I have a Vornado evap 3, in New England USA, it works great. I do have a separate RH sensor and when the humidifier is set to 50 the sensor hovers around 48-50. If I forget to fill it the sensor drops - so I think it’s reasonably accurate.
The drawback of an evap is that the wicks run about $12 per pack (replace every 6 weeks or so) and you have to watch out for mold and/or mildew growing in them. I usually add a few tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide to the water on each fill and that seems to help alleviate it becoming a Petri dish.
I live in New England, relative humidity falls a lot in the winter and fret sprout and cracking can happen if guitars aren’t kept in a more humid environment. My guitars are on stands in my office, in the winter I keep the room doors closed and use a Vornado evaporative humidifier, it has a built in humidity sensor and keeps the RH consistent pretty reliably (I’ve got a separate RH sensor to double check and they both tend to show similar readings).
Get a [wicking/evaporative style humidifier](https://youtu.be/oHeehYYgl28?si=QRzj3Eh5MWeboHWb) if you can. I like my Vornado Evap3 but it's not the cheapest option. Walmart seems to carry some cheap evaporative/cool mist ones from Pelonis. I can't vouch for any of these but I do have a Pelonis space heater that has held up great over 15+ years.
I have a couple of Bonecos and would buy them again if they hadn’t stopped selling them in the US. I also bought a Vornado EV3 which is easy to clean and would recommend.
There is no such thing as a maintenance-free humidifier, whether it’s evaporative, ultrasonic, or even steam, they all require regular cleaning or regular changing of filters (or sometimes both). Steam is less prone to mold, but also super hot, and is prone to scale buildup which still requires cleaning.
I would suggest giving your current unit a thorough clean first to see if that solves the issue.
We have a 6L LEVOIT (ultrasonic/cool mist) humidifier, and I check ours every couple of weeks. If I see the mold, wipe the affected areas down with vinegar and rinse. Hydrogen peroxide 3% works well if I really want to feel thorough. We also make sure to change out the filter as recommended or more often (you can buy them in bulk).
We also run two Vornado evaporative humidifiers on the first floor of the house. Let me tell you, the wicks in those develop considerable mold, and we change them out once a month or sometimes more often.
Regardless of humidifier the concept is the same. You have to take care of them no matter what you buy.
Top Humidifiers on Reddit
1
LEVOIT
Superior 6000S Smart Evaporative Humidifier
75% positive of 83 users
Smart, large capacity; cleaning and whole-home coverage polarized.
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