Is there a thread here on this subject? Anyone using a humidifier in the cold, dry months? Thanks. cheers!
There is one. Here is my personal experience, anyway: You get reasonable priced jobs (~ 100 $) at your local crafts supermarket. It is big enough for a medium sized room. I found it worthwhile getting one as it ended my “annual winter practising troubles”. It is good for your health, too. The best RH for the human body is ~ 55 %. When the frost is on the pumkin my hygrometer in here tells me that it sinks below 40 %. With this gadget “online” it goes back to 55 %.
Interesting enough - they have water storage tanks of ~ 5 l and you fill it up ~ twice daily. About every 2 weeks you have to - mechanically - remove the chaulk from the steam facility.
\
When the weather is hot and sticky
thats no time for dunkin´ ... when the frost is on the pumkin thats the time for … dunkin`
oh yes. got it right in front of the heater vent & turn it on when things get below 45%. very necessary imo.
Most pipers I know in the Northeast region use a room humidifier in the winter. If you go below 30 percent humidity your reed will really start to act up, in my experience.
From time to time, boil a kettle in the room where you practice.
Thanks all…any recommendations on which one to choose or which feature is most needed? cheers.
Cold air Humidifiers usually have some type of “wicking” system. I elected to go with a warm air Humidifier, which basically boils water and releases it into the room. There is a tank of water that I change out once a day, which includes a quick cleaning (5 minutes or less to wipe down). A friend has one that you set the humidity level (with a LED read-out on a front panel) and it keeps the room at that humidity level. I wish I would have spent the extra for this feature, but mine works fine.
Before I got my humidifier, there were days that my chanter just would not play due to the lack of humidity. I haven’t missed a day since getting it. 
Here is my two cents on this topic: I used to fuss ad nauseum with humidifiers in an attempt to create an Irish-like micro-climate in bone dry, centrally heated winter North America. I found myself fussing with humidifiers and reeds more than actually playing the damned pipes. The better approach I feel is to play with locally made reeds/chanters. The reed will settle into the dry conditions as winter sets in and you can adjust mechanically from time to time as needed. I suspect you get yourself into trouble when the reed reacts to the moisture of a humidifier, then, inevitably, you fail to re-fill the humidifier with water, the room goes dry and the reed reacts negatively. Admittedly, the reed may not sound its best in the bone dry conditions, but spring does come eventually.
The ultrasonic variety are silent so won’t make your drones do the wah-wah.
Patrick
So..Should I send my Rogge chanter back because I don’t live in Germany..damn 
No, you should send it to me.