Humidifiers, Humidity and de Humidifier Controls for Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Piano, Guitar, Harpsichord, other musical instruments


These are the best, instrument-maker tested, low-priced systems and accessories I've been able to come up with for controlling the humidity in one room, such as a music studio, instrument making studio, instrument storage room, practice room or hotel room.

Why do you need this, and what's special about these systems? (http://www.burgessviolins.com/humidity.html)






Humidifiers, Humidity and de Humidifier Controls for Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Piano, Guitar, Harpsichord, other musical instruments.

Hygrometer/Thermometer

I sell this because I've tested so many hygrometers which turned out to be junk, which were nowhere near their claimed accuracy.....as much as 40% off! (Scroll down the page for a picture of five different hygrometers, side-by-side, showing how much the readings differ)

Oddly enough, after recalibration, these cheap looking things are much more accurate than any of the "certified, lab-grade" hygrometers I have tested. They are 4x2 inches, 3/8 inch thick and will fit in almost any instrument case. They have a memory function so you can check what the highest and lowest temperature and humidity have been. Accurate measuring range is 30 to 70%, guaranteed to be with 1%. A hygrometer which isn't accurate is worse than useless; it's a hazard to your instrument!

Can you find this cheaper? Probably. What's the difference?The difference is that we individually test and calibrate each unit before we send them out, calibrating to provide the greatest accuracy in the 40-60% range (the range typically recommended for stringed instruments). So you can be sure that you aren't getting a defective unit, and you don't need to calibrate the unit before use, as the manufacturer instructions recommend. It's already been done, in one of the most accurate possible ways.

Note: This hygrometer should NOT be calibrated using the "salt test" method described elsewhere on my website, and doing so will void the manufacturers warranty.

$32.00 plus about six buck in shipping and handling. U.S. orders only





Humidifiers, Humidity and de Humidifier Controls for Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Piano, Guitar, Harpsichord, other musical instruments.

Universal external control unit for humidifiers and dehumidifiers
WILLHI WH1436H Air Humidity Controller

Why do you need this separate controller? When the controls for humidifiers and dehumidifiers are built into the appliance, they tend to sense the moisture and heat in the appliance, rather than what is in the rest of the room. The result is that their precision goes a little berserk, and my tests have shown humidity swings as high as 30%. This unit can be located many feet away from your appliance.

Will automatically turn both humidifiers and dehumidifiers on and off. Will control the recommended vaporizers and dehumidifiers, and many other humidifiers and vaporizers (if they don't lose their settings when power is interrupted). Will control the moisture level much more accurately than most built-in humidifier and dehumidifier controls. Allows the use of inexpensive, bacteria and mold free steam vaporizers such as the one below.


More details:

Power saving features:
The spread between "on" and "off" can be set wherever you want (I recommend 5%) to prevent electricity wasting frequent cycling of the appliance, and the accuracy is superior so the appliance will run no more than necessary. This setup should pay for itself with reduced power consumption, and by allowing the use of cheaper humidifiers/dehumidifiers. It has all sorts of bells and whistles, like high and low humidity alarms, but be forwarned that they are rather complicated to program. However, I include simplified basic programming instructions, which no one has had a problem with so far.

Note: Will not work with appliances which have controls which need to be reset if they have been unplugged.

These controllers can sometimes be found someplace like Amazon or Ebay for less than I sell them for. But be careful to order the humidity controller, and not the temperature controller, since the appearance of the two is identical, and the temperature contoller is much less expensive.

I offer these to people who place a higher priority on getting a system up and working, than noodling around on the internet, or the complications and delays of ordering a product which is shipped from China, or from a seller who furnishes no contact information. My phone number is (734) 668-7803. I may offer a pre-programmed option in the future, depending on the feedback I get. Everything is a work in progress.

Sixty bucks plus shipping. U.S. orders only








Humidifiers, Humidity and de Humidifier Controls for Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Piano, Guitar, Harpsichord, other musical instruments.

This photo shows the accuracy problems with hygrometers

Beginning at the upper left corner, they read 75, 44, 54, 40, and 59 percent humidity. These were all photographed at the same time, in the same environment. The one on the lower right is the one with the correct reading. The one on the lower left is another brand which can be calibrated, and I tested it because it looked promising. Immediately after calibration, it was pretty good, but several months later, it ranged between 5 and 9% off.





Humidifiers, Humidity and de Humidifier Controls for Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Piano, Guitar, Harpsichord, other musical instruments.

Recommended Sunbeam Vaporizer, 1.2 gallon capacity, model 1388.

Note: Sadly, Sunbeam has discontinued this old favorite of mine, but maybe you can still find one. In its place, I am now recommending the Vicks Steam Vaporizer, Model V-150. The downside is that in my experience, it doesn't emit nearly as much steam as the Sunbeam, and has a shorter lifespan.

Both emit bacteria free, mold free, mineral free distilled steam, have no wicks or filters that support bacteria or mold growth, and which will need to be replaced periodically (and it's cheaper than anything else!). If it gets mineral buildup after a couple of years, it is inexpensive enough that you can just throw it away and buy a new one. And since it has no fan, it is also quieter than many humidifiers, making only a mild bubbling sound like boiling water. Neither of these steam-type humifiers will emit the minerals contained in the water they use into the room, so they won't produce the mineral dust coating in a room that the cool-mist ultrasonic types can. Plug it into one of the control units above for automatic operation.

I don't carry either of these because I can't supply them for any less than what you can find them for on Amazon or elsewhere, but wanted you to have pictures of what you'd be looking for.
The steam units from Vicks (pictured below) can often be found at K-Mart, Meijers, Walmart, and similar places, usually under $20 in the health products department.


Humidifiers, Humidity and de Humidifier Controls for Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Piano, Guitar, Harpsichord, other musical instruments.




Need to humidify, but it's already hot and you don't want to add any heat? Try the Hunter model 33201, an evaporative style which doesn't need replacement filters. The downside is that it is much more expensive than the steam vaporizers, and has an internal fan, making it noisier than the steam type. Recently available at WalMart.



Recommended inexpensive dehumidifier:

Keystone KSTAD354D or KSTAD30B, about $170 from Home Depot, or from various other large home improvement stores or internet sources.

I'm currently using this with the separate "universal control unit". Some other dehumidifiers I have tested have failed rather quickly. It maintains its settings despite power interruptions. It has provisions for a drain hose, so one doesn't need to empty the reservoir if there's a drain nearby, at a lower level than the dehumidifier. It's a little noisy, but one can unplug it for practice or lessons, and it will retain the settings upon plugging it back in. Just don't forget to turn it back on.

Dehumidifiers aren't quite the electricity hogs that they once were. But as efficiency has gone up, the heat exchangers have gotten thinner, and more prone to leakage. So I'd pay a little more, if necessary, to purchase from a local store which will exchange it if it fails within the warranty period (or will do so if you buy their "protection plan"), so you wouldn't need to deal directly with the manufacturer if it fails, which can be a nightmare. The much more expensive dehumidifiers don't seem to have a track record that's any better.

We don't carry these because of the expense in shipping, but they are Energy Star rated, inexpensive, and have good consumer reviews. Their down side? As with many dehumidifiers, the built-in controllers resulted in quite a fluctuation in room humidity. No problem. Plug them into one of the dual-purpose humidity control units higher on the page.


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For more information about Burgess violins, violas and cellos, contact David Burgess at:
1510 Glen Leven; Ann Arbor, MI 48103 U.S.A.
Phone: (734) 668-7803
Burgess Violin Maker Main Web Site: http://www.burgessviolins.com/


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