drying my acoustic w/o dehumidifier?

[IbanezFreak]

ok so i think my acoustic is starting to swell a little at the bridge area..its like a tiny hill and i'm kinda worried...sound of the guitar getting muddy too, ( either my ears are failing me or that my guitar seriously needs drying )

so..i'm broke...and well, ive come across threads on using silica gel as an alternative..

but, will it work if i just stuff em into a gig bag with my acoustic? just like that? where can i get those jars of silica gel? So that i can pack them into bigger packs than those from ''wan wan'' packets..

so where can i get those jars of silica gel? any place nearest to Serangoon mrt would be preferred..

but more importantly, is my guitar in any trouble? should i unwind the strings and everything?

 

[Coyote]

Drying your acoustic

First of all, you should never have gotten your guitar into this situation. Getting it swollen like that causes extra strain on everything and compromises the structural integrity.

Having said that, most people here have no idea how wet Singapore is; we're practically off the charts, so just leaving your guitar lying around would be enough to cause this. I'll also bet you sensed something within a month, confirmed it by the 3rd and your guitar is now nearly dead after 9 mths.

Yes, can save it with silica gel but you need an airtight hardcase while the drying process is going on and you need to keep changing the silica gel regularly for the rest of the guitar's life. I highly recommend you get a dehumidifier as it takes only 1 cent of electricity/day to run it, plus if you sleep in that dry room on a cold day, it's more comfy than aircon - you wake with nice powdery skin that is not clammy.

As for the temporary solution of the silica gel, get it in 500g plastic bottles at camera shops and bigger photo developing booths. It was $4.00 per 500g ten years ago so I have no idea what the price is now (I've not bought silica gel since I got my dehumidifier). Get an old handkerchief or rag, scoop up about a 3rd of the bottle into it, tie the corners tight (figure it out yourself) and put it right into the body of the guitar after loosening the strings. I've played concerts with the gel bag in and it doesn't mess with your sound.

Check every 2 weeks initially. Do not take the strings completely off as this will mess up your intonation - your guitar needs that tension to complete its structure. You may however lower the tension a little; bring the pitch down a perfect 4th, max, while you're drying.

The wood loses water faster than it takes it in but it will take it in whenever you drop your guard.

Hope this helps.

 

[sir.TJ]

put 3 bags of silica gel inside the guitar... thats what i did .

 

[IbanezFreak]

yeah that really helps...thanks guys,

but how much would a small dehumidifier cost? i only have one acoustic that has a solid top and back..the other is some all laminated guitar...its stronger than a tank...

 

[evident]

if you don't want to use a dehumidifier then leave your air-conditioner on 24/7.

 

[Coyote]

Dehumidifier

Don't think of your dehumidifier as being only for your guitar. I use it to 'normalise' humidity for everything from LPs and CDs to important documents and cameras/electronic equipment to food. Also, your clothes and bedsheets feel better when dry and it is a joy to have slept in a dehumidified room - you get your comfort for a fraction of the environmental and monetary cost of an aircon.

In any case, your aircon already comes with a cost-and-power-saving dehumidifier mode which doesn't use the compressor. It's the mode indicated by the water droplets.

Have fun.

 

[Steelwolf]

Coyote: The aircon will use the compressor even in the dehumidifier mode. The only mode that doesn't engage the compressor is the fan mode.

What happens in dehumidifier mode is that the aircon coils are cooled down and air is drawn over them very slowly. In some aircons, the fan doesn't even run. The slow airspeed allows the air to sit on the coils for as long as possible. This cools down the air by a huge amount.

Cold air is not able to hold as much physical water as warm air. So although the relative humidity of the air may remain high, cold air has less actual water in it than warm air of similar relative humidity.

So when the warm air cools down, all the water that it can no longer carry will condense on the cold coils. The air then continues on its way and mixes back with the rest of the air in the room. This brings the cold air back up to normal temperature, but with less actual water in it. So the relative humidity of the air is now lower and it is ready to absorb water from whatever available source, such as your breath, or your guitar.

In some of the small dehumidifiers, e.g. from Olee, you will find that the air actually passes first over the cold face of the peltier module to condense the excess water out, then over the warm face to heat it back up. This immediately provides you with dryer air at the outlet.

Using packets of silica gel is probably the easiest thing to do. Get the ones from Olee, available at Homefix DIY and other such shops. They have ones that come in a soft bag, with an indicator panel that changes from blue to pink as it picks up water.

To recharge, put it in the microwave oven on medium-high for 5-10mins. Let it expel most of the water, then put it in to a small airtight box to cool down. (The air-tight box is to prevent the silica gel from absorbing water from the air while you are waiting for it to cool down.) Once cool, you can put it back in with your guitar.

I've found that I need to keep 2 bags in my case, but I do take my guitar out quite a bit. I recharge every week, even before the indicators turn pink. By this time, the blue colour has faded from cobalt blue to pastel/baby blue, sometimes to white if it has been raining.

 

[Phil]

Hi,

Silica gel packets are not really suitable, try the Zorb-It. They are available at Maestro or at www.bgwguitars.com.

I wrote a review about them, check it out and see why I say that normal desiccants are not suitable for your guitars, and why I recommend the Zorb-It.

http://soft.com.sg/forum/maestro-bulletin/134353-zorb-introduction-mini-review.html#post935532