to replace if it dies, although it looks like Amazon has stopped carrying them since I bought mine 2 months ago.

I ended up having to hang blankets around my work area due to large windows in the room condensing any humidity I put out. Now I'm down to refilling every day or two and cleaning every couple weeks to keep it at 40%, compared to 2-3 refills a day and cleaning every 5 or so days and not even making it up to a measurable level on cold days when I was trying to fight the windows.

If you like a warm shop, don't expect to get any sunlight after all the insulating is done

I now use the $18 Vicks vaporizes after the tank on my wicking one cracked. They may very well not be as energy efficient as the other types. I drilled a hole in the top of one of them and have it hooked up to the shop furnace drain to burn off the drippage. Killed two birds with one stone on that one. Last year is was almost at a perfect equilibrium, but this year it seems dry and I have to add water to that one too. I have one other I run all the time in the shop with a third ready to go when it gets really bad. This winter seems to be really dry compared to last. I cant seem to keep up. I'm fulling them 2-3 times a day with a 5 gallon bucket and go through the better part of the bucket each time. The shop is sealed off decently too.

I still have an Bionaire wick type tower in the office/guitar room/zoot cave.

I've got an old drum style humidifier I bought at a pawn shop for $5. It holds ~5 gallons of water. During the winter(the only time I need it) I have to fill it once a week or so.

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

I use the pacific ocean....

never needed to use anything else as a humidifier here, only a dehumidifier.

-jd

Be careful with Ultrasonic humidifiers growing bacteria/mold and spewing it all over the place. The Swiss units at Bed, Bath, etc have a Silver ion antimicrobial design which will help prevent contaminination of the water. Ultrasonic Nebulizers (essentially the same device, just smaller) are used to deliver medications deep into the lungs. You can get quite a few bacteria on a 1-3 micron particle of water and have it suspended in the air waiting to be inhaled.

Filippo, I have no experience with the ultrasonic humidifier, but I have one wick style humidifier, and one pump style humidifier.You may already know this, but for those who are wondering, the wick humidifier depends on a filter/wick to draw up the water so a fan can draw air through and around it so as to release it into the air. I have had good performance from this humidifier, I just need to change the filter twice/season. The filter/wick eventually gets clogged with scale and minerals from the water, but is easily changed (about $8.00 at Lowes or the Depot).

The pump style, called "Care Free" worked fine for one season for me. It has a pump that draws the water up over the top of a filter which the fan pulls air through. The filter supossedly only requires perodic cleaning and soaking in vinegar water to remove scale and mineral build up. Unfortunately this is not the case for me, the humidifier continues to loose performance, to the point now that I am going to replace it. The filters are not readily availablen at the box stores for these and from research on the net, cost $35.00. So I am going to replace it with another wick style.

Chuck

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I had a number of humidifiers over the years . These ( Lasko ) performed the best for my shop . I do create a lot of dust and the filters are not very expensive . The unit breaks down for an easy clean but I like that they have the out put to hold my shop at 45% in the worst conditions .
I liked it so much I have a smaller unit in the guitar room . The filters are cheap and easy to replace . I use a 9 gallon in the shop and a 1.75 for the guitar room in the house. While I do have humidity control in the house I like this unit as a back up . The link will show you your options. There are so many different units . Heat and wet rags really do not cut it for a shop of any size .
Martin used to pour water on the cement floors in the winter to get RH up . How things have changed .

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it