humidity help!

[unknown-user]

My recently restored Wurlitzer and I are moving from a humid part of the country (40-50%) to a drier area (15-20%).

[holly-kemble]

I

[carl-swanson]

To answer your first question honestly:

1) No, harpists do not worry about the effects of humidity(really the lack of humidity). Not until major damage is done to the instrument. Really.

I have been screaming at harpists about this issue for most of my career. I’ve written articles on it and posts here. But the vast majority of harpists pay no attention until the damage is done. Congratulations to you for worrying about this now.

The relative humidity of the room where you keep your harp should be between 40% and 60%. You can do two things to help achieve this. 1) lower the temperature in the room and 2) humidify. The humidifier should be a large cold water evaporator that blows out humidified air that is invisible. No steam, no vapor. I have two in my living room and each holds about 7 gallons of water. In the dead of winter I refill them both every 3 days or so.

Harps do not dry out instantly. it takes 2 to 3 months for the wood to shrink so much that wood(and finish) crack, and glue joints open up. So even if you move your harp often out of the “harp room”, by returning it there between moves you can maintain the proper moisture content in the wood.

I would like to explain here why it is so critically important to humidify European made wooden musical instruments(pianos, harps, harpsichords, flutes, etc.), in particular antique wooden instruments. Western Europe has a temperate climate much like California, with very even humidity levels year round. For that reason, European musical instrument builders have for centuries dried their wood to about a 15% moisture content before using it to build an instrument, and that worked very well in Europe. When those instruments are imported to the United States, the wood expands and contracts much more than wood that has a lower moisture content, and the result is cracking and splitting. Often severe cracking and splitting.

American musical instrument manufactures learned early on that the wood they used had to be dried to 5% to 8% in order to avoid the worst of these problems. This helped enormously. But you are still dealing with wood, and long periods of extreme dryness will cause structural and cosmetic damage.

European manufactures now dry their wood to the same specifications(5% to 8%) as American manufactures, so buying newer European wooden musical instruments is no longer a problem in the American climate. It’s mainly antiques that you have to be more careful with.

[howard-bryan]

Carl is absolutely correct!

[holly-kemble]

Wow, Carl….this is really interesting and helpful!

Can you share the brand/model of the humidifiers you like?

Thanks….Holly

[kay-lister]

Carl,

My music room is 20X20 – would 2 humidifiers be

[carl-swanson]

My humidifiers are both from Sears and I bought them 25 years ago or more. If you get the type of humidifier I mentioned(no visible vapor or steam) then you can put it right next to the harp and have it blowing on the instrument with no damage at all. The humidity will be highest nearest the humidifier, so you want to have the humidifier close to the harp. 2 humidifiers in a 20 by 20 room would not be too much. My living room is 13 feet wide by 33 feet long by 10 feet high(typical victorian double parlor). Remember, if you can lower the temperature in the room, say to 65 or less, that will help raise the relative humidity.

[unknown-user]

Thanks to all for your help!

[Chris Asmann]

I have a few

[jennifer-buehler]

Thanks for the info!

[Neka Borders]

Hi,

What about lever harps and humidity levels? Do the same requirements still stand? I heard that lever harps require less attention where humidity is concerned. That said, I’m a total newby and am unsure. I’ve been keeping my harp covered with the original quilted cover that came with the harp (which was build in the mid-70s). My living room is a loft, and totally open…it’s about a 30×30 space. Also, there’s a fireplace – not sure how close/far the harp should be kept from it. Also, the room is very sunny (facing water, so the sun shines directly on all the furniture in the room – not sure how this could affect the harp either). Thanks for any advice regarding lever harps.

Thanks,

N.

[Dennis McKenzie]

Can anyone suggest a brand of humidifier for a 24by20 foot room that does not make a lot of noise. Here in Alaska my room humidity is 30% and room temp at 70

[barbara-low]

Carl, your first answer made me smile. So true. Interesting information on European woods and California. My Salvi was very stable from the very beginning. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area does have its advantages.

[barbara-low]

Yes, the same humidity requirements would apply to lever harps as well. Keep your harp as far away from the fireplace as possible, and out of direct sunlight. Big fluctuations in temperature aren’t good for harps. If you have direct sun coming in, I’d recommend using window shades.

[barbara-low]

Holly, get a hygrometer from Radio Shack and check the humidity level for the room your harp is in. Unfortunately, the sponge doesn’t do much at all for your harp.

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