Hello all. After beginning my mando journey with a sweet little Big Muddy M11, I caught the Collings bug after taking an MT for a test drive. I now have a lovely MT2V set aside. It has been with Buffalo Bros. for a year, so the varnish isn't brand new. I hope to have it on the way here to Oregon in a couple of months. Here is my concern. I live in an old farmhouse, predominantly wood heat and open the windows air conditioning. I have always stored my guitars and my little mando in their cases. I never travel with my instruments in the car trunk, or leave them in a parked car. But have been told I probably should look into a humidifier. I don't know anything about them, but this new mandolin is a gem and I want to keep it that way. Advice?

http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi

or this and find message board.

http://www.mandolincafe.net

search for humidity humidifier, etc.

http://www.venta-airwasher.com/

Venta are the best I've found. I started with an Ultrasonic, which puts a fine mist in the air. This type results in minerals from the water getting on everything in the room. We have hard well water so the Ultrasonic wound up in the trash. The Venta has a wheel that slowly revolves, picking up water and a fan that blows down on the wheel evaporating the water on the fins of the wheel. Since the water is evaporating all the minerals are left behind and the fan actually blows room dust into the water. The result is that the Venta cleans the air and puts moisture in the air without the minerals. I love it. I also bought Radio Shack's cheap digital hygrometer/thermometer to monitor the room where the humidifier sits.

You don't say which part of Oregon, which matters. Your reference to wood heat makes me suspect it might be near the Cascades. I love mountains (the readers know which ones I love best), but drastic climate changes in a drafty house are the arch enemies of stringed instruments, and especially varnished ones. Get thee to a humidifier, anon. tom

Thanks everyone for the info on humidifiers.
It sounds like the health of my instrument will depend on a room humidifier rather than a little one for the instrument case. We'll have one in place before I bring the instrument home.

My next question would be, is there a best window for humidity and instruments, or is consistency the key?

Sonoman, I am in Sandy, Oregon, west side Cascade foothills, just east of Portland so we get a lot of rain too. In other words...it is damp much of the year. We are having an amazingly snowy winter. The forecast today was a little snow last night, then rain, but I am looking out the window at several new inches of snow and no sign of it stopping. As a teacher, I love an occasional snow day as much as the kids...but we have used ours up! Mandolin picking afternoons on the front porch may have to wait now until even later in June!

Thanks, Julie

I mostly hear 45% to 55% is the ideal range. But I personally don't get concerned until it is consistently below 40%. You do need a hygrometer. Guessing at humidity can get you in trouble.

Trying to keep levels above 45% in an old farmhouse may be impractical if it gets very cold where you live. At an indoor temperature of 70 degrees F, 45% RH, the dewpoint is 47 degrees. This means condensation will form on any surface 47 degrees or colder. You will start to get condensation on the windows if they are single pane. Watch to see that the sills and frames aren't being hurt by the moisture. The moisture can also condense in insulation in the walls and roof if you don't have a proper vapor barrier. This can lead to mold issues.

I don't mean to sound like doom and gloom, just watch what is happening if you humidify the whole house to this level. Normal comfort levels usually don't exceed 30%. The colder it gets outside, even lower levels are recommended.

If you see moisture problems occuring, switch to in-case humidifiers, or use an inside room to house the instruments and room humidifier.

Thanks BillDuck,

I appreciate the practical information. In our location, we have generally been more marine in our climate than mountainous....but we are experiencing a throwback sort of winter, and the summers are getting drier. So your pinpoint information on humidity ranges helps. (We have already replaced all our windows with double pane and are working on the insulation.) Ha!...century old houses are a special sort of love affair.

My other instruments have been fine...but they are not close to the caliber of the one that will be coming home soon!

Thanks again, all of you for taking the time to share the information.

Happy winter picking!

Julie