 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Meri
Date: 2000-07-26 18:07
It seems that when the air conditioning in my house has been left on too long, my instrument and reeds don't seem to play as well, in spite of good storage practices.
So, how can I convince my mom and dad not to leave the air conditioning on too long, assuming it is bad or our instruments? (it has seemed as if my instrument is drying out because of several occasions of the air conditioning being left on too long)
Meri
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-07-26 20:35
Meri wrote:
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So, how can I convince my mom and dad not to leave the air conditioning on too long, assuming it is bad or our instruments?
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Tain't no way you could convince me!
Perhaps you can put a humidifier in your case.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-07-26 21:58
I agree with Mark, summer air conditioning is now-a-days a necessity here in the south, and as I remember in Mich also. It does of course de-humidify the air, not as badly as in the winter-heating season, which may cause minor problems with clarinets. I compensate, as Mark does, with humidifying as needed, and have no problems. Luck, Don
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-07-27 17:10
Does your house have a humidifier and a thermostat that registers the humidity along with the temperature? Kevin and I bought a little electronic gizmo that does this. I don't remember what we paid, but it's the Radio Shack brand and I think it was cheap. It operates on a small battery and is about the size of a cigarette pack. We set it upright on a bookshelf where we can see the digital readout easily.
We put this gizmo in the room where my husband keeps his violins, which are very sensitive to temperature and humidity. I turn on the humidifier when the humidity in that room drops below 45%. The violins play best with humidity above 50%. He uses Dampits, but keeping the indoor air well humidified does a better job of keeping the fiddles in good shape. Keeps me in better shape, too -- I don't get "winter alligator" skin with the humidity above 50%.
Here in Virginia, I don't even bother checking the humidity gauge in the summer, because the air here in August is wet enough that breathing outdoors could just about drown you, and humidity indoors stays well above 50% even with the air conditioning on full blast. In winter, though, our central heating dries things out quite a lot, so I do use the humidifier then and notice that it helps my clarinets, too. I don't think clarinets seem as sensitive to humidity as violins.
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Author: Meri
Date: 2000-07-27 18:57
I think I will try the humidifier idea in my studio (where I keep my instrument), although it may also be the case that the humidity levels this year in Southern Ontario are somewhat lower than usual overall. (50-60% humidity, occasionally lower, when it's usually 65-70% humidity.)
Meri
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Author: beejay
Date: 2000-07-28 00:20
A costless solution is to keep a film canister filled with damp sponge in your clarinet case. Punch a few holes in the lid, and replace the moisture when the sponge gets dry.
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2000-07-29 06:31
I listened to a repairman who said, well, in winter it's so dry, and in summer, you run the air conditioning, so it's always dry (I live in the northeastern US); you need to put a humidifier in your case, so the clarinet won't possibly crack. And I let him sell me one of those that looks like a little vial. Well, we then had a streak of cool, damp weather. Result: my tenons swelled so much they had to be ground down, even the metal capped ones, which swelled at the bases of the joints.
I don't use humidifiers any more, no mather what the weather.
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-07-30 19:50
Good point, Steve. I should have mentioned in my message above that it's wise to be careful not to leave the *household* humidifier on too much, either. I turn mine off at 60% humidity. It gets more humid than that in here in the summer, but if the humidity stays higher than about 70% for more than a few days, I start noticing mold and mildew in the less well-ventilated areas of the house. That's not something I want to get started in my clarinet cases.
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Steve Epstein wrote:
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I listened to a repairman who said, well, in winter it's so dry, and in summer, you run the air conditioning, so it's always dry (I live in the northeastern US); you need to put a humidifier in your case, so the clarinet won't possibly crack. And I let him sell me one of those that looks like a little vial. Well, we then had a streak of cool, damp weather. Result: my tenons swelled so much they had to be ground down, even the metal capped ones, which swelled at the bases of the joints.
I don't use humidifiers any more, no mather what the weather.
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